Morgan Pad How to
"Uniqueness is my weakness"
By Klayton Kidd
Shhhhhhhhh....self- medicating again!
(Click on any image to enlarge)
If
you have ever looked at the fancy match rifles, you probably noticed that they
all seem to have an adjustable butt plate. You too can get one. For around $30
and some elbow grease, an adjustable butt plate could be yours. They are called
Morgan Pads, just do a search for them.
Tools needed:
Your Hands, Drill bits, drill press helps but not necessary, files (round and
flat are useful), coping saw with metal blade (helpful), and for all you dremmel
owners, a high speed metal bit.
Start with your basic pad out
of the box. They come large and you need to fit it to the rifle. Take it apart
and use your rifle or the old pad as a template to start off.
Then mark the hole locations (I found it easier to drill new holes in the Morgan plate, rather than drilling into the stock). Drill the holes out from the flat side (for ease) and then take a bit that is slightly larger diameter than the head of the butt plate screws. Drill from ribbed side to countersink the screw heads into the plate.
I test fit at this point and
make any necessary adjustments to the screw holes. Now attach the metal plate to
the rifle and use a sharpie (or other marking device) to mark out where you need
to remove material.
At this point, I used the coping saw to cut the large pieces off quickly (the
metal is very soft). Then I used my dremmel to grind off more material roughly.
Follow the dremmeling up with a round file (they make it go faster). Then I
finish up with the flat file and even some 220 sandpaper for a smooth finish. It
will most likely be necessary to do these few steps a few times, test fitting
between each iteration.
The final result is a comfortable butt plate that can be adjusted to the individual shooters needs. Here it is seen on my 3100.
