doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Thick wrist fix?

On another topic it was stated that guns that use a draw bolt to attach the stock are thick in the wrist section of the stock. I am not going to argue that point, I agree. My question is why? The through hole for the stock is usually stepped from about 3/4" at the butt to 3/8" or less through the wrist section. That leaves a considerable amount of wood through the wrist for strength.

Do you think that trimming one down, providing that the hole is centered and no danger of breaking through would weaken the wrist too much? And if so wouldn't it be fairly simple to strengthen the through hole internally via a tube or epoxy bed? Is this done?

Thanks,

Chief

I just do not agree that all guns with a though bolt have a "thick wrist." I will dig out my M-6 ithaca Lefever .410 and measure its circumference and post the result.
Later, Walt

Sure thing. All things that you mentioned can be done.

That's OK Walt, I might agree with you also. Speaking in general terms though most through bolt guns I have owned have been a bit generous in the wrist. I've got medium sized hands and I will say that it's not a big deal. Further study here on this site has me wondering if the profile of the wrist might have as large an impact on "feel" as the diameter. Much is made of the diamond shape and that makes sense. That said if I were to change the profile I would lessen the diameter of the wrist be default, maybe a win/win.

Thanks B. Dudley, I have an SKB that may get a trim!

A subject near and dear to my heart. The type of wood in the stock, and more importantly, in the wrist would control just how much you dared to slim it down. Highly fiqured wood is never a good idea in the wrist on a handmade gun, but it can be better tolerated (ie. be less of a risk) in a drawbolt affixed stock situation. I've never tried to epoxy bed a drawbolt, but....I suppose it could work (getting the stock off ever again might be a challange). I had some significant stockwork done to a project gun (very early Model 12 in 16 bore) I recently acquired. It should have looked like Frankenstein's monster when it was done, but it doesn't (it pays to have highly competent friends!). The stockhead was repaired (it was either oil soacked or a poor replacement or both) and the drop was altered (from 3 plus at the heel to 2 1/2). This was done at the head, and by splicing on wood at the comb. The stock was also converted from mild pistol to straight. The final work on the stock was to thin it down to better fit the lines of the gun's action and install a period correct Hawkins pad (found as-new at a swap meet somewhere). The end result looks surprisingly good and has worked quite nicely so far. The only reason I/we even attempted this is that replacement stocks for Model 12s are fairly inexpensive and very easy to find. On a nicer gun, like an RBL or a Model 23 Win, I'd be more concerned about it. It is an alteration that would argueably affect the gun's resale value, even if it was done well. Save yourself the headaches and just buy a nice, plain, English boxlock. It won't have heavy mono-block barrels, and it will have already stood the tests of time. Good ones can be found in 12-bore down to 6 1/4 pounds, or less!

Thanks Lloyd, I've given some thought to doing just that. I've also considered owning a new Spanish SL. For now I am going to have to soldier on with the SKB 20/RBL 16 duo. I won't touch the RBL, it should have some good resale value, contrary to popular opinion! The SKB on the other hand has seen its best days a while ago and is a good candidate for improvement!

Chief

I do not think that a through bolt per se has much to do with wrist thickness. My Ruger GL with a through bolt is very, very slim as are the Superposed Superlights I own. Really, really slim are my 20 ga A-10's, again with through bolts.

Really the best way to reinforce the draw bolt hole would be to epoxy in a metal sleeve the whole length of the hole.

Chief. Not sure what you consider "thick" but here is a 20 Ga. Nitro Special(couldn't find my mining light to dig in the safe for the .410). About 4 1/2 inches??

Lefevers are great old guns, and in .410 I'm sure they were and are as petite as any American gun made. With that said, however, all you would have to do is pick up an English 20 or 28 and you would likely find that the wrists on those guns would be even smaller. When it comes to petite, when you don't have to deal with a drawbolt you can really pair things down. It all goes back to that weight and balance thing. The English (and, to some degree the French) really worked at making guns that handled and balanced as good as they could possibly make them. Diamond shaped wrists required a fair amount of time and handwork to complete, so they are not on every English gun you will encounter. But pre-WWI examples seem to have them more often than not, and even on their boxlock guns. It's hard to explain how good they feel unless you have already picked one up. And, at that point no explanation is necessary.