SHORTENING THE LOP ON AN FN SLP

[RaymondMillbrae]

OK, shooters,

I have noticed that there are a growing number of FN SLP users now-a-days. So I have taken it upon myself to photograph the steps it takes to shorten the LOP (Length Of Pull) on my FN SLP shotgun - or in other words, cutting my stock down to size.

I have a shorter LOP than the rest of you “gorilla-armed” folks, so all my firearms are modified in one way or another to fit me. The following is something that I have done to all my long guns. (Shotgun’s, rifles, and carbines).

Let me start off by saying that I originally called FN to ask if they had a shorter stock (or even a youth model) that I was able to purchase. The FN rep (Bob) told me that there was nothing at the time. He also added that it was a hollow stock, and if I should choose to shorten it, I should go no more that 1” inch, as there was a tube within the stock that prevented going any further. He also mentioned that once the stock was cut, I could just glue/epoxy the modified shoulder pad back in place.

Cool...I can do that!

The procedure is very similar to the one I did for my Remington 700 LTR rifle in .308. (Maybe I’ll post that one as well, sometime down the line).

Anyhoo, with no further interruptions, here are the steps to shortening the LOP on an FN SLP shotgun:

The first thing you need to do is remove the shoulder pad. Place a little bit of cooking oil, soap, wax (or whatever), on you screwdriver, and remove the two screws. This prevents you from damaging the rubber on the shoulder pad. (See picture below).

Go ahead and remove the two screws, and then remove the shoulder pad as well. When this is done, you will see that the stock is hollow, and there is a tube/cylinder within. (See below pictures).

This internal tube will determine the furthest point you can cut down the stock. In the below pictures, you can see how I inserted a ruler into the stock so it touches the tip of the tube. Once the ruler touches the tube, I look at the upper edge of the stock, and see that ¾” inch is the most I can go.

Cont…

Edited October 28, 2010 by RaymondMillbrae

[RaymondMillbrae]

Once the distance is determined (or reaffirmed), I get some masking tape and mark EXACTLY ¾” inch on the exterior of the stock. (See below picture).

Now it is off to the miter saw to make a clean cut. (See pictures below). Let me add a few notes here before I go any further. The first is that I have a laser on my saw, so I was able to determine that my line was PERFECTLY straight on the stock. If you change the comb on your stock (change the angle of the stock when you cut it), your shotgun will feel, and perform, differently. So if you know about “adjusting the comb” on a shotgun, this is the time to do so. If you DO NOT know what the “comb” is on the stock, just make sure you keep your line perfectly straight with the tape. Secondly, make sure the stock is perfectly flat. In other words, make sure you are making a nice 90-degree cut. Otherwise you will have one side of the stock longer than the other, and you will be very uncomfortable while shooting. Nuff said.

OK, shooters, below is the finished cut. Let me explain what “I PERSONALLY” did. I knew that I was limited to only cutting ¾” of an inch off the stock. But when I looked at my first cut, I thought to myself, “I have a super high quality fine blade on my saw, and I can get away with cutting a few of the threads off the cylinder in the stock...safely". So I made a second cut, and I took my stock down to the 1” inch mark. I cannot recommend this for everyone. But in my case, I was comfortable with doing so, and you can see the end result. Bottom line: Cut more than ¾” of an inch at your own risk!!!

Below is a picture of the stock and the shoulder pad. Notice that the shoulder pad is very unique in shape. Now that the stock is cut, the shoulder pad will NOT fit onto the stock any longer. Not only will you have to modify the shoulder pad for the two end screws to fit, but you will also need to make a hole for the cylinder in the center...as well as filing the edges of the shoulder pad plastic to fit into the stock. Get a ¾” inch hole-saw, and a flat bastard file with a smooth edge.

Cont…

Edited October 28, 2010 by RaymondMillbrae

[RaymondMillbrae]

Below are two photos for you to see what I did. First the plastic edges of the shoulder pad were filed down to fit. Then all the proper holes were made. You can also see that the plastic part of the shoulder pad is glued in place. When I removed the rubber center ¾” inch hole…look at that rubber (or glue?) streeeeeetching.

Below are a few pictures of the pre-finished product. Notice that the shoulder pad now fits into the stock. But also notice that the rubber overhangs, and needs to be “roughly” trimmed to shape.

So now it is time to go to the belt sander and give it a rough touch-up. Below are a few photos to show you what it looks like AFTER the rough touch-up on the belt sander, and getting ready to be epoxied into place.

Cont…

[RaymondMillbrae]

Here is the shoulder pad. It has been roughly shaped, the holes have been made, and the two are now ready to be eternally joined in wedded bliss.

