grind to fit recoil pads-thumbs up!

[Axis II]

Finished off a limbsaver grind to fit pad last week for my marlin 45-70 and it looks really nice and finally got to test it today. I fired about 10 upper trap door 300gr JHP loads after shooting 15rds in a 44mag handi rifle and I will say the recoil on the 45-70 felt like I was shooting the 44mag with the grind to fit pad. I could never justify $30-40 for those pads but glad I did.

Just figured I would share with you guys incase anyone is reluctant to use one they really do work. I will be moving into LE data here soon and testing leverevolution rounds so we will see how it holds up. The limbsaver slip on allowed me to shoot about 15 LE rounds until I felt a little pain so this one should be a lot better.

 

[LoonWulf]

Yeah those limbsavers are nice pads. The old Decelerators work really well also.
I havent tried any of the other grind to fits yet.

A squishy pads the only way i get thru a whole round of load work ups for stuff that kicks harder than my 7mms

 

[22250Rem]

Years ago I thought guys who fussed about recoil pads were "sissies"...... Then I got a little older, and wiser. Even the Savage Mod. 10 in 300 WSM that's in my avatar has one of those el-cheapo slip on recoil pads. I discovered that in that rifle I shot it better under field conditions than without it and I've left it on ever since. Those things really can make a difference. I'm a real fan of recoil pads now as long as they don't add too much to the length of pull and negatively affect your marksmanship.

 

[Geno]

I would rather shoot more, and that means there is a need for a comfortable recoil pad. No shame there.

 

[HankC]

I have a 308 on a Boyd's stock that comes with a hard plastics recoil pad, manageable but does hit hard on the shoulder unless I use a slip on recoil pad. Bought a grind to fit recoil pad, but not brave enough to grind it to fit yet! Is there a good tutorial out there?

 

[Axis II]

I have a 308 on a Boyd's stock that comes with a hard plastics recoil pad, manageable but does hit hard on the shoulder unless I use a slip on recoil pad. Bought a grind to fit recoil pad, but not brave enough to grind it to fit yet! Is there a good tutorial out there?

I found one on google I think he works for limbsaver doing it. What I did was got one larger than the stock and screwed it on and took a model scalpel and scoured the back of the pad around the stock very carefully and then went at it with a belt sander and medium grit belts with wd 40 on the belt. Once close to the line we used masking tape in several layers and got it closer and closer just be careful cause my buddy got distracted and nicked the stock with the sander. once the sander touched the 5-6 layers of tape he pealed a couple layers back and use an aggressive file with the stock in a vise with towels around it and began using the file until it was so close only a finger nail would grab it so I took the pad off and used a black sharpie and marked the high spots and used medium grit sand paper on a block of wood and just gave it 2 light strokes to take away the marker and put the screws back on and check until completely flush. I thought it would be really hard but it was really easy I'm doing my shotgun next.

 

[Clark]

I have bought zillions of large grind to fit Limbsavers and not ground them. I leave them bigger than the stock. I have, 15 years ago, ground pads down to look nice, but not any more. I want all the area on the rear of the pad I can get.
A friend of mine who buys double rifles and shoots elephants, is made sick by my unaesthetic behavior.
But I am into "form follows function" and let fashion catch up to me later.
I tell him, "I am making tools for real men, not jewelry for women!". But it does no good, and he keeps threatening to vomit on my rifles.

 

[lastofthebreed]

Larry Potterfield of "Midway USA" has a tutorial online of how to properly install a grind to fit pad. Watch it several times and practice on and old stock and you'll soon be doing like a pro! Old stocks can be picked up at gun shows for a song. Doesn't have to be one that fits your firearm, just something to practice on.

 

[Axis II]

Larry Potterfield of "Midway USA" has a tutorial online of how to properly install a grind to fit pad. Watch it several times and practice on and old stock and you'll soon be doing like a pro! Old stocks can be picked up at gun shows for a song. Doesn't have to be one that fits your firearm, just something to practice on.

that's a good idea but that gun show stock might be smaller then the actual stock you want it for and now your out $30-40. I picked up a non grind to fit from gandermountain while they were closing and while it said it was for my Mossberg shotgun it didn't fit, for some reason it was too small. .

 

[rayatphonix]

I was able to do a pretty good job on my first try. You'd have to look closely to see any issues. If you watch the videos a couple of time, you'll probably do ok.

