Fox Collectors

Here is the guard finished up. In the second pic you can see that the two gouges in the wood are not below the surface of the metal. These gouges were left by the duplicating machine.

Fritz, thank you for the kind words and encouragement.
Here is the project as it sits. After dinner I’m planning on cutting the stock with the chop saw and quite possibly mounting the buttplate.
-Matt

Lookin' good Matt.

Thanks Bill! After much thought last night and today I think I’m going to refit that trigger gaurd, plug the screw hole with a glassed-in walnut dowel rod and then refit the whole deal...that small gap is driving me nuts, but for right now I’m fitting the forend to the barrels...was up till 2AM working on the gun last night.
-Matt

Matt, Very nice! Do you cut the stock at a 90 degree angle from the barrels laying flat on table to mark your cut angle? Thanks, Jeff

Jeff,
The cut you make here determines the pitch of your buttplate against your shoulder...very crucial to get this right for fitment of the gun, and for reduced felt recoil.
That being said, for this gun I just used the factory uncut buttstock to determine my pitch and also where to cut it. I made this stock 1/8” shorter than it was so LOP should finish up right at 14. I really like to use unmolested fox guns to get the pitch just right because it is in my opinion a very very crucial aspect of gun fit. What I have done in the past is use a factory gun and lay it upside-down with the buttplate removed on a perfectly flat table the same as you would to determine drop measurements. I then make a cardboard template that sits flush with both the butt of the gun and flat on the table. After this template is made you can take your project gun and lay it the same way to get the same exact pitch and also set your LOP if the triggers are in using the cardboard template.
Hope that helps.
-Matt

Matt, That will help with cutting the stock. Thanks Jeff

Jeff,
I set up the miter saw and the pointer was right at the 5 degree mark based on the factory stock...when I had a fitting done a few years ago it called for 5 degree pitch also. Hope that helps some. Been getting a lot done on the project, will post more pics soon. Trigger gaurd is gap free and the whole action is almost bedded to the buttstock. Forend is bedded and almost shaped...moving along well.
-Matt

Matt, When you are bedding the action do you bed one set of contact points at a time until you get them all done? Thanks Jeff

Jeff,
I’m sure everyone has their own way/secrets on how to get the job done, but yes I do it just like you said...one set of contact points at a time. I like to do the forend iron closest to the knuckle and then a little under the iron. If your gun has a forend escutcheon you could do that at this point as well. For the buttstock do the frame first, then the trigger plate, and then the trigger gaurd if needed. Keep in mind the less you bed with each “session” the longer it will take but the easier it is to get the action separated from the wood again.
Thanks,
Matt

Bear in mind that the ultimate goal for any stocker is to not have to use any bedding compound in their work. One has to have goals.

Brian, I agree with your comment 100%. I will say that as far as bedding compound goes...I absolutely hate the stuff. That being said my goal is to build the new stock as strong as it can possibly be. I omit the auto safety rod and also shorten the head on the yoke screw to leave as much wood as possible, but the way I see it is that acra-glass bedding the action properly can only serve to strengthen the stock overall and so I use it. After re-inletting the trigger guard this gun would not have needed any bedding at all, just did it for strength.
-Matt

The furniture is all acra-glass bedded now and I am just letting it cure for a bit before I begin with the final shaping. Working on my budget build 16 gauge sterly replacement stock for the time being. I used neutral shade Kiwi brand shoe polish as my release agent for the bedding as I ran out of what I was using and couldn’t find johnsons paste wax. I will say, the shoe polish worked perfectly and Everything separated with ease.
-Matt

Getting there. Hopefully dropping the wood off to be checkered tomorrow...if not, next week. No sense in rushing when you are this close to the finish line.
-Matt

Looks like the stock lost a lot of weight,nice job! Can checkering be done after the finish is done then tape off stock to reapply to checkering? Also wondering if you finish with a original type Amber shellac? Thanks Jeff