Now I get some left over AcraGlas gel, and mix it up with a little black die.

Once it is ready, I spread it onto the edges of the shoulder pad, wait a minute or two, and then place it onto the stock. (See pictures below).

Once the two have been joined, I use black electrical tape to hold them together, and let it cure for 1.5 days.

Cont…

[RaymondMillbrae]

OK…the allotted time has passed, the AcraGlas Gel is cured, and the tape has been removed. Below are a few pictures of the “just about” finished project.

Below you will see the tools needed to finish-up this project. A roll of tape (masking/painters/electrical, etc…), a sharp razor, and a few different grits of sandpaper cut into strips.

The first thing you need to do is CAREFULLY cut-off any large pieces of epoxy which are left over. Not the small parts, just the large parts. Then wrap some tape right on the seam where the stock and shoulder pad meet. Once this is done, you will need to get a coarse strip of sandpaper, and in a shoe-polishing movement, start sanding away the epoxy. (Grab one end of the sandpaper strip with your left hand. Then grab the other end of the sandpaper strip with your right hand. Then start polishing away the epoxy and fine tuning the shape of the shoulder pad). Below are two photos of the stock after the coarse polishing has been done. Notice how the tape has been partially sanded away. Be careful, as you will scratch the plastic stock if you get too carried away. (I stopped as soon as I noticed my stock being scratched - oops)!!

Cont…

[RaymondMillbrae]

Once the rough sanding/shaping has been done, move to the finer sandpaper strips. Below is a photo of the 220-grit strip I used for this last step. I could have went down to a 400-grit for a cleaner look, but I am not too anal about aesthetics. If it looks clean, and it works, fine with me. (Plus I was kinda lazy to go downstairs and look for 400-grit sandpaper. But don’t tell anyone).

The very last step is the secret weapon…Carnuba wax. (Or any type of wax you have on hand). Once the final sanding has been done with the finest grit sandpaper you have on hand, give the shoulder pad and stock a coat of wax. Let it sit and dry (like you do on your car), and then buff it off. Ka-Blammm! You should have a decent finish that would make your mama proud.

Below is the finished product.

Let me end by saying that I am a hands-on type of guy. I like my tools to fit and work right. I am not into “pretty”…so I have no problem “going-for-it” and hacking away. I am confident enough in my abilities to know what I can do, or when to send it off to get it done professionally. This job…I could do.

I’ll see about posting a few more photos of my FN SLP mods later on.

Glad I was able to help, shooters!!

In Christ: Raymond

[RaymondMillbrae]

OK, shooters,

here is the finished product. This is the last modification I did to the shoulder pad.

Like I mentioned earlier, the bottom "tip" of the shoulder pad would still snag on my clothing when UNshouldering it. So I just went ahead and cut-off the bottom "pointy" portion of the shoulder pad...and what a difference that made!! (Like above - just cut the shoulder pad flush, and then use the sandpaper strips to "shoe-polish" the pad to shape. Start with a course grit, and end with a fine grit. Then polish with Carnuba wax).

I can now UNshoulder the shotgun, and there is nary a snag.

I am a happy camper with this modification.

Gonna meet a pardner on Saturday, and we will run the shotgun thru the steps with a few hundred rounds.

Hope this tutorial helped a few shooters, as there have always been questions about shortening the LOP (the stock) on an FN SLP.

In Christ: Raymond

Edited October 30, 2010 by RaymondMillbrae

[Kevin Holman]

Love it.

[DocMcG]

Super "How-to!" Thanks for the effort!

Cheers,

Kyle

[Pat Miles]

Nice job!

One question. Could you have still used the original screws to remount the butt plate? Looks like the bosses in the stock rise vertically.

Pat

[00bullitt]

So how do you take the stock back off if need be? I've had mine loosen on me in a match.

When I cut mine down, I used plastic blocks and acraglassed them in place and added threaded inserts for new machine screws to screw into. Worked great and I could remove my recoil padd and make adjustments and retighten the stock if it loosened.

I'll also add.....overtightening the nut that affixes the stock can over torque the tube and cause the gun to short cycle on a regular basis.

[Chivas]

Nice!!!!!

Now you just need to add electrical tape the recoil pad so it does not get caught on your shirt.

[RaymondMillbrae]

Thanks, shooters.

Let me "try" to answer some of your questions.

1) Could I still use the original screws to mount the shoulder pad? The answer is "No". When I cut the holes in the plastic part of the shoulder pad, that removed the possibility of the same holes being used. (The screws will now go completely through the pad without having something to hold on to). But if I were to drill "new holes" in the shoulder pad plastic...well...thats a different story. But then I would also have to do like 00BULLITT said, and attach custom-fitted plastic blocks within the stock so the screws have something to bite into.

