American Airguns Blog
The Random Ramblings Of An Airgun Addict

I have written in the past about my Maccari target stocks that I have for my HW97 rifles. I have two of them and decided to finally do something about the grip on my primary rifle stock. The grip on the Maccari stock is cut way back on to allow the machine to cut the trigger guard inletting. It makes it difficult for someone with small hands, like me, to hold the grip and reach the trigger. I decided to see what I could do to rectify the problem.

I went to a local Home Depot and told them that I wanted to build up the area on my pistol grip and the associate that I spoke with recommend Bondo. Yes Bondo, the same stuff used for repairing cars can also be used for repairing wood. I decided to give it a try. Bondo comes in two parts, the main filler material and a hardener which are mixed just prior to use. I started my modification by first sanding off all the existing paint and cleaning the grip area. I then pounded some small nails into the grip to give the Bondo a bit more of an anchor. I decided that since the filler material wasn't very firm that I would apply the Bondo in small amounts in layers and gradually build up the grip. In addition to building the front of the grip I also wanted to add more material to the side of the grip so that my hand will have a raised area to rest on when I shoot from the FT position.

It took about 5 applications to the front of the grip and a few more to the side to get enough Bondo on it to start shaping the new grip. I applied an extra layer so that I could have a bit more leeway when I started to shape the grip. The Bondo sets up in about 5 minutes and is hard after about 30 minutes so this process only took a couple of days. Since I was putting it on thicker than is normal, I allowed for a few hours of drying time between layers.

Once all the layers were applied, some coarse sandpaper and a belt sander shaped the grip and removed the excess material. Some 100 grip finished the shaping and that was followed by fine and extra fine to get a nice smooth finish. The entire stock was going to need to be repainted so I hit the rest of the stock lightly with some 220 grit and painted the whole thing.
I was able to use the upgraded stock at the Cajun Classic and the new configuration worked great. With the new thigh rest and grip, I was better able to get into position comfortably while holding the rifle steadier and with a lot less fatigue by the end of the match. I am really glad that I finally took the step to rework my grip.