it's not hard if you have the right tools to line everything up...and a pain in the rear if you don't

 

Well I definitely don't have that tool so it sounds like it might be an interesting thing to attempt.

 

Ime, you will only get it 'centered' on the stock by luck without having a jig (that is a slick looking piece of kit).
But, with forethought and care you can somewhat emulate what that jig does. If you have a benchtop gun-cradle use it, invert the gun and snug of the clamp on the butt.
I like to use a short carpenters level to get the buttplate/pad vertical initially.
Determine how far ahead of the end of the butt you want the swivel, put down a strip of 'frog-tape' (easy pull masking tape) and mark a line.
Now you want to eye-ball the whole thing close to center of the 'V' of the stock. You can set some little thing, like a small machine screw nut on the spot and eyeball again. Once satisfied with the position mark the spot through the hole.
Be sure when drilling for the swivel stud or screw that the drill is perpendicular to the line of the stock.
Lube the threads of the screw with a little bit of soap and carefully screw in.

 

That tool is awesome! But l’d probably goof up and still get an off center crooked hole.

If ii want a sling, which i generally dont, Here is what I do.

Figure out where you u want the holes,by comparing to other similar stocks with stds/ swivels. Think about any issues you’ve had with them. Like , do they interfere with using a front rest, or a rear bag. Or resting on a branch or ledge,or shootinng sticks. Do You want to use a bipod . And use tape to Mark the spots you want. Too fclose to the ends is bad, cause the wood is weakest there. 2 or 3 inches in is probably ok.

See if the sling you want to use , works at those marks. Is it long enough, is it to long. Will it work ? That also depends on what you intend to do with the sling. If its justa carry strap and adjustable , you’re probably good to go, but if you intend to uss it as a shooting aide, to secure the rifle to your off side , by slither or tourniquet methods you need to make sure your off hand will be where you want it..


Wait a day or two and think about it all.


Take the stock off.this a good time to clean up the inletting and seal the wood on the inside.

Secure the stock on your workbench. Between your knees. Is not. secure.

Pick a wood drlll bit slightly smaller than the stud screw , chuck it up shorter than tthe stud screw. I.use a small dremel type tool cause a drilll is to big hard to handle and harder to see what im doing.

Touch the drill bit too the wood. Back off and see that the pointy mark is where you want it. Put it back in the same spot , make sure you are square and that the hole will be straight relative to the stock, so te stud will fit flush. Drill slow.It will be fast you aren’t going far.. be exttra careful On the for end, you don’t want tto go through or create a bump in the barrel channel.


Clean out holes , seal the wood, gun wax is fine,,and it helps the screw bite into the wood best. Put spacer ring on stud , stud in hole,make sure it’s straight and start turning in by hand, onece its going in straight,i use an allen wrench thru the stud hole to gain leverage, if its too tight, stop, use a rat tail. File to enlarge hole a little.

 

Thank you to all who shared their thoughts and experience. I only have to drill rear spot as far as I know right now, kit comes with piece to use in barrel band. Will use all of your info and think things out before drilling any holes in my stock.

 

I've installed swivel studs on many stocks over the years. I've never used a jig and I've never had a problem. The important thing to watch out for on the rear stud is the depth of your drill hole and location of any screws holding the butt plate in place. If they happen to intersect, you can simply shorten either one of the fasteners and still have adequate threads for purchase for the swivel stud. Invariably, where possible I will shorten the screw that holds the butt plate in place, maintaining as much thread length as possible for the swivel stud as it is going to see the most pull out stress, while the buttplate only sees moderate shear forces.
Start with a small drillbit, 1/16 inch, with the stock level and drill perpendicular to the surface. Increase drillbits size in 1/16 inch increments until you are very close to the size you need, I can't remember the exact drillbit size but it's just slightly over the shank diameter of the swivel stud. Then, take a drill bit that is the same size as the threads on the swivel stud and drill a shallow run out, only about 1/8-3/16 inch depth to keep the threads from cracking the surface wood. Using the nylon buffer washers helps to effortlessly match the curved contour on the bottom of a stock as the washer will compress as you tighten. Use two washers if necessary, a black and a white, especially if the stud is not perpendicular to the axis of the stock when fully tightened. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN JUST TO GET IT "STRAIGHT". Back it out, and try different washer combinations/thicknesses until you get the appropriate combination of tight and straight. Same goes for the front- watch depth/thickness of the wood between the bottom of the forend and the barrel channel. Grind off a bit of the screw tip if necessary to prevent barrel contact.

Easy Peasy.

DrGunner

 

Thank you to everyone who responded with information. Getting ready to try this but have another question. The kit came with screws for both swivels and a piece to use on the barrel band instead of using front screw. Which way do you think is the better way to do this?

 

I personally would install the stud into the stock and NOT use the one that attaches to the barrel band. I often wrap the sling around my left wrist & elbow, winging out the arm creates increased tension on the sling- improving stability for offhand shooting. I avoid any attachment system for slings & bipods that contacts the barrel.
Putting stress on the barrel can alter harmonics and accuracy, NO BUENO.

Just my 2¢.

DrG

 

Thanks DrGunner, makes a lot of sense, and more than 2. That's why I ask questions on this forum. A vast amount of info and experience.

 

All Good, brother- I've learned a LOT from the people here, as much if not more than I've learned through trial and error by DOING. In this case, the advice I share is based on my own personal experience. I built a 10-22 Carbine for my brother with an accurized CPC barrel and bolt. The rifle was Uber accurate when it came back from Randy. My brother asked me to install a sling, which I did using one of those barrel band attachments. He noticed that his shots would always pull to the right when he used a sling wrap stance. I thought he was crazy, so I tried to prove him wrong and found that he was absolutely correct. In another instance, I ordered a bipod mount for my SKS, it was a clamp on model that I thought mounted to the stock. Turns out it clamped directly onto the barrel. So, I installed it just to see how it would work. I really liked how it looked and the stability provided for prone shooting. However, the accuracy of the gun went out the window with using it, so it ended up in a parts bin.

I'm sure that somebody could just as easily install one on a barrel band and have absolutely no change in accuracy, I'm just relating to you what happened with a couple of our rifles.

DrGunner