2) How do I remove the stock? Hmmm...I haven't come to that yet. But from past experiences with ANY of my long guns - I've never had to. But if I did have to...well...then I guess I would just have to pull it back off, and reattach it back again when finished. No biggie. A few of my long gun stocks also had their shoulder pads attached with glue/epoxy from the factory. As a matter of fact, my Remmy LTR .308 has a high-end H-S Precision stock, which came with the pad glued/epoxied onto the stock...straight from the factory.

3) And lastly, electrical tape to make the shoulder pad "smoother". I am contemplating sanding-off the very bottom (pointed) part of the rubber from the shoulder pad. This little portion is the only part that still catches on my clothing when I am UNshouldering it. As for shouldering it, I would prefer to have it "tackey" and stuck to the clothing on my shoulder. But you did give me food for thought - and I will try it with black tape to see if "smoother is better".

Thanks again for the feedback folks.

In Christ: Raymond

Edited October 29, 2010 by RaymondMillbrae

[Bryan 45]

Raymond, there aren't any parts, nor attachment hardware, in the butt of your 700.

Tod, did you take any pictures of your stock mod?

[RaymondMillbrae]

Raymond, there aren't any parts, nor attachment hardware, in the butt of your 700.

Correct.

But there are parts in my Remmy LTR "now". (More later).

I hear you, Bryan.

I guess my point was that glue is used by many manufacturers to affix shoulder pads in place. And if you have ever removed a shoulder pad affixed with glue, you will know that it is not a big deal.

When Bob (from FN) told me I can do it that way...that was good enough for me.

In Christ: Raymond

Edited October 29, 2010 by RaymondMillbrae

[assaulter]

Nice job. I don't have the sack to try something like that. But that turned out great.

[RaymondMillbrae]

I added a last modification to my original post. (See post #7, above).

Happy All-Hallows Eve, shooters.

Be safe out there!!!!!

In Christ: Raymond

Edited October 29, 2010 by RaymondMillbrae

[strat81]

I shortened my SX2 stock with a friend's help in a similar fashion. Rather than cut the stock, we used a belt sander to grind it down as we were concerned about cracking the plastic.

To get another 1/4" or 1/2" of reduction, buy yourself a thinner recoil pad. This was the thinnest I could find:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=725970

In addition to grinding it to size, we had to cut that inner "lip" off the OEM pad, size it to fit the hollow of the stock, and then attach it to the new pad. This is necessary to eliminate the flex of the hollow stock.

The benefit of being able to remove the pad is that you can clean and lube the action spring that resides inside the stock. I bought my SX2 used and did a tear down. I cleaned the tube with solvent, coated the spring and tube in CLP, and added a bit of lithium grease to the spring and tube. The action feels a bit smoother because of it. None of those parts are stainless, so if you submerge the gun, you'll want to clean that assembly before it rusts.

[racine]

Raymond, Thanks for posting so many good photos of this job. It inspired me to do my stock as well and now I'm much happier with the adjustment.

Racine

[Mifune326]

Thank you Ray! You're a Godsend!

Any way you could post a pic of your entire SG so we can see what it looks like overall?

Thanks and all the best!

[RaymondMillbrae]

Thanks, shooters.

Glad to have been able to help y'all.

Here are a few pictures I just took a few minutes ago. (Just caught the sun before it went down on us CA folk).

And, FYI...I do not store the shotgun with the side-saddle loaded. This will stretch the elastic fabric. I just did this so y'all could see the Mark Otto side-saddles.

In Christ: Raymond

PS: The last mods left to do (for me), is to replace the red fiber optic tube with a green one. I do not personally like the red too much. The color green is easier to see in all lighting/background conditions. (I have green FO tube on all my handguns, so it will be a bit more familiar to me). I am also making a custom piece out of Kydex to fit over the bolt release button.

Edited February 4, 2011 by RaymondMillbrae

[Mifune326]

Beautiful job Ray! I really appreciate you posting the pics and sharing the info with us! I've been thinking about shortening the LOP on my SX2 but didn't know what I'd be getting myself into. Great info. Thanks again and God bless you brother.

Chris

[LeftyGirl]

Given that I have no tools and no handy skills - can anybody recommend a gunsmith in/around the DC area that can do this? (Plus a few other mods.) Thanks!

[Hamma Slamma]

Raymond, Just curious, about how long did the whole process take (minus the dry time)?

Excellent article by the way!!!

[RaymondMillbrae]

HS,

if memory serves me correctly, it took me about an hour to do this. Actually a little more, as I had to photograph everything for y'all.

In Christ: Raymond