Carbon fiber stocks - DIY tinkering

[Lionheart]

Noted! Never say never, but at the moment I'm enjoying this stock (and the R93) way too much. I recon I've built a stock a year the last five years, so I might get the itch again On the other hand, If you were after a R8 stock...

Another treat with the Blasers is the generous magazine box, allowing for long col. I didnt have time to make new reloads before shooting this weekend, so I grabbed a box I made for the Sako. Big difference! I had the smith ream the throat longer than the Sako so I can make use of this extra length. The magazine insert also feeds the AI flawlessly (both R93 and R8, in contrast to the 85 which sometimes troubles even after adjusting the lips).

View attachment 900028

Sadly, my 93 has been in the back of the safe while I have gone down the RSS rabbit hole in the last year or so. Bolt action TIKKA’s in .223 and the like, gunsmithing expenses for chopping and threading barrels and new suppressors have occupied my time (and bank account lol) for a while now.
Your thread has inspired to bring the old girl back for a new look with fresh eyes on what might be - along with a wish list including aftermarket fast twist barrels in calibers like .223 and 6mm CM. First up may be a yard sale of 93 African barrels and magnum bolts accumulated for the safari that most likely won’t ever happen due to health issues.
So if you are in the market for things like .270 Weatherby and .416 Rem magnums…I’m your guy lol.
And I wish I could use an R8 stock of yours but I’m a 93 guy only.
Best regards,
Edwin

 

[Mojave]

I need an R93, I have been looking for a 9,3x64 barrel in R93 for a while. No one will make me one in an R8.

 

[Lionheart]

I need an R93, I have been looking for a 9,3x64 barrel in R93 for a while. No one will make me one in an R8.

Mad dog guns might have one…in both platforms?
But I agree, you need an R93 lol.

 

[Mojave]

Yeah I don't live in the United States right now. There is actually an 8x68s R93 barrel on egun.de right now, but I don't think the price is too good, and it's magna ported.

My 9,3x64 is a Voere 2165.

 

[Lionheart]

Yeah I don't live in the United States right now. There is actually an 8x68s R93 barrel on egun.de right now, but I don't think the price is too good, and it's magna ported.

My 9,3x64 is a Voere 2165.

Sorry, I didn’t know barrels were not available for export? Maybe that explains why I can’t find all the wonderful 93 aftermarket barrels hpmr was describing?

 

[hpmr]

It surprises me that getting aftermarket barrels isn't a smoother process in the US. I've read a lot of controversy over at Blaserbuds with people getting barrels out of spec, wrong head space etc.

Making a barrel for a R93 or R8 shouldn't require any witchcraft for a decent smith. I've had new barrels made from different gunsmiths with either a barrel adapters or threaded into a worn out original Blaser barrels, both variants working flawlessly.

My latest barrel (the one for the R93), is made with a barrel adapter made by the smith. It's an exact copy of the original barrel shank with the locking groove, gas port and scope mount cut outs etc. I believe he uses nimax steel. I stole a picture of the adapter from his web page:



With the way Blaser has pumped up the prices for barrels the last few years, this is getting more and more popular over here. And as a bonus you can have the barrel made exactly to your own specs, using a blank from whichever you prefer, and most importantly with twist rates that make more sense than what Blaser offers today.

 

[Mojave]

It surprises me that getting aftermarket barrels isn't a smoother process in the US. I've read a lot of controversy over at Blaserbuds with people getting barrels out of spec, wrong head space etc.

Making a barrel for a R93 or R8 shouldn't require any witchcraft for a decent smith. I've had new barrels made from different gunsmiths with either a barrel adapters or threaded into a worn out original Blaser barrels, both variants working flawlessly.

My latest barrel (the one for the R93), is made with a barrel adapter made by the smith. It's an exact copy of the original barrel shank with the locking groove, gas port and scope mount cut outs etc. I believe he uses nimax steel. I stole a picture of the adapter from his web page:

View attachment 900463

With the way Blaser has pumped up the prices for barrels the last few years, this is getting more and more popular over here. And as a bonus you can have the barrel made exactly to your own specs, using a blank from whichever you prefer, and most importantly with twist rates that make more sense than what Blaser offers today.

Who makes these?

 

[hpmr]

Who makes these?

A norwegian gunsmith. You can read more about the process on his webpage here.

 

[Mojave]

Many thanks, I will contact him and see if he will send me some sleeves to Germany.