 

[Nature Boy]

Larry Potterfield of "Midway USA" has a tutorial online of how to properly install a grind to fit pad.

Maybe it's just me but I find Larry Potterfield, and his videos annoying. I can't really put my finger on why. Perhaps it's his underlying self-pretentiousness or just the fact that it's a commercial for Midway cloaked in "how-to" video that lacks the detail to really tell you what you need to know.

 

[Clark]

Nature Boy,
In ~1999 Larry changed from free shipping to shipping extra. Then he left on long safari in Africa with his antique Winchester collection. I had been spending $2k/ year at Midway and quit. I found other vendors.
I was gradually forgiving Larry, but his gunsmithing videos really brought me back up to $2k, mostly in gunsmithing parts.
I make gunsmithing videos. It is not easy. My lathe looks like a pig stye.
Almost everything in the gun culture is technically wrong, but not Larry.

 

[Nature Boy]

Nature Boy,
In ~1999 Larry changed from free shipping to shipping extra. Then he left on long safari in Africa with his antique Winchester collection. I had been spending $2k/ year at Midway and quit. I found other vendors.
I was gradually forgiving Larry, but his gunsmithing videos really brought me back up to $2k, mostly in gunsmithing parts.
I make gunsmithing videos. It is not easy. My lathe looks like a pig stye.
Almost everything in the gun culture is technically wrong, but not Larry.

I watched his pillar bedding video at least 3 times. I came away less knowledgeable, if that's possible, almost like I was dumber for watching it.

"....I'm Larry Potterfield, and that's the way it is......" Really Larry? There's got to be more to it than that.

 

[Clark]

When I was a young engineer, I would often get projects for fighter planes where a mechanical engineer assigned to help me did not know what he was doing with shock and vibration.
So I would say to him, "Do you have a copy of Steinberg's book on your shelf? Let's read it together."
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node=2223210011&field-keywords=++Dave+S.+Steinberg

It is all explained there, but for a reality check we would put things on the [shake table] and sweep the frequency and amplitude and watch with a strobe light.
I made the most money on F-16 projects but the F-15 cannon fire vibration was the most memorable. I had millions of dollars [80s and 90s millions were bigger than today's] I was responsible for, and I had to get things working in a hurry. Often things would break in expensive qualification testing. I would say, "Open the box! fix it! Pour epoxy over everything that shook loose! Close the box! Get back to testing! This is costing me $175/hour just for lab time!"

After years of real science and real engineering, what goes on in the gun culture over glass bedding is an aesthetic ritual. This is like the Japanese sword makers that were not talking about molecules, they were folding steel in a ritual with the correct breathing. Videos on bedding rifles are not talking about producing a low compliance coupling between barreled action and stock to be tested with step function and check for exponential damping of sinusoid the way I do rifles., they are making bedding nice to look at.

That aesthetic view of rifle bedding is so pervasive, my advice is to give up.

 

[Axis II]

Maybe it's just me but I find Larry Potterfield, and his videos annoying. I can't really put my finger on why. Perhaps it's his underlying self-pretentiousness or just the fact that it's a commercial for Midway cloaked in "how-to" video that lacks the detail to really tell you what you need to know.

100% agree. He will show a very quick video and mention how all the tools and supplies are right there at midway. I like their selection and prices but most his commercials and facebook posts are about how much money they have like donating money to shooting sports, African hunts, his land, cabins, etc. I get that he worked hard for all that but it gets a little annoying at times. I highly doubt he does all his own work like he says he does.

 

[LoonWulf]

I have bought zillions of large grind to fit Limbsavers and not ground them. I leave them bigger than the stock. I have, 15 years ago, ground pads down to look nice, but not any more. I want all the area on the rear of the pad I can get.
A friend of mine who buys double rifles and shoots elephants, is made sick by my unaesthetic behavior.
But I am into "form follows function" and let fashion catch up to me later.
I tell him, "I am making tools for real men, not jewelry for women!". But it does no good, and he keeps threatening to vomit on my rifles.

While i do admittedly understand the concept, hell i like fishtail buttstocks *gasp*, I think im with your buddy on that one

I actually think Larrys videos are ok in terms of getting an idea how stuff is supposed to work, and im even willing to ignore/accept that they are basically an add for Midway, I certainly dont consider them a step by step guide lol.
Midway used to be my "go to" place, but now they hit me with 10-20 bucks extra in shipping, so its off to brownells and the Edge membership for me.