Pachmayr recoil pad and stock finish remover

[nyrifleman]

I want to re-finish a stock that has a Pachmayr recoil pad. The stock has checkering, so I don't want to sand the current finish away, but I would like to use finish remover instead. The question is: will stock finish remover affect the Pachmayr pad? If yes, would covering it up with painter's tape protect it? Or am I better off removing it completely?

 

[hoghunting]

The pad is easy to remove. Just squeeze the sides of the pad together and you will see the slits for the screw holes. Put a drop of oil on a phillips screwdriver to prevent the shaft from tearing the pad. Unless the stock has some type of urethane finish, you can probably remove the old finish with lacquer thinner. Use the lacquer thinner and an old toothbrush to clean the checkering.