My wife showed some interest in skeet shooting, so we bought her a shotgun. She is a small woman at 5'2". We had the stock cut to fit her. She decided that the sport is not for her and that I should go ahead and shoot the gun. The stock is way too short for me. I still have the piece of butt stock that the smith cut off. Is there any way to have it reattached? I looked for a replacement stock in the Beretta web page without any luck. The gun in question is a Beretta A400 Xplor. Thamks, Javier
jmartinez1558
Mark Larson is an artist/specialist in doing just that. After he does it, you will not be able to tell it was ever cut.
Don't know if it will be worth it to you for your gun. See below.
www.marklarsongunart.com
Don't know if it will be worth it to you for your gun. See below.
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Parts here are specific to the Beretta A400 series of shotguns which includes the Xplor Action, Xplor Light, Xplor Unico, Xplor Novator, Xtreme Plus, Xtreme Unico, Xcel Sporting, Xcel Multitarget, Xcel Parallel Target, Upland, Lite Compact, Lite Synthetic and Ultralite models unless otherwise...
While you are adding onto the stock, why not have it fit for YOUR length of pull, rather than just whatever length?
Now's the time to do it! A nice spacer at the joint could look fabulous and cost a lot less than making the line disappear!
As Mike says, this is a very easy project.
Another thought is to ask around your club. If a woman or youth is looking for a gun, the money you spent on shortening the stock is money in the bank for them. You might get a good price for the gun to the right person.
Now's the time to do it! A nice spacer at the joint could look fabulous and cost a lot less than making the line disappear!
As Mike says, this is a very easy project.
Another thought is to ask around your club. If a woman or youth is looking for a gun, the money you spent on shortening the stock is money in the bank for them. You might get a good price for the gun to the right person.
99% yes using a drill, some small wooden dowels, wood glue, and a clamp. You can do this yourself
Hey, guys,
This may seem like a simple home job for people that have the skill set. But I can tell you that an awful lot of shooters at my local club would be terrified to try something like this. Facility with tools and basic woodworking skills are not as common as we may think. Just because some of us would handle this without a moment's hesitation does not mean that all of us would-or should. As easy a repair as this is, it's just as easy to screw up with a bad joint and sloppy alignment. But I suppose that some folks don't care what the end result looks like. Of course, in that case, the OP can just run a couple of 3" drywall screws through it and call it good.
This may seem like a simple home job for people that have the skill set. But I can tell you that an awful lot of shooters at my local club would be terrified to try something like this. Facility with tools and basic woodworking skills are not as common as we may think. Just because some of us would handle this without a moment's hesitation does not mean that all of us would-or should. As easy a repair as this is, it's just as easy to screw up with a bad joint and sloppy alignment. But I suppose that some folks don't care what the end result looks like. Of course, in that case, the OP can just run a couple of 3" drywall screws through it and call it good.
I don't pretend to have the skill to do it, but I wondered if it could even be done. This stock is mostly hollow.
![Image]()
Here is the end piece.
Here is the end piece.
very fixable. Drill holes at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions on both pieces, insert glued wooden pins, glue the rest, press together.
Odd, I don't see the holes in the stock to screw in the butt pad. Maybe the Kick-Off unit is mounted a clever way?
The situation: A gunsmith has cut something on the order of one inch from the back of the stock to adjust the length of pull for a shorter person. The person now wishes to increase the length of pull back to the original.
1. What's the length of pull now? What is the length of pull desired?
2. How neat is the original cut? Line up the bit cut off with the stock, show us how nicely it fits!
3. It's possible to make the piece cut off be a removable spacer, so the stock can be either long or short. Since the wife is shorter, it might be nice to have a gun for her should she change her mind or for a youth or small guest.
4. How much does the OP want to pay?
After attaching the cut-off piece, in order to make the stock look like there was never a cut, the whole stock will most likely need to be refinished. If a neat professional line is acceptable, then the job will cost much much less.
My perspective: I am a shorter than average man. A stock that has been cut off professionally on a nice gun like that is WORTH MORE to me since I do not need to pay to have the stock cut off!
It seems a waste to lengthen a gun that's been custom fitted, turning it back to factory.
If this was for a growing youth, and the OP was not concerned about perfect cosmetics, and the gun was worth more to keep than trade towards a new one, then putting the removed piece back on makes sense to me.
What is involved:
a. Sand the joining pieces until they hand-fit perfectly.
b. Temporarily re-attach the old piece and drill pilot holes for hardwood dowels.
c. Reassemble, making sure the dowels are a perfect fit, or stretch holes until they are.
d. Final glue-up, with plenty of clever clamping to get a really strong bond.
e. Cosmetics details on the exterior.
