doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Stock Bending Problem

Like I said before, that sounds like a very simple and straightforward job.....get in touch with someone qualified.

CJ

It does not sound as though what you require is unreasonable.
I would have thought that most wood would move that amount with hot oil bending.
Any competent stocker should move it okay.
Have you or anyone considered steaming it to bend it? Steaming does make the wood very pliable.

Some wood bends, some doesn't. Wood on Merkels is prone to not bending. I had the same issue with my Merkel. Last I heard Mike was limiting himself to barrel work, but I would certainly trust him. NECG does fine work, and I've had two stocks bent there (one bent easy and one wouldn't much bend at all).

I agree with Silver some wood will ben other wood doesn't.
I have set a lot of stocks over the year so I speak from experience. Some times you need two or three tries to get it to move and stay moved. You also have to know when to stop before you get gaps around the metal or risk breaking/cracking.Because you are putting heat and pressure on again some guns will stand more pressure than others before the risk of damage.

I talked to the gunsmith at Merkel USA today. He was not an advocate of bending stocks on Merkels, as his experience was that the wood is typically difficult to bend. As a result, some gunsmiths get overly enthusiatic and damage the stock, bend the stock away from the action and/or the bend does not hold. I have heard that English walnut bends more easily than other types of walnut - I wonder if the walnut used by Merkel is more resistant to bending.

I took the gun to NECG this afternoon to get their opinion (the recent discussion about Mike Orlen left me uneasy about sending the job to him). Among other things, they will refinish the wrist where the first gunsmith managed to discolor the finish, presumably as a result of overheating the wood. Despite the recommendations I received, I will not be sending any more work to British Sporting Arms.

Does anybody get the idea that bending a stock in whatever direction by a quarter, an eighth or a sixteenth of an inch is just a little bit crazy. Give me a break. What if you have a light or heavy shirt, sweater, vest or jacket on? What if you don't mount the gun exactly "right"? Maybe you ought to bend yourself and not the stock.

Clothing affects length of pull, not drop or cast. Those dimensions affect where the gun shots relative to where you are looking (high/low, right/left). 1/4" change in drop or cast moves the pattern approximately 12" at 45 yards.

If the gun doesn't fit, you have to adjust yourself to the gun, which means that you are less likely to mount the gun and shoot consistently every time. You can adjust the gun to you or you can adjust yourself to the gun - it is your choice. But if gunfit didn't matter, I don't think clay target shooters would be bothering with adjustable combs.

98% of the time, it is a relatively low cost, no hassle adjustment. I unfortunately am dealing with a gun in that 2%.

Mike Orlen bent the stock on my Merkel 1620 about 1.5 years ago. He did a fine job, with quick turnaround and was much cheaper than many other stock benders.

He's also bent 2 other guns for me, with equally good results.

--shinbone

I have a Lefever G-grade that when I got it was set up for a lefty. The triggers were reversed and the stock was decidedly cast-on. I couldn't shoot it.

Steve Bertram (SKB on the forum) swapped the triggers and advised me that due to an old wood repair under the side plates, the stock would probably break if he tried to bend it. However he said if it broke he could fix the break if it wasn't too bad. I elected to take the chance and it did break as he predicted, but he invisibly fixed the break and all was well.

So, even if the Merkel stock we're discussing does break if it is bent, all may not be lost. A gun that fits is worth the risk, in my opinion...Geo