A number of folks mentioned their interest in seeing how this project progresses...so I'll post (ir)regular updates here FWIW.

I've spent a good bit of time fitting the curved steel buttplate to the stock and things are getting very close...but I know me and that's when it's a good idea for me to shift gears or impatience will set in. And when I get impatient, I do stupid stuff! So, I swapped to the other end and starting fitting the action to the head of the stock.

Cleaning up the original "90%" inletting



Fitting the top tang



Fitting the lower tang



I'd ordered a Marble's tang and installed it (along with the original stock) and sighted it in. It'll have to come back off of course, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, huh?

Looking Good !!!

Really nice sir

I am envious of that skill level. Nice work.

Kind words, certainly…and I appreciate them.

If I’m anything, it’s more at the “Wood Butcher, Second Class” level. If you wish to see what REAL stock making skill looks like, check out young master Aaron Little (TDK here on this forum). He’s the real deal!

Cool as heck project. Anxiously awaiting more updates.

Can’t wait to see the finished project.

Aaron is a craftsman, no doubt.. But your work is still far and away better than any hack job that I could do..

Please keep us updated on your progress!

The stock inletting progresses. The upper tang has a taper just behind the hammer and the current "shoulder" will need to be moved rearward between 1/8" and 1/16" to allow the head of the stock to contact the frame. Since that job is gonna be ticklish enough, I've opted to go ahead and thin the wrist to remove a bunch of the extra wood. It's gotta come off sooner or later and this will make the inletting easier...





The original dimensions of the butt reminded me of the old Queen tune "Fat Bottomed Girls"...and all my fine-toothed files were making slow headway. Until my poor, redneck brain kicked in and I walked out to the tack room. Now I'm no farrier, but as a kid I used to keep my my unshod horse's hooves in shape with a pair of nippers and a horseshoeing rasp. I've still got a couple of those rasps and they will shape a horse's hoof in no time! Remember what I said about my own impatience? I had to have the "patience" sermon before putting rasp to wood...and I'll quit plenty early to have all file marks from the final stage of fitting!

Steady progress, labor of love. In the end it will be worth it.

Other responsibilities had my attention for a couple of days, but I got the chance to get back after this today.

Both the upper and lower tangs are cut down pretty close...and as close as they'll get until I finish the last of the inletting. The buttplate is getting closer as well; there is LOTS of material to remove...thank Heavens for that rasp!

Next step will involve finishing the last of the inletting, then I'll work on thinning the stock to my liking.

Top Tang



Bottom Tang



Buttplate

Getting closer nothing like a rasp to remove material just don't go too far Don't ask me how I know

I can imagine! Yep, that stuff is easy to rip off… but it’s a beast to put back on!