Some might say "You can do a good glue up, THEN use some quality wood screws or dowels to secure the joint from tension or shear stress" and maybe they are not wrong.
In my case, I would want a repair that can be un-done. We know a shotgun for a shorter person in the family is needed. Maybe it will be desired again, in the short version!
The situation: A gunsmith has cut something on the order of one inch from the back of the stock to adjust the length of pull for a shorter person. The person now wishes to increase the length of pull back to the original.
1. What's the length of pull now? What is the length of pull desired?
- If only a little was cut off (half an inch or so), the result might be achieved with a thicker butt pad. Easy peasy.
- While fussing with the wood, this may be the time to fit the LOP exactly to the new shooter. Maybe the LOP should be increased greater than the factory original, or the pitch of the stock (angle of the toe) changed?
2. How neat is the original cut? Line up the bit cut off with the stock, show us how nicely it fits!
3. It's possible to make the piece cut off be a removable spacer, so the stock can be either long or short. Since the wife is shorter, it might be nice to have a gun for her should she change her mind or for a youth or small guest.
4. How much does the OP want to pay?
After attaching the cut-off piece, in order to make the stock look like there was never a cut, the whole stock will most likely need to be refinished. If a neat professional line is acceptable, then the job will cost much much less.
My perspective: I am a shorter than average man. A stock that has been cut off professionally on a nice gun like that is WORTH MORE to me since I do not need to pay to have the stock cut off!
It seems a waste to lengthen a gun that's been custom fitted, turning it back to factory.
If this was for a growing youth, and the OP was not concerned about perfect cosmetics, and the gun was worth more to keep than trade towards a new one, then putting the removed piece back on makes sense to me.
What is involved:
a. Sand the joining pieces until they hand-fit perfectly.
b. Temporarily re-attach the old piece and drill pilot holes for hardwood dowels.
c. Reassemble, making sure the dowels are a perfect fit, or stretch holes until they are.
d. Final glue-up, with plenty of clever clamping to get a really strong bond.
e. Cosmetics details on the exterior.
Some might say "You can do a good glue up, THEN use some quality wood screws or dowels to secure the joint from tension or shear stress" and maybe they are not wrong.
In my case, I would want a repair that can be un-done. We know a shotgun for a shorter person in the family is needed. Maybe it will be desired again, in the short version!
The piece of stock in the photo is resting on the factory recoil pad. Item 3 is spot on. When we bought the gun it was my hope that me and my wife would enjoy some time together at the gun club and maybe a little hunting in the not too distant future. Unfortunately, that 28 gauge "kicks like a mule", in her opinion. I don't have a 28 gauge and thought that I could use it for hunting, but I think I will let it be a safe queen for a while. Hopefully, she will change her mind.
Thank you for all the replies.
Thank you for all the replies.
There are some very nice and attractive leather slip on pads out there that could possibly help you out. I have one I put on my favorite gun in T shirt weather (Dove) and take off when coats are the norm. I believe it's a Graco.
I have cut down several for kids. The trick to getting a good refit is to drill deep pilot holes across the cut BEFORE making the cut. Then you can glue and screw for perfect fit.Or don't glue so you can shorten it again. Do not drill pilot holes in the butt pad holes. Also use a good saw and some sort of jig or vice. Don't just "eye ball" it with a old saw.
Send it out to someone that has the tooling to do it properly.
To precisely locate and drill mating holes for dowels is not an easy task. If it were, tool companies would not have made a fortune designing tools that eliminated the need for dowels.
Any misalignment in those dowel holes will need to be resolved with scrapers and sandpaper.
To clamp those two pieces together and drill from the end in, is going to require a vertical press with at least 5-6 inches of quill stroke length. And the ability to index off the table.
At the end, the glue joint is only as strong as the surface area of dowels long grain. There would be zero butted end strength.
If I were to do it, I would make an internal sleeve to maximize the long grain adhesion. And glue it in place with a construction epoxy containing a thixotropic compound.
That cutout doesn’t need that much relief. It can be made smaller.
As for drilling the holes before the stock was cut, this would have only worked if the drilled holes were absolutely perpendicular to the kerf of the cut line. Any deviation and it doesn’t go back without force.
The kerf of the saw blade removed material. That 3/32nd’s to 1/8” of kerf material has to be accounted for during the repair or it’s back to scrapers and sanding.
