The Hoplophobe 10/22 Project part 1

In case you are not familiar with the term Hoplophobia, let me explain:

The term was coined by retired Marine Colonel Jeff Cooper (who was among other things a gun writer). 
The word follows the psychological template in using "phobia" the Greek word for fear (used in Psychology as meaning "unreasonable fear") and the Greek word for weapon: Hoplon.

Hoplophobia is therefor the unreasonable fear of weapons. Weapons are inanimate objects, tools incapable of will or thought. So to fear a weapon is by all accounts unreasonable and could be called a form of mental illness. 
A fear of weapons was thought by Sigmund Freud to be a sign of retarded sexual and emotional security. 
This might very well explain the hatred for guns among the left. These people often mock or goad gun owners, accusing them of being "scared of something". As is often the case, it is the accuser who is guilty of the very emotion they accuse others of.

The Hoplophobes especially hate "Black Guns", they despise the things they do not understand....they accuse semi-auto rifles as having impossible rates of fire...they think a "bullet button" is a means of speeding up the rate of fire, they think a barrel shroud is "that shoulder thing that goes up"....

Subsequently I love to irritate them and poke fun at their phobia and ignorance. Which probably isn't a nice thing to do, but then again asking our government to take away the God given rights of others ain't so nice either...



I built my first 10-22 with the hoplophobes in mind...it has every type of feature that they hate:
Folding & adjustable stock: check
Pistol grip: check
Detachable high capacity magazine: check
High capacity magazines doubled up: check
Forward vertical grip: check
Bayonet lug & bayonet: check
Flash hider: check
Scope: check
Barrel Shroud: check
Evil black finish: check

Well after seeing some custom stocks on the Rimfire Central Forum , I decided to try and duplicate the work of a guy that goes by the screen name of Hipshot. If you have been reading my blog for the last few months you probably saw the 10/22 Spencer Carbine Project and the Project Pink 10/22 Stock 1.0

Here is a 10/22 stock that he made, he called it "Black Tactical on the Cheap"

You may recognize the profile of the grip and butt stock as that of the Benelli M1S90

The modification involved making a pistol grip from wood, removing material from the wrist and filling in the area at the top of the wrist.
He used plenty of automotive body filler and he painted the stock, which makes it easy to hide the modifications.

factory 10/22 stocks are pretty easy to come by and usually can be had for a few bucks. My local gun forum members helped me out and I was able to score several of them within a few days of posting a want ad.

I would like to perform this modification to the stock on my original Project Night Prowler Marlin model 60. 
Unfortunately the way the Marlin action is attached to the stock, you cannot easily add a pistol grip, there are two screws in the way, but maybe after tackling this project I will figure out a way to do it?

Here is the stock I am starting with, other than a sling swivel mounted in the butt, there was nothing special about this stock.

To start on the pistol grip, I followed Hipshot's instructions and took a piece of 1x4 poplar and measured out 11", I then marked it at 4.5" and 6.5", then I drew a 30 degree line connecting the marks.

After cutting, I glued the two pieces together

I then marked two lines, one is 1/2 inch from the short side, the other 3/4 inch from the top with the angle cut. At the intersection I drilled a 7/8 inch hole, this will serve as the transition between the grip and the butt stock and provide room for the shooter's wrist.

I then traced the outline of an AR-15 pistol grip, I'll make it just a bit larger and then file/sand to fit.

 When I cut it out I made a small boo boo and cut too far....no worries, I'll fill it with glue and sawdust.

rasps and files get the profile close, I use my right hand as my gauge, it feels good, it fills the palm but not too large, the fingers have a comfortable grip without being crowded.
I will continue to file and sand until it is just right.

fixing the boo boo, Elmers wood glue and saw dust

I then fitted an extra piece cut from the grip to be glued on top of the wrist. This will give a smooth, straight line on top of the comb and provide a little additional strength.

I trial fitted the action in the stock to see where the grip fit, it needed to move forward for a good trigger reach. I marked the spot that needed to be relieved for the trigger guard

 Then opened it up with the dremel

 I spent a lot of time working over the grip and fitting it to my hand. It may not look it, but with every file stroke it gets more comfortable.

To get started on the stock I measured 16 3/4" from the barrel band notch and drew a vertical line. I then used a straight edge to draw a line that follows the bottom of the stock at the action

That notch will be removed as well as the wood behind/below it.

Stay tuned, in the next installment we will attach the pistol grip and finish contouring the butt stock