Attaching swivel mount to laminate stock

[Mk10]

Howdy.

New to the 'board, and I apologize if I didn't use the search feature correctly. If there was ignorance involved, it was not intentional. None of the results I saw addressed this particular question that I saw, and would appreciate any input. I thank you in advance, and appreciate your time.

Being limited to getting an 870 Express "as is," i.e. w/laminate stock, up to 3" 28" bbl., there's not any money left over for other stock choices right now. I'll be saving up for an 18.5" cylinder bore, and then a +2 kit after that.

So...I'm wondering about the installation of the swivel mount on the stock. Well, actually I'm worried, because it's laminate instead of walnut.

Has anyone had good luck with the laminate "holding" the swivel over time tromping through hill and dale? I've watched some youtube videos, and even checked synchronizer's site, but the only thing I've found kind of looks like a laminate stock, but I'm not sure.

I'm on a fixed income, got a bonanza for Christmas somehow as every relative seemed to think, "Well, old Chris hasn't gotten a present for some time, how's he doing? I'll send him forty bucks," all at once, and Bass Pro has the 870 Express w/28" ribbed barrel and laminate for $329, with Remington having a $25 rebate on 870 Expresses bought before 12/31. Doesn't leave anything for swivels and a sling, but that will come.

The only thing I'm worried at this point about is enjoying the day, walking through the woods, and my new shotgun's stock swivel pops out leaving an ugly, cracking hole, which now matches the scratches and gouges in the metal (and fore end) after bouncing down a little 15 ft. high hill with rocks at the bottom.

I understand that if it is approved for daily use, that I'd need to do it right and I've been studying up on that pretty good. I'm a pilot-hole, almost-too-careful kind of guy when it comes to working on things I can't replace.

I'm just curious if anyone out there has had good luck with an arrangement like that with a laminate stock who's carted it around quite a bit in the field.

Thanks again for any help, and I'm sorry if I missed an obvious reflection on swivels and laminate stocks I should have seen. I appreciate the ability to post on a board like this, and have learned that nothing beats listening to folks who have experience in what you're trying to learn about.

[Synchronizor]

I'm not an expert on this, but from what I do understand, there shouldn't be anything terribly different about installing a sling stud in a laminate stock rather than a solid wood stock. In fact, I know that laminate is generally denser than real wood, and can be less prone to cracking since it's made up of many layers of wood with different grain orientations.

I'll let someone with more experience step in and offer advice on clamping the stock, sizing & drilling the pilot hole, making the facing cut, use of epoxy/glue, and so on. Or you can probably find good step-by-step instructions in a book or elsewhere on the web. But just regarding the parts & techniques, whatever works for a hardwood stock should work for a laminate one.

[Mk10]

Right you are! Thanks for the reply.

What I found with the Mike's kit is that I needed a wee bit bigger pilot than they suggested, and that it was helpful to tape the stock first before using a punch to set the pilot bit.

If I were to do it again I'd also use a larger seating bit so that the white rubber washer would sit down flush with the stock, but as it is, it comes out one side a little, and most people wouldn't even notice.

I left it like that because the spot was perfect, and it took a bit of doing to get it to where it was down in the stock. In other words it looked and felt like it could hold a Ford Fiesta, so I didn't fix something that wasn't broken.

If I go to larger swivels, like 1 1/2's or whatever, I'd just use epoxy screwing it back in.

The tape helped keep the stock from splintering. Definitely one size up on the pilot hole bit.

[Synchronizor]

Glad to hear you got it to work. Thanks for the tips.