Hello!

Just wondering if anyone had any advise on what tool/technique I might use to cut a portion of the barrel channel on a Swedish Mauser stock. I have a Mannlicher stock which is cut for a standard Mod. 96 Swede barrel. BUT, the gun I'm trying to put into it is the 1894 Carl Gustav Cavalry Carbine which has the barrel with the extra step in it(right after the large portion that screws into the reciever). I could go at it with a piece of correctly sized dowel wrapped in sand paper, but I think this would be sloppy at best. Are there tools that cut half round barrel channels that I could buy or improvise? I would like to make it look clean. Or, should I give it to a gunsmith who has the right milling equipment? Thanks!

Check with Midway and Brownell's - they have all sorts of barrel bedding tools.

Thank you Sir....will do!

I'll use power tools for roughing the channel out but do all the "fitting" by hand. I use a combination of tools; chisels, scrapers, rasps, sanding blocks, ect. Don't try to work the whole thing with a chisel, once you're close work the rest with a scraper. Inlet black the part and go slow & constantly check the fit, it's far easier to "take a little more out" than it is to "put a little back in".

I make all my own tools so I'm no help on what to "buy".

Lay the barreled action in the stock.

Carefully inscribe a line along the barrel edge on the stock with a pencil. Remove the barreled action. Use a measure to see that you lines on the stock are the same width as the barrel.

Like kdub said both Midway in their gunsmithing section and Brownell's has tools designed to open up barrel channels.

While your doing all this fitting it would be a good time to think about a glasbed job.

Guess we should elaborate a bit on this.

If this is going to be a one-shot deal, you'd be better served taking it to a gunsmith or a competent woodworker you know.

If you anticipate you may do more of this kind of stuff, then gathering the proper tools will be worthwhile.

Since I fiddle almost constantly with both wood and synthetic stocks to get the best bedding I can, the tools and equipment have been accumulated over the years. One of the handiest things is a Dremel power tool. I've got both the corded and cordless models and a fairly extensive set of tools for them. Along with the Dremel, there's inletting chisels (the type artisans use), round and half round rasps of various sizes and an assortment of wooden dowel rods that get wrapped with varying grades of sandpaper.

I use a metal scribe to outline the barrel in the channel plus inletting black to guide the work. Slow and careful is the byword - you can't put stock material back unless it's glass bedding..

After the final work is done, don't forget to get a good sealer over the exposed wood. I use spar urathane which works well.

As faucettb suggests, this is an ideal time to glass bed the action. I always bed the chamber area of the barrel for additional support and free float the rest of the channel.

Thanks guys :D . Sounds like good info and I am chomping on all of it. Buying the tools does indeed seem a bit foolish if I don't foresee myself doing this again. I am a lever guy and my primary rifle is my Big Bore 94 in 356 and other non-bolt guns. I walked through Lowes looking for the right looking rasps/files...etc but nothing seemed right. I'm also starting to think about the time involved(want to install a muzzle cap and glass bed also) and am starting to lean towards waiting on my local Gunsmith who specializes in building custom rifles on the Swedish Mauser actions. My main enemy is always time! Too little of it and I would rather be on the range for the little I do have :) Still going to look at some tools though and think hard on this. Thanks for all the input on this.....very much appreciated.

Kdub...do you live towards Apache Junction? I use to live on the Mesa/Apache Junction line about a life time ago, and have alot of good memories there. How it has changed though...... :eek: My mom just bought a house near Buckhorn Taverns.

I live just east of Power Rd and north of Southern. The Arizona Golf Resort is my back yard. Know the Buckhorn area well - Recker/Main. Natural hot baths and used to be a big spa with courts back in the 50's - 60's.

My main enemy is always time! Too little of it and I would rather be on the range for the little I do have :) .

Farm out the stock work...short of time and stock work almost always results in problems, and they don't make a tool to put wood back. From the little restocking work I've done, being in a rush has always resulted in an eyesore.

Thanks guys. Yep...decided to get it done by my local guy. Luckily I don't need it to hunt with this year. I am just anxious to give thise 108 year old girl a nice home! It was my Granddad's who got it in like new condition back in the 50's...it's been chopped on all over, but I think it will turn out nice in the end.

Kdub...we lived near Gilbert for a while then moved near the Old Skaggs/U-Totem on Apache Trail and Bush Hwy? Then we jumped across the Hwy on the old Red Barrel side. My Dad was stationed at William AFB and finally retired there back in the late 60's-early 70's.

Thanks to all you fellas for helping me in my decision! :D