Thread: Modifying a lightweight "plastic" stock

I got a Howa mini Stock off Tararua Phil to bubba to fit my 13yr old, but It's not what I think of a "plastic" stock, like the one on my older Browning A-bolt.

It feels harder than classic glass reinforced thermoplastic, and doesn't sand like it either. It's more like fibreglass, or some sort of harder skin over a softer core. It also weighs 600g as opposed to the listed one and a bit kg for a factory Mini stock.

Has anyone modified one of these? I want to reshape the wrist/pistol grip area, but don't want to sand/file through a skin into soft/hollow core if I can avoid it (though if I have to I could re-skin it).

Thought I'd ask before I drill a small hole to find out what's inside it.

Cheers Vanman

I have my old one off my Howa Mini you guys are welcome to if you want to save the current stock?
Mines already been shaved to heck so you could chop and modify it to whatever you want.

If you're set on modifying what you have, I found the best thing to remove material fast was a razor sharp spokes plane
Then I used a rasp to get to the final stage and for finishing, I used a blow torch to lightly melt all the fine plastic fibers.

Its still ugly but it worked so much better than the original stock.
Ive also seen them primed, sanded and then painted and they can look perfectly fine.

Originally Posted by Deanohit

I have my old one off my Howa Mini you guys are welcome to if you want to save the current stock?
Mines already been shaved to heck so you could chop and modify it to whatever you want.

If you're set on modifying what you have, I found the best thing to remove material fast was a razor sharp spokes plane
Then I used a rasp to get to the final stage and for finishing, I used a blow torch to lightly melt all the fine plastic fibers.

Its still ugly but it worked so much better than the original stock.
Ive also seen them primed, sanded and then painted and they can look perfectly fine.

I'm travelling Nelson to Picton Thursday and Friday this week and could collect for @Vanman. If he didn't want it, I wouldn't mind trialling it for my 15yr old.

Deanohit is away for a couple of weeks. We'll have to try and get it over the hill once he's back.

I'm all for swapping stocks to find ones that work best for both boys.

Im back in Marlborough for a night on the weekend of the 22nd-23rd, I'll sort out somewhere with my family where it could be collected near Blenheim.

Happy for Vanman to use it or pass it on if he decides its not gonna work for them.

I'm in a similar situation. I have a Mini being used by a person of short stature, and I'm thinking about chopping an inch off the stock. I just don't know what it's like inside, and there probably isn't any fixing points for the buttpad once some material has been removed.
Has anyone shortened a Mini stock?

Could always epoxy a wood plug inside the modified opening to screw buttpad into, likely have to reprofile or use a smaller pad though

A piece of flat Jandal glued on makes a great recoil pad