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Finishing CPA stock (Read 3123 times)

Oakdale Junior Member Offline Posts: 91 Location: Maplewood, MN Joined: Jun 7^th, 2017	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #15 - Jun 28^th, 2025 at 6:49pm	Print Post
	RK, That’s what I did. CPA sent a bullet (with the rifle) that they seated in my rifle, the Mos product that they offer. I took dimensions from it and the throat dimensions that CPA gave me. That info was given to Accurate to make the mold. I could have bought the Mos mold but it’s a single cavity and I have a Paul Jones single cavity mold for my .40-70 Sharps CSA rifle. That mold works well. I just wanted to have more than one cavity for the CPA .38-55. Accurate did make the mold right where it should be to replicate my starting dimensions. One key to this effort is the hardness of the alloy. The softer the better for breach seating the bullet. And if the bullet dimensions are on the “large” side, going a bit softer lets some of those dimensions sneak a bit closer to smaller. Unlike most readers here, this is my only CPA and my first breach seating effort….so lots to learn! Tom


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RJ-35-40 Full Member Offline Posts: 195 Joined: Dec 7^th, 2016	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #16 - Aug 12^th, 2025 at 12:26pm	Print Post
	BEAUTIFUL WORK..oneatatime wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2025 at 12:00pm: These were unfinished wood from CPA. I sent them a blank of Colorado walnut to go on the CPA they were building for me; I sent a blank for them to cut for the Stevens 414; I ordered the wood for the Ballard from them to cut (just select from standard). It just takes time for you to prepare for the finish but since I use British red root oil the preparation time was minor compared to the finish time.


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Cactus Mike Newbie Offline Posts: 3 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Joined: Mar 28^th, 2016	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #17 - Oct 27^th, 2025 at 10:04pm	Print Post
	It will emotionally bond you to that piece of walnut and you can watch it turn from a featureless chunk of wood into a living thing.


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oneatatime Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 4175 Location: Rocky Mountains Joined: Oct 30^th, 2011	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #18 - Oct 28^th, 2025 at 12:29am	Print Post
	Beauteous, Mike.


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Skalkaho Oldtimer Online Posts: 835 Location: Montana Joined: Sep 29^th, 2006	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #19 - Oct 28^th, 2025 at 9:15am	Print Post
	The last two rough stocks I got were terrible.I should of sent them back....but my wood ! Hopefully the new guys have the stock duplicating down a little better ??? My other stocks from years ago were always done very well.....The thru bolt hole that I had already done is off center from the duplication...no excuse for that ,dont know if I will have enough wood on one side,my wood,my drilling dead on ..then screwed up

	May the Bullet Gods be with you.......
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bohemianway Oldtimer Offline Posts: 663 Location: Andover, MN Joined: Apr 16^th, 2004	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #20 - Oct 28^th, 2025 at 11:38am	Print Post
	I saw that quality issue in another forum and commented on the CPA duplicator being a homemade contraption Paul built in the days of the rotary phone. It obviously did great work if great care was taken. I was planning to get a handful of CPA stocks for winter projects soon but now am concerned on what the quality will be. If anyone has current good/bad experiences please let me/us know. Thank you, Charles


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gnoahhh Oldtimer Offline Posts: 999 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Joined: Mar 31^st, 2010	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #21 - Oct 28^th, 2025 at 12:09pm	Print Post
	My experience was similar. I entrusted them with a beautiful piece of quartersawn fiddleback walnut for a Ballard and the stock I got back looked like it was mortised by a blind beaver, but in fairness the outside was shaped ok. The barrel channel in the forend was several degrees out of kilter, but luckily there was enough meat left on it to allow reshaping the outside to conform to the channel. This was two years ago.


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Hornetb Participating Member Offline Posts: 11 Joined: Mar 24^th, 2015	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #22 - Nov 9^th, 2025 at 9:46pm	Print Post
	To add to the last few comments here, my experience of stock blanks from CPA was horrendous. I've done plenty of stocks before and I certainly don't expect drop in fit, but these had some major dimensional issues with the inlet. I got a set for a pistol grip low wall. The inletting and shaping was that horrendous I just put them aside until I could pluck up the courage to take it on and try and address the issues - which the severity of wouldn't have been apparent fully until the work was started. The inletting was terrible and the lower tang is off centre in the pistol grip (which I "may" be able to correct with careful work but I'll be lucky if there is enough wood on one side) and the lower tang is cut far too deeply that I will have to add wood or bedding compound in order for there to be something for the lower tang to rest on and screw into. When I say cut too deeply, I mean 3/8-1/2"+ lower than what it should have been. I will HAVE to put wood back to rectify as the tang floats in air. I didn't know just how bad it was or was going to be until I started inletting as there was a lot of work to get the tangs inlet. In hindsight I should have tried to return them when they first arrived (which I didn't realise was an option at the time), but with international shipping I would have been taking a big hit anyway. I was too mad with the quality that I just put them away so I didn't have to look at them. That was now about 3 years ago so not a current experience, so hopefully things have improved, but I am now slowly troubleshooting my way through the mess. I would have been better off with just straight unprofiled blanks. I paid a lot of money to essentially do all the work myself anyway. It is very interesting to see others had a shared experience around the same time. Fingers crossed that is all sorted now.


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gunlaker Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2461 Location: lower mainland, B.C. Joined: Dec 13^th, 2010	Re: Finishing CPA stock Reply #23 - Nov 12^th, 2025 at 10:16am	Print Post
	Tom I would do a chamber cast. CPA's seems to sometimes swiych reamers. My first CPA in 38-55 did not have the long tapered throat that they said it would. It had a 6 degree per side angle into the rifling which I think is just the SAMII chamber. I also have two 32-40's from them with completely different chambers. All were ordered as schuetzen rifles. They do shoot, but they want different bullets. If you can't find a Weber seater I'd do a chamber cast and try to come up with a custom bullet that needs little seating effort. There is also another possibility. I'm pretty sure that one of Jack's highwall seaters could be modified to work with the CPA action. Chris.


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