Cutting down a wood stock for Youth use

[mikeinneworlean]

Looking for some advice.
My 9 year old son is a bit too small to hold a ruger 10-22 correctly, so after looking for a replacement stock, another BS'er (DMH) gave me a stock to use. (FYI -- Super guy, tried to pay him and all he would tell me was "anything to help out a kid")

Now that I have the stock, what is the best way to:
1. measure it for him to use?
2. after getting the right measurement, cut it down. I have a miter saw, so a square cut is easy, and I guess then i can simply sand down to remove the sharp/rough edges?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[shoalsfugro]

Use tape around butt for line, run a razor knife along the line a few times to stop splintering. cut slow with high tooth count blade.

 

[leVieux]

Mike,

I am an old guy with a much-younger brother, two sons, and three grandsons.

"Cutting down" a stock is always a mistake, unless one is dealing with a custom for a very tiny adult. Most stocks are already way too short for the average American adult.

As a physician experienced in Pediatrics, I can tell that your nine year old son is on the verge of a couple growth spurts.

It is much better to allow the child to grow into the stock, especially of a .22 rimfire with little felt recoil.

BTW, how tall are you and your son's mother? If either is over 5'6", I say leave the stock and let the youngster grow up to it.

leVieux

 

[kz45]

5/8" shorter should do, the stock was a gimme, so when he does outgrow it just pay it forward

 

[charliepapa]

...I have a miter saw, so a square cut is easy, and I guess then i can simply sand down to remove the sharp/rough edges?

do you have access to a band saw? that way, you could cut the stock to match the existing curve.

 

[goodburbon]

Tapco collapsable 6 position adjustable stock? Grows with him and you can shoot it too.

 

[mikeinneworlean]

Thanks, fellas.
I'd hate to see him develop bad habits, and I bought this 10/22 to go along with his big brother's and mine so I could customize it for him.
Never considered an adjustable stock (duh, that was dumb), and a bandsaw would give me a better curve. I guess a coping saw would work as well, which I have already.

Doctor, you're 100% right - he'll grow. Hopefully he'll inherit patience from my wife, as I appear to be all out! And with the help of my new buddy Daniel, I am in a position to respond now and then, simply 'pay it forward' as suggested above.

Thanks, folks - appreciate the help!