doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Removing leather-covered pad??

I just purchased a gun from a friend that is in great shape, but the stock is a little short. It currently has about a .6 inch leather-covered pad. I think I will probably need to fit a new, thicker pad to the gun, but I'm not sure how to go about removing the old one. Is it possible to remove the pad without ruining the leather-covered one? I assume this is a standard screwed-in pad, then the leather is glued to the pad?? If so, would it be possible to minimize the dmage by locating the screws and just piercing the leather there?? Any insight that would help me do the least harm to this would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave
P.S. Yes, I am considering a velcro-on leather pad, but would like to know what all my options are.

Usually, if the pad was installed by a professional, the pad will have leather covered plugs. This allows the owner to simply remove the plugs and unscrew the pad. In your case, your leather pad has probably been glued onto the stock instead of screwed on. In that case, you could try and pry the pad off, but there is no guarantee it will come off nicely.

CMWill is right. There should be two plugs in the end of the pad. Pull them out with some needle nose pliers and unscrew the screws to get the pad off. If it is glued on then you will have to grip it and rip it. Good luck.

If the pad is glued on, I would not pry or try to break it off. You risk chipping out the side of the stock. Since you're going to replace the pad, I would saw the pad at the rubber/plastic line or close to it, then find out if there are screws in it, remove if present, then sand the rest off with a disk sander. This will save you from a big boo boo.

Dave,

First....use a stud finder and determine for sure whether there are screws. I've attached a leather covered pad with screws that are anchored in epoxy, so there are no plugs or other outward evidence of screws. So it is possible. If they are there, then, yes, you can slit the leather to remove with minmal damage, but it's still damaged goods.

Second....If there are no screws and it is glued on I'd apply heat with a gun or hair dryer. If it was glued on with some foresight, it's possible the heat will soften the glue and you can work a piece of monofilament between wood/pad, and use a sawing motion to remove it.

Third...follow Chuck's advice, but you might want to just "git 'er done" and take off half a kerf of wood while you're at it.

David: A word of caution. You say the stock is "a little short." You also don't say what kind of gun this is, but nice leather-covered pads are typically found on nice guns. If that's your case, somebody probably spent several hundred dollars putting the pad on. My point is, are you SURE you want to trash this pad? How much have you shot it as-is? Are you certain this is a keeper and that you won't be trading it off in a few years? I've been down this road before, to my regret, and would encourage you to go slow and try the simpler options first. Good luck, whatever you do. TT

Chuck is right, you dont want to chip the stock. I have had some pads pull of easily in the past though. You could try to heat it like Mr. Campbell said. This way, you will now if it is on their good and tight or if they did indeed install it with epoxy and anchors. If all else fails, like Chuck said again, cut it off as close as you can then sand it down, removing screws or anchors if they exist. I am also curious as to what gun you own. Let us know how it goes!

Thanks all,
It's a Beretta BL4 20 ga that's in pretty minty shape...not a super fancy gun by some people's standards, but it has some history and is plenty fancy to me and it's also a hard-to-find configuration (O/U for less than a mint that weighs less than 6lbs)and I have no intention of doing anything to harm it--hence the question, I want to figure out what my options are before deciding on a course of action (if any). Don't worry, no shock-and-awe tactics here!

There are no plugs in the leather, so I'll try a stud finder (and maybe a magnet?) to see what I'm working with. If all else fails I can always use one of those velcro-on pads.
Thanks all,
Dave

Dave; As to the stud finder believe you will have to use one of the magnetic type which picks up on nail heads etc. You won't be able to use the electronic type which measures density.

Dave,

Can you carify "leather covered?"

To most that suggests a pad completely wrapped in leather, seamlessly down the sides and tucked between the base and the stock. The pros charge $250+ for such a job. It's basically an artsy affectation and thus the cost, though it's beyond me why it should take a pro 5 hours to make one.

Is your pad a rubber one with a piece of leather glued to the face? I've seen those "leather faced" ones on early 680 Berettas. If so, it's no more valuable than a new $30 Pachmayr and that might figure into how you approach the job.