A simple and reliable method for installing sling mounts, even in a totally closed and sealed hollow synthetic (plastic) rifle and shotgun butt stock with no access to the inside.

by Richard B. Davis

Hollow synthetic stocks often do not have enough wall material thickness to reliably mount sling swivels as a wood screw into a conventional wood stock. For those who prefer side mounted rifle slings, the side walls of synthetic butt stocks are often thinner than the bottom edge. Consider commercially available sling mount hardware with hollow stock use. Uncle Mike’s is one of the most common sources and most conventional sling mount hardware comes with a screw/stud having tapered threads, very similar to a wood screw. This attachment is generally not reliable into hollow synthetic stocks which do not have sufficient wall thickness to support the threads. 3/16” wall thickness is not uncommon on the sides of plastic rifle stocks.

QD (Quick Disconnect) sling mounts use a ½” diameter cup shaped sling swivel base which can be epoxy glued into a ½” diameter hole in a wood rifle stock, often in combination with a small wood screw through the center of the cup for extra strength. The hole in the wood stock is drilled to depth, resulting in the mounted cup being flush with the surface of the stock. This method isn’t applicable to hollow synthetic stocks either.

Here’s how to make this woodworking task work with synthetic stocks.

Read more in the November 2015 issue.

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