Marlin recoil pad: am I being too picky?

[mgmorden]

Ok guys, I'm coming here to see if I'm being too picky. I recently ordered a Marlin XS-7. When it arrived, the recoil pad's tip at the bottom was mashed in and there were wrinkles where it looked like it had buckled. It's hard to see the "mashed" part in the pic due to the angle, but here it is:



I called Marlin/Remington, and they were very courteous and shipped out an entire new stock since they didn't stock the recoil pad separately.

HOWEVER, it came in today, and this is the new pad:



It's not quite as bad as the first one, but it has the same lines at the tip (though not the mashed part - it does come to a point).

Am I just being too picky about this? I don't want to be that "difficult" customer and I know this model of rifle isn't exactly intended to be a looker, but I've never had another pad on any other gun look like this. I'm tempted to order a Limbsaver to replace it but I'd hate to spend an extra $35 on a brand new gun just to get a pad that looks ok.

 

[rcmodel]

Looks like a Really soft pad that has been standing on end for a while.

Lay it down or otherwise take the weight off of it for a few days and see if it expands back where it came from.

On the other hand, from your photos??

It looks like somebody wrapped it in silver Duct Tape!!

I couldn't live with that even without the wrinkles!!!!

Put a Limb-Saver on it and Bee Happy!!

rc

 

[Hookeye]

If the pad works well, the crinkles are merely cosmetic (stay after giving it time to pop back out)..............couldn't they simply be sanded away?

Lots cheaper than buying a new pad.

Personally, I'd just shoot it. If it's that soft it's probably going to show wear quickly from sticker bushes and other.

 

[Jackal]

Honestly, for a $275 rifle, I'd live with it. Its almost designed to get beat up at that price point.

 

[carbine85]

You might try using a heat gun to soften the rubber and see if they come out. I think I could live with it.

 

[GBExpat]

The price on mine was $250. When I find myself starting to get picky over some small issue, I remind myself of that fact.

At this price-point (especially), I only really care if it shoots well, not so much about how it looks.

They sent you a new stock assy ... WOW!

 

[jmr40]

You are being too picky, especially on a $250 rifle. Those are very soft pads and the rifles haven't been made for a while. Just a natural thing that is gonna happen with that pad over time.

 

[Onward Allusion]

It's a $300 gun and it appears that Remmy's Customer Service is top notch. A whole new stock & pad in an attempt to fix crinkles on the pad?

 

[GBExpat]

I checked both of mine ... both show the same minor wrinkles. <shrug>

BTW, rcmodel, the camera is the source of the apparent major color difference between pad & stock.

 

[Bobson]

If it bothers you that much, get the Limbsaver. Personally, I'd leave it as-is, but it's your rifle, not mine.

 

[Salmoneye]

It looks to me as if it is a flow problem in the injection mold...

I am betting every pad looks like that...

Sure would be a non-issue to me on a sub-$300 gun...

 

[Sav .250]

Your money......... Your call.

 

[mgmorden]

Thanks for the opinions guys. At this point - particularly considering GBexpat's two guns both look the same - I'm thinking its just how the pads on these guns are (at least for the ones still in the retail channel). I'm happy Remington at least tried to make it right.

Being as OCD as I am though - I'll have no mental peace with it looking that way, so I'm gonna go ahead and order a Limbsaver pad for it.

 

[GBExpat]

... Being as OCD as I am though - I'll have no mental peace with it looking that way, ...

I GROK that.

Ever since I re-finished/-built a fullsize wagon-wheel hanging light fixture at her cabin/house on Lake Jackson in the early '90s (I was high for 2 days from the stripper fumes, but, the finished product was gorgeous), she has been preaching to me the theory of Good Enough ... but I still have great difficulty with it.

As the saying goes, if you're going to do a job, ... y'know?

Now my only problem with my XS7s is they both sport wrinkled-toe recoil pads ... ... I hadn't even noticed those wrinkles ... ... but now I will constantly be aware that they are like that ...

Thanks a lot, buddy.

 

[MDI_Weapon]

You might try warming it up a little with a blow dryer or heat gun. Don't go crazy with the heat but warming it up some might reduce those wrinkles quite a bit. If not, Limbsaver.

Edit: both suggestions were already posted above so please excuse the wasted post. I am about half blind today.