I currently have my rifle out on my kitchen counter doing some work on it and have been brainstorming ideas to make a butt hook.  The stock is about 1.7" wide, and I can't find any online that are more than 1.6", so I think I'm stuck with making one. I have a smaller garage with limited access to large tools, so most of what I do is limited to hand tools. My first thought was aluminum since I can easily work it by hand, but it's difficult to find a block big enough,  so I was debating trying sand casting?

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for someone that doesn't have access to a full shop?

If you're just hacking something together, cut one out of wood. 

If you want to put a lot more effort into it than it's worth, make one out of styrofoam, and put together the stuff you need to sand cast it out of aluminum.

Or, make one out of wax, and have a brass foundry cast it for you.

Edit:  Re-read it, saw you need more width than you can find.  In that case, you're stuck either making one or modifying one.

If I was trying to work with oversize, I'd buy a steel one, and then weld it up to build it to the size/shape you want.  Then, anneal thoroughly to make it easier to grind and shape, and grind to shape.  If you don't have a welder, that's a skill that's pretty easy to buy from someone else.


Except for the satisfaction of doing it yourself, the best line of attack for most of these things is to just find the appropriate item and buy it.

ssdave wrote on Nov 30^th, 2025 at 2:56pm:


Here's the rifle. The stock is all set up, just missing the last piece

I might leave as it was if that's the rifle that you were running with, and bettering Jerry. H. at the last shoot offhand. Must be something right if you did that......

calledflyer wrote on Nov 30^th, 2025 at 6:56pm:


Unfortunately no, that was with my new martini 22! It is set up right with the hook and palm rest. I normally can shoot in the high 170's, and even broke 200 with this one offhand a couple times, but I feel like I'm fighting the front end a bit. I was going to put the palm rest on my new rifle, but I think I'll leave it alone and use this til I get a new barrel.

Having no tools, you gotta reach out for help. Nothing wrong with that. Send your butt stock to CPA. On second thought send all of it and have CPA set the barrel back too.

Here is a photo of the BSA buttplate
Joe S

Dixie Gun Works has two that might work. One is 7" long x 1 3/4" wide, the other is 7 1/4" long x 2 1/16" wide.
Both are as cast brass.