Mr. Patton, there are some things to watch out for and to know. If you apply heat to a stock that has been glued back together in the past, the heat will melt the glue and you might have more than a two piece stock. I check first and goofed up once when I was too much in a rush. I never buy a gun that has a repair in the stock.
In my experience, there are stocks that cannot be bent. Period. You will know after you try. I have not had any damage when that happens.
I have bent more than fifty stocks. I have not cracked a stock (except the glue fiasco) whether bending up or down or sideways. You need to bend a bit further than the measurements you are trying to attain. You do gain a feel for it.
The next most important thing is to know how much you need to bend. The 1/16 rule applies. For every inch you gun is off of center at 16 yards, you need to move your eye 1/16". Patterning is usually done at 16 yards for that reason. Notice, I said eye. This part is important. Your eye sits above the stock 1/3 the way down from the receiver or 2/3 the way up from the butt. To move your eye multiples of 1/16" you must move the butt 3 times that amount. An example: If your pattern is off (up, down or sideways) by 4" you must move your eye 4/16" which translates to 12/16" (3/4") at the butt. This sounds like a lot but it works to zero your aim point. Mount your gun and you will see where your eye is.
I use a contraption similar to SKB made with left over 2x4 and 2 x 6's from my old job sites. Long sheetrock screws holds the frame together and those old type orange/brown heat lamps, 250 watts (from Home depot) in clamp on 2 desk lamps from Staples, 6" away from the wrist. Canola oil is my choice which wets the fabric (I happen to use large gauze). It is tied with cotton string. I heat for 30 to 60 minutes. Not being a metal man, l used lamp parts and household electric box parts and other improvised stuff. It is still functional.
There are other ways to do this and you can find it on the internet. Good luck!