Anything can be cobbled together, and be functional if that is all that is wanted. Done right though, this is going to take quality tooling, along with purpose specific jigs and fixtures.
To precisely locate and drill mating holes for dowels is not an easy task. If it were, tool companies would not have made a fortune designing tools that eliminated the need for dowels.
Any misalignment in those dowel holes will need to be resolved with scrapers and sandpaper.
To clamp those two pieces together and drill from the end in, is going to require a vertical press with at least 5-6 inches of quill stroke length. And the ability to index off the table.
At the end, the glue joint is only as strong as the surface area of dowels long grain. There would be zero butted end strength.
If I were to do it, I would make an internal sleeve to maximize the long grain adhesion. And glue it in place with a construction epoxy containing a thixotropic compound.
That cutout doesn’t need that much relief. It can be made smaller.
As for drilling the holes before the stock was cut, this would have only worked if the drilled holes were absolutely perpendicular to the kerf of the cut line. Any deviation and it doesn’t go back without force.
The kerf of the saw blade removed material. That 3/32nd’s to 1/8” of kerf material has to be accounted for during the repair or it’s back to scrapers and sanding.
Anything can be cobbled together, and be functional if that is all that is wanted. Done right though, this is going to take quality tooling, along with purpose specific jigs and fixtures.
This is not rocket science. The easiest solution is to get a new stock and keep the old one for a shorter lop when desired.
Gluing the piece back on isn't hard, either. Don't overthink it.
Gluing the piece back on isn't hard, either. Don't overthink it.
Yes. Buy another stock and keep that one. Eventually sell the shortened one if you do not need it. Sure, as a woodworker I think I could re attach the piece and make it stay. But....I just would not do it. The sides are awful thin. One could glue support blocks inside the hole. Or glass the joint from the inside. But the butt joint is going to look bad always. And there will be a bump unless the stock is re sanded and finished. What kind of finish does the stock have on it? A real wood finish or a plastic overlay laminate?
If you just cannot find another stock at a decent price then that one could be put back into service. I doubt if there are a lot of 28 gauge stocks floating around. Maybe just put the gun back in the safe and forget about it would be the best deal.
If you just cannot find another stock at a decent price then that one could be put back into service. I doubt if there are a lot of 28 gauge stocks floating around. Maybe just put the gun back in the safe and forget about it would be the best deal.
I’m a woodworker with a trap shooting addiction . Looking at the cut off section and if I was serious about rejoining the wood I would make a wooden plug to fit inside the void to align the pieces and hold them in position for dowl drilling. I don’t know the dimensions but it looks like a rectangular piece with eased (rounded) edges would align the stock pieces and can be removed after drilling for dowels and/or pilot holes for screwing together if you don’t want the repair to be permanent. You can ignore the side “bulge” on the flat alignment dowel as I believe a snug 4 corner dowel should align the stock. Don’t sand the original cut “line” as when aligned you’ll never get a better fit than the original cut line.
![Image]()
Just my opinion. If OP was to have this gun fit correctly . For his wife . Instead of only reducing the length of pull. She would be shooting it. Just a guess . The LOP is now to short for her.
Indeed. Cutting 2 inches off the length of pull reduces the cast and drop as well, where often these should be increased for a shorter stature person.
I am a huge fan of my Syren shotgun... properly fit for a "woman", as a generic short person with larger chest measurement, I am not ashamed to have a splash of purple on my shotgun. It FITS me. And I did not need to have a custom stock made.
I am a huge fan of my Syren shotgun... properly fit for a "woman", as a generic short person with larger chest measurement, I am not ashamed to have a splash of purple on my shotgun. It FITS me. And I did not need to have a custom stock made.
Looking at the pictures the cut was made with a bandsaw or by hand. It will not just go together with glue and look good. The cut sides of each piece will have to be flattened out so the joint is tight.
No mater what the pieces aren’t going to line up nice. The “kerf” or the amount of wood removed will prevent exact alignment anyway so after glue up there will have to be some reshaping and the finish will have to be fixed.
You can carefully glue the pieces together then insert dowels for strength.
I recently did this to a Caesar Guerini. Here is a picture.
![Image]()
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
No mater what the pieces aren’t going to line up nice. The “kerf” or the amount of wood removed will prevent exact alignment anyway so after glue up there will have to be some reshaping and the finish will have to be fixed.
You can carefully glue the pieces together then insert dowels for strength.
I recently did this to a Caesar Guerini. Here is a picture.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is why I installed a Graco buttpad adjuster on my wife’s Weatherby. I can put the 2 inches back on with a simple adjustment.
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