It really isn't as difficult as you may think, if you have ANY exp with tools/wood. it would be a good time to strip the wood and re-coat it with trueoil or tung oil and make a great Christmas present. In gunsmith years & right before hunting season, you may not see that gun for some time. And my shotguns are NO 12 inches! the browning is short cuz it needs 1 more spacer & I'm not quite done playing with it yet at 13 1/16", the montfeltro is a solid 13 1/2". my forearms are fine, it's the big MOOBS and wrist braces causing trouble. I hate it when the recoil pad snags my nipple ring.
I knew I'd get your attention with the 12" LOP comment, LOL...
Well if you want to brag about squirrel hunting. I kilt me mine furst won with a rock befour gun powder wuz invented.
Couple of ways to cut a gun stock. Crayons for marking a line and a hand saw to make the cut. OR sharp pointed scribe for marking line following proper angle from toe to heel, razor blade to score clear coat finish (if it has a clear finish). Table saw with minimum of 60 teeth for fine cut and a jig to hold the butt stock securely. Butt stock must be removed from firearm. A miter saw may work in a pinch but the table saw will give best results. A local gunsmith may do it for just a few bucks and remember you pay for what he knows not what he is doing. Hope it turns out well. I got lucky and found an old savage single shot .410 in a pawn shop. It is hammerless and the stock shortened I think I had to give 60 dollars for it.
the gunsmith I go to says he can put a pad on the twenty guage that will reduce the recoil a lot.
You will be pleasantly surprised how much "FELT RECOIL"s reduced. Kick-eez and limbsaver right now lower the felt recoil the most, (this changes brand to brand from time to time) and are generally less expensive than say pachmayer, but all will work. The only real downside for me is that the soft rubber tends to grab clothing more than a hard plastic or steel buttplate. However if the gun is not fit correctly and the shooters face is not on the cheekpiece and the stock not into the shoulder, the shooter is still gonna get banged. If it's not a bench gun I almost always need to get the stock cut down, and is the perfect time to change the pads. It just bothers me when I pay good money, wait a long time, for a job I could have done better myself, and I am far from a master craftsman. once you diy, you will see it's no biggie. Just don't do your first one on an expensive/treasured gun. Good luck whichever way you go.
