I bought a Zastava (same company that mad the Interarms Mark X) in 7mm Rem. Mag about 9 months ago with intentions of taking it to Colorado for my DIY Mule Deer this fall. Anyway, I decided on the Zastava because I love a Mauser action. The only thing is that the stock was hideous: not only did it feel like a toy but it had those weird grippy things the protruded slightly from the stock. So I decided to fix it instead of buying a new stock. Below is what I did.

1. I ground down the "grippy things" with a dremel tool and then filled in the recesses with Acra-Glass.
2. I filled in the butt of the stock with spray foam.
3. I glass bedded the action and trigger guard and floated the barrel.
4. Then I finished the stock:
a) I sanded the stock smooth.
b) I applied two light coats of Krylon dark gray primer. I lightly sanded after each coat.
c) I applied a coat of flat black for the base.
d) Last, I applied a heavy coat of Krylon Make-It-Stone Obsidian. FYI, this stuff takes DAYS to dry completely.

Some may say I probably should have just bought a Remington or something (I would have gotten a Win Model 70 if I did) but I like projects and I love the way it turned out. Also, she shoots pretty damn good too!

Before:


This shows the grippy things I talked about.


After the final stock sanding:


Finished:




- thedoveshooter

Looks good.

How does the stock feel when your are firing? Does it feel abrasive or just nice and "grippy" ?

Looks dang nice to me! Great job..Love the Mauser action too.

Grippy, not abrasive. lol

Awesome job. Good idea!

I like it. Same exact rifle my brother-in-law has.

I like yours better.

What really matters is that you are happy with it.

I like it !! Looks great.

Looks fantastic! I've got an Interarms Mini Mauser in .223 and I love that little booger!

Did you seal it after it dried? Does it chip off at all?

Looks great!

I didn't seal it. I thought I would but it dried pretty hard (though it took a week). It hasn't chipped and I don't think it will unless I knock it hard.

Gonna love that rifle! I actually sold my interarms mark x in 243 bad mistake, it was by far one of the most accurate rifles I've had. Great job on the stock.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the barrel twist is 1 in 10". It won't shoot 160 gr. bullets worth beans. I guess I'll have to go with 140s.

Great thanks for the help, I am working on doing it to one of my rifles now!

I liked yours so much, I did mine. I used a Home Accent Rustoleum product.

Do you have to completely disassemble to paint the stock?

If you want a good paint job, yes.

You also have to prep the stock so it's clean and scuffed so paint will adhere.

How difficult is it to disassemble? I have a Tikka by the way.

I think it came out very nice! I feel the same way about Mauser 98 actions and Model 70s. Good thing the finish isn't abrasive. One shot could keep you from shaving for a couple of weeks.


Have you tried more than one 160-grain load? If it just won't shoot a 160, you might do okay with a 150. One-in-ten is a bit slower than usual for a 7 Mag, I think, but not by all that much. I think there's a 160-grain load out there somewhere that would work.

I tried four 160 grain handloads, one 160 grain factory load, two 150 grain factory loads, and one 130 grain factory load. As I decreased the weight the accuracy improved tremendously. It shot the 130's great. IT doesn't matter; the rifle has been sold for a month now and I'm about to get something with a 1-9.5" twist.

Taking a stock off a rifle isn't that difficult, but its important to understand how it comes apart and goes together. It is also a good idea to buy a set of gun smith screw drivers if you are going to start taking apart rifles. Regular screw drivers are not the exact same size, and it is really easy to strip out slots or slip and scratch stuff if you are not careful. Always use the right screw driver for the job.

In addition to removing the action from the stock, you will also want to remove swivel studs, butt pad,and anything else that is removable.

In order to properly prep the stock, you need to clean it with some sort of degreaser to remove any gun oil or natural oil from your hands. Then the stock needs to be scuffed to give it some tooth for the finish to adhere too. Once scuffed,it needs to be degreased and cleaned again.

Mask off any areas you don't want painted ( this could be the butt pad area, grip cap, trigger guard,or relief cut areas) especially inside the action and barrel channel.

When it comes time to paint, follow the directions on the product label. Some require primers and finish coats. The most important part is spraying in thin even coats and adhering to the finishing schedule on the label. Some products have recoat windows. It will generally say something recoat within 15 minutes or after 24 hours. If you start piling on heavy coats, it will never cure out hard like it is supposed to. When I finished my stock, it took a few days for the textured paint to cure hard, then I sealed it with some matte clear coat.

Colt- thank you, so what product did you use to do yours?