Glass bed a muzzle loader?

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Shadowrider

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YEP! Can you tell I'm bored with all this covid nonsense? lol

So getting ahead of deer season for once, I installed the scope rail. I used red Loctite on the screws and Loctite 680 retaining compound on the base. It ain't going anywhere.

Then I got to looking at the stock and lug pockets. What can I say? I had an old TC Omega muzzleloader with a weaka$$ cheap stock and some pretty shallow lug pockets that look like they'll break with just a few 150 grain loads. I had the Acraglass. Why not?

Step one complete.

Cut a hard rock maple block and inset it to connect the two lug pockets (which are different heights) and set it in with acraglass. Used the table saw and set blade height on each end to cut dado cuts make it level. The block and Acraglass totally fill the cavity between the pockets now and should be much more solid since it increases the depth of the pockets and connects them. I used the wood to save some weight and I wasn't sure I had enough Acraglass to just fill it all up. After about 8 hours set time it dawned on me that when I did the test fit it was WITHOUT the ramrod. DOH! Too late now, that wood has become one with the stock. Oh well, a 1/2" cove bit on the router should fix that right up. It might fit by eyeballing it but it's going to be close. I think I'll have to cut a little relief. No biggie.

IMG_6070.jpg


Tomorrow it gets the pockets glassed and the action set in. I'll use a little floc in the glass for this step to make sure there's zero clearance for movement between the lugs. Next time I buy Acraglass I think I'll get the gel. It doesn't look like it'll run off and drip out like the regular. Or maybe I'll just grab some Devcon Steel. When this is finished, from the front of the front pocket to the back of the back pocket will be a solid block of wood, Acraglass and steel when assembled. With a free floated barrel it ought to shoot. I would pillar the barrel at the front but this stock is way too flimsy for that.
 
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Shadowrider

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Done! It's really hard to conceive how much more solid it is now. When the action is set in the stock it's like a bank vault compared to what it was. If you have an inline muzzleloader it might be worth taking a look at doing this. It's super easy and may make a legitimate 1 MOA gun out of it with a pet load. Notice how much room in the pockets there was. Probably a good .040" side to side and at least .020 front to back slop that is now gone. That 1 MOA thing remains to be seen but this couldn't have hurt anything.

IMG_6075.jpg
 

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