I also need a similar solution for the Sauer 200 STR.

 

[plebe]

The process is coming to an end. The stock is finished and ready for being put together.

The paint job followed the same procedure as before, two color sponge pattern and Spraymax 2K matte clear coat. Layers (3) cured in the converted garage fridge

View attachment 898497

View attachment 898498

View attachment 898499

The final weight is 19.6 oz. / 555 grams.

View attachment 898506

Comb height and geometry new vs original:
View attachment 898500

Its also getting a new adjustable trigger
View attachment 898501

How much height did you add to the comb? Thanks.

 

[hpmr]

How much height did you add to the comb? Thanks.

I added roughly ¾ inch / 2 cm to the height. The limiting factor is the boltcarrier. Now I'm still able to take it out / squeeze it in, but its a narrow fit. If going taller I would need a removable cheek piece, but tbh I want to keep it clean.

It was tempting to shorten the rails like Blaser have done to the revised R8 bolt carrier, but then again I could potentially introduce a "wobble" / less desired bolt travel. As it is now, its is super smooth and slick. So I guess I opted for not fixing something that ain't broke

 

[Mojave]

I ordered the foam, epoxy and carbon fiber cloth today from the company in the video in the UK. Wish me luck!

 

[hpmr]

Good luck! And take photos

 

[Mojave]

Thanks, it is supposed to be here tonight.

I'll start a new thread when I get it. I printed the McMillan Mountaineer LR as a template. I am going to do something similar if I can make it fit. Working on scaling it to be the right size.

Doing the Kids Winchester XPR first in 243.

Then I'll try it on my Voere 2165 9,3x64 Brenneke, and a 300 Win mag Winchester M70. Should keep me busy for a while.

I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with Easy Composites, they got me keyed in on what to order and what I did not need. Since we are skinning the foam, they said that I didn't need to vacuum bag it. So I'll see how that goes. I did not order the braided sleeve, as I want to try the fabric first.

 

[HendoJ]

The process is coming to an end. The stock is finished and ready for being put together.

The paint job followed the same procedure as before, two color sponge pattern and Spraymax 2K matte clear coat. Layers (3) cured in the converted garage fridge

View attachment 898497

View attachment 898498

View attachment 898499

The final weight is 19.6 oz. / 555 grams.

View attachment 898506

Comb height and geometry new vs original:
View attachment 898500

Its also getting a new adjustable trigger
View attachment 898501

Excellent build! Thanks for posting and inspiring me to give it a go too, I will post my build in coming months when I have received all my materials.

Very good to see how your skills got better over time with each additional build.

How many layers of CF are you using?
(At the moment I am planning two base layers of 3K 2x2 240g twill (orientation matching the axis of the barrel), and then a 12K sleeve to top it off, but I am not sure if this will be enough for strength in the long run)

One more comment - that suppressor looks awesome!

 

[hpmr]

Excellent build! Thanks for posting and inspiring me to give it a go too, I will post my build in coming months when I have received all my materials.

Very good to see how your skills got better over time with each additional build.

How many layers of CF are you using?
(At the moment I am planning two base layers of 3K 2x2 240g twill (orientation matching the axis of the barrel), and then a 12K sleeve to top it off, but I am not sure if this will be enough for strength in the long run)

One more comment - that suppressor looks awesome!

Thank you! Glad you found it useful As much as a work diary for myself the purpose of the thread is to inspire others to give it a shot! And it doesn't have to be too complicated. It sure is fun the first time you shoot your own homemade cf stock!

I've tried some different layer setups (can't remember all the details, but I think they're post earlier in the thread). First out I used 3-4 layers 240g twill (some extra layers in the grip/neck), then I switched to two layers of heavy 12k sleeve (overkill). After that I tried combining cf and kevlar in different layers. For my two latest builds I've used 240g twill as an under layer/reinforcement in the high stress areas and one layer of 12k sleeve as a top layer. To me this method seems as a good match between strength and weight. (In all my builds the core is a sandwich of foam and cf layers)

And yes, that small suppressor is a cool piece! Incredible light, but really helps both for recoil and sound. Its not a sup for the range, but when hunting in open country it serves a purpose. Over here all suppressors can be bought over the counter without any license or paperwork, normally running $300-500.

In the other end of the scale I have a otb Ø2.5" x 9" can that makes my 308 with reduced loads sound like a supressed .22lr. But that thing is big like a car muffler and waay more bulky.