Installing sling swivel in a wood stock

[lester]

I looked back about 20 pages and didn't see this topic.....kind of surprising.  I have a new M7600 Remington and bought some Uncle Mike swivels.  The front band swivel looks pretty easy to install, but I'm not so sure about the stock end.  Did a search and read a couple articles about doing it....most suggested a guide to get the hole straight.  A freind did it on the same type rifle and just eyeballed it; came out OK.  Anyone have any suggestions?  Should I attempt it or get a smith to do it??

Lester

[Val]

It's pretty easy to do. I would carefully eyeball it and just take care in keeping the drill straight. It's not a critical thing.

[gunnut69]

I've used several jigs and found them wanting.. I use a home built stabilizer and a tilting table drill press with a square to find the vertical.. The worst problem is to hold everything steady while the drilling takes place. I use a drill set made by UncleMikes to do the deed now but it can be done with a couple of drills if one takes care to measure the screw and use the correct drill for the threaded portion and the shank..  Use a punch or rod to turn the stud into place and a bit of wax or soap will make it easier. Also I grind a flat on one side of the point of the screw. This should remove 1/2 to 1/3 of the thread all the way from the point to the full threaded portion diameter. It will allow the threads to CUT their seats in the wood of the stock as opposed to swaging them. It WILL save a lot of bad language when the stock splits from the force of the screws entry.

[Rangr44]

Before you start drilling, lay a strip of 2" wide masking tape over the area where the hole's going to go & make sure it's smoothed down & tight - to avoid splintering out any of the wood grain.

Also, use a second drill bit, that's a little larger (the same size as the O.D. of the swivel eye shank) and enlarge the top/outer 1/8" of the main hole, to (again) keep the larger diameter shank from splitting out a piece of the wood grain.

Don't over-tighten the swivel eye, as that will crush the surrounding wood.

I use a large allen wrench, threaded through the eye, as a swivel eye installation wrench, with bar soap on the screw threads (as posted above).

Practice your hole skills on some scrap wood, first.

[trotterlg]

Biggest trick is to use a proper wood drill.  A metal drill just doesn't make it, big chance of tearing and chipping around the edges.  Use a wood drill that has a sharp brad point ahd cuts the outside edge of the hole before it bores out any wood.  Don't know what the proper name is, but they are exclusively for wood.  Drill the counter sink in first, then the small hole for the screw threads, the swivel instructions have the proper drill sizes listed in them.  Larry

[jschance]

Biggest trick is to use a proper wood drill.  A metal drill just doesn't make it, big chance of tearing and chipping around the edges.  Use a wood drill that has a sharp brad point and cuts the outside edge of the hole before it bores out any wood.  Don't know what the proper name is, but they are exclusively for wood. 

Not to be smart, but those are called brad point bits, and yep, they definitely work better than steel bits on wood.

[oldandslow]

The bits made by Dewalt that are like the old Black & Decker bullet bits do about the same as brad point bits when used on wood.