Knight Muzzleloader- Any experience w/ fitting new stocks??

[bdock94]

Hey all, first off thanks for the help on my last post- within a day had all the help I needed & then some! Anyways, today I have a question w/ an interesting story...

So I was originally planning to sell my Black Knight (thought it was Mk85 but after that post realized it is not!) but figured I should buy a replacement screw for it to make it more sellable. While I was looking for the part, I found a really nice stock on Numrich that would fit on it for $50- at which point I decided to keep the rifle altogether! I purchased the stock, but 3 days later I received an email saying they were out of stock(s) and subsequently got my money back into my account. Another day later I randomly decided to check their website again and saw the stock wasn't listed as sold out, so I decided to buy it again anyways because hey, why not? A couple more days later I checked my account and the money was put back into it again, but without a refund issued. Today though something truly unexpected happened- the stock arrived in the mail!!! No idea what happened there, but I'll take it! God works in mysterious (and awesome) ways!! rayer: rayer:

So that being said, right now I have an unfinished black walnut stock that (from the descprition online) is universal to most muzzleloaders. My questions are: Has anyone had experience with these, if so what did you do to finish it and what kind of sand paper did you use, and what did you use to laminate it? There are some oil spots on it, will sand paper take them out? If you got one for a Black Knight, what kind of fitting, if any, was needed for it? Further more, how does one dissasemble a Black Knight from the stock? Any and all tips and advice are welcome and greatly appreciated, thanks!!

 

[WV Hunter]

You will need a recoil pad, trigger guard, and sling swivels. Some can be scavenged from your old stock I'm sure. The front sling swivel also has the ramrod spring with it (on the inside of the stock you can see it)

To disassemble the rifle, just take the lug screw out and the stock comes right off. Good thing about the plunger knights, they all carry the same pattern stock. The gun should drop right in to the new stock. Now, finishing that stock... I have no clue what would be best. I'm sure someone can chime in. Laminated stocks are so pretty, I have several. Once finished your gun will look sweet!

There is nothing wrong with your BK... they are nice rifles and should shoot very well.

 

[ShawnT]

Sanding the stock is more or less the easy part. You can use the same sanding paper you would on any wood product. If the stock is fairly smooth to begin with you can start with say 220 grit and then go to 320 grit. Coarser grits (60, 80. 100, 120) will leave deep scratches and require more work with progressively finer grades to get smooth. After that get something like a wet and dry type 400, I sometimes go to 500, 600 and 800. You can get some small packs of the black grit wet and dry that go even finer. The important part is to spend plenty of time making sure that you get to a smooth finish with no scratches. This part of the "Prep" work is what will really determine the final outcome of the final finish. If you have sanding scratches still in it when you apply the finish, they will still be there later. Use plenty of light and rotate it in the light so you can see them. Also watch the wood part for any "open" grain. Open grain can look like a crack in the grain of the wood, some you catch your finger nail in. If there is any, you would need to use a filler to fill the grain up. If you just apply finish over a section of open grain you will still see it later if they are very deep you can't sand them out. of the grain looks tight you probably will not need any filler, just depends on the wood. You can also take a tight knap towel and dampen it and wipe the stock down lightly. The dampness can cause small "feathers" in the grain to stand up so you can sand them off (Called Feathering). But again it all depends on the wood itself as some you don't need to do that others you do.

The product you apply for a finish is going to depend on the type of finish you want, satin, dull, Glossy, etc. I myself mostly use Tru-Oil. You can also use linspeed oil, tung oil, or even polyurethane. I can't say I like the polyurethane. I did a shotgun stock with it once and did not care for the finish. Tru-Oil is pretty easy to use and available at most big box gun shops/sporting goods stores. It can leave a glossy finish but can be toned down some. You can also get it in a large spray can (not as easy to find as the bottles) that leaves a slightly less glossy look. I apply them by hand, just dip my finger in it and then rub it on and keep doing it till the first coat is on. Then sand it back down lightly, and re-apply and sand down again. This part will seal the stock and the next coats will come out with a more level look and you don't need to sand them so much as just buff it down. You can use the real fine sand paper or even a "White" scotchbrite pad for a gentle buff between coats I usually go 6 or 8 coats. Tru-Oil is a finish that drys pretty quick but gets harder the longer it is on the stock. So best not apply, let dry, then try to go shoot. Let it cure some. If you decide to use the spray can, I sometimes use both on the same stock, I would recommend getting a bag of replacement nozzles too. Once they start to plug up it will start spitting the finish, not good.So be sure to keep the nozzle cleaned out between coats. Brownells sells replacement nozzles.

The spray version is good and a bit easier to apply, just don't try to spray the coats too heavy or you will get runs and have to sand them out. Make them light and even.

Hope that don't all sound so difficult it scares you off doing it, because it is not that hard. It all boils down to how "You" want it to look and what is good for "You". Doing it yourself will add a lot of satisfaction to the way the rifle looks in the end since you did it all yourself.

WV Hunter covered the break down and some of the parts. It will usually just require a 5/32 allen wrench to get the barreled action out of the stock. Test fit it in the new one. If there is any binding you should work on that part first before worrying about the finish. If any of the binding is in the barrel channel you can wrap sand paper around something like a socket to work down those areas. Some Knight stocks had a "Keyed" recoil pad. Look at the new replacement stock and see if it is recessed in the middle, if it is cut flat, I would get a recoil pad like a LimbSaver or Pachmayr, but they will usually be a grind-to-fit type and are more difficult to install. Don't know what stock you currently have but if it is the Walnut stock you may be able to reuse the one from it, it is just screwed on. The Composites like the boat paddle type might be glued on.

 

[bdock94]

WV Hunter and ShawnT, Thanks!!! Very helpful!! Will post back eventually when completed! Cheers and God Bless !!