bsa hornet ambi thumbhole walnut stock review

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Average Ratings

Handling	10/10
Value for Money	10/10
Overall rating	10/10

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By Shaggy on 4th Jun 2004

Shaggy's Ratings

Accuracy	0/10
Handling	10/10
Value for money	10/10
Overall value	10/10
Shaggy's recommendation

Good Points

1) Probably The First Ambi Thumbhole Walnut Stock for the Hornet, it turns the Hornet into an even more impressive piece of kit a Super Hornet ready to kick butt!
2) Liter then Beech on weight
3) Easier to maneuver thanks to it's wide Thumbhole & Pistol Grip
4) It has "Multiple Thumb Positions" on either side
5) Made to measure any size
6) Would after a short period make you shooting ability increase 10 fold
7) Designed by an Air gunner, for Air gunners
8) Price is amazingly good value for money
9) You can pick your own block of wood out if you so wish
10) Ideal if you share a Rifle, you can be left handed & your buddy right handed No Problem!
11) You will never want another rifle again!
12) You can have it changed to suite your ideas or dream stock.
13) Let Mick create you a one off Just for You & Your Hornet!
14) Always there to reassure you excellent quality on the work,
15) Takes pride in all the work he does. Can't get better then that! A Stock Maker who can probably make anything you want!

Bad Points

Can't think of any yet but the field test is coming so we'll see.

General Comments

Hi all, I didn't know people liked my review on the Hornet Carbine, to be honest I completely forgot about it, I got an email yesterday telling me some one hand posted a reply. I was chuffed to bits for the replies, again it just so happens I want to do it again. I went & picked up my new Hornet Stock yesterday so I figured I'd tell you all about it
I was so happy I had to do it again, I have an unusually but amazing Ambi Thumbhole stock for my baby Hornet so I figured I'd put pen to paper again, & if you like it I'll do another one maybe?
Question? Where are the Walnut stocks for an amazing rifle like the Hornet? BSA is I believe still waiting for their Walnut stocks to be delivered. So with that in mind, l hopefully this might be the answer?
You could buy a Walnut stock form Mick Sefton? Or have a go yourself?
So follow me & see my Hornets stock being born, it could help you buy an amazing rifle & put either your own creation onto it, or a stock makers like Mick's & his version, or might make you decide you want to contact someone to do you a stock?
I have since I was very young found it extremely difficult to get any stock to fit reasonably, I end up customizing extensions to make it look nicer then a block of wood, that you can't match to the original. Being a lanky sod 6ft 5i" (no wise cracks) I have difficulty shooting prone because I have arms like an Orangutan. So using a rifle that's produced to a standard of someone about 5ft 8" gives me a hard, time using an off the shelf Rifle & stock.

Anyway, I was down in Eastbourne last week looking at the work of Mick Sefton as he'd just finished an Air Arms S200's multi shot conversion & (the main reason I went down )1 piece Walnut stock!

Whilst we were talking I mentioned I love my Hornet but it's a bit short for me so Mick said he'll knock one up for me
Blimey how chuffed was I, anyway I loved his Thumbhole Ambi Stock he was messing with, that he was doing for the S200, being an ambidextrous shooter, the idea of have a rifle I like & can shoot with both hands is very appealing, especially a Thumbhole version. Mick said "he'd do one for me & the little baby of my collection".

I thought I'd share in pics with you all the whole process from stock blank to Finished Item, that way any one who's always thought of trying it, have an idea where to start & by having pictures along the way will help get an idea for each step!

Or you might just want to know how they do it, so again with Mick's permission (because he's sending me the pictures as he goes) here's the first installment

From the block of wood it's shaped first into the blank it's self, Mick's got the rough shape already cut out (from a template he likes to use), I am sure you can all imagine what a block of wood looks like? So I'll skip the block picture & move onto the blank.
Mick's used a template & went with the grain in the wood. it's not much to look at, at the mow but gives an idea on what shape to start with here: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54025068.jpg

Mick drew the out line onto the blank & then shaped the block, Now the blank's been cut out you can see it's basic shape, Pictured here: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54025061.jpg
You can just make out where the Thumbhole will be cut out from by the pencil lines. Clear visibly now as a stock, it's a classic style fore end tapering down towards the front where just before the cocking bolt sits a shelf to rest your hand on whilst cocking the Hornet. Looks nice, the grain flows the same way, it's going to look well judging by the rough outline
so for those who don't see the links above
Stock Blank Basic shape link is below: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54025071.jpg
Stock Outlined & ready for Inletting: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54025061.jpg
Welcome to the 2nd installment
The stock has now, had all the inletting for the Action, & you can see the action sitting in the wood work! http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54302421.jpg
It's really coming on now, the stocks inletting was done by a router in fact, it's not rocket science, first make sure your blank is secure & you put a line down the centre of the wood & work from that. The stock will need to be secured & most importantly level. You gradually work along & down the centre into the wood by small amounts (trying to rush could cost you big time, by ripping out the wood you could lose the sides as they have to be equal so the action is sitting square & straight in the stock work your way down into the stock at say 1/4" depths at a time or less)

Most mass produced stocks are done this way so I recon you could follow on from that of the original stock, personally I recon you have to know what you're doing with a router.
That isn't like my level of expertise with erm, you know straight lines I know how to knock up dado rails & skirting boards but I couldn't do this for all the tea in China, its way beyond me, but none the less it's possible for Joe Soap to make his own stock this way! They have been making rifles this was for a long time since before WW1 a master stock copied onto other blanks by a type of router.

You can often see inside the original stock where the different types of router heads have been used, remember to take measurements on a regular basics, so a diagram of the shape inside the original stock would be a great help. Also as an aid & easy point of reference, to depths & withes you could also use the action to do this & or both to be totally sure. But remember to put a layer of grease or other source of protection to protect the Action it's self & to aid in marking the stock to see where more wood needs to be removed, it's marked by the grease.
(At this point, before I forget, once you have finished the stock, remember to remove the grease or other product used in protecting the action. Other wise it will add to the dust creating doing the inletting and could over time wear away at the action in areas of constant movement, & you don't wanna do that)
It sounds easy but believe me it's not! The reason there aren't that many stock makers around is because it's an art which isn't easy to follow, unless you know how, the equipment will work with the wood. Anyone can use a router on straight edges, I can so it must be easy, and it's working around a 3d object where the skill comes into its own!
My advice is try the action in the stock at every step, always check before you begin to cut into the wood, get spare bit's of wood to practice any type of unfamiliar movement with the Router, a Stock blank can vary in value for a few £££'s into £100's & even £1,000sssmore, so if you aren't sure practice on another bit of wood to save your blank. It's all common sense I guess?

Once you have your inletting for the action you need to define around the trigger guard, which is not that difficult. Have a look: -
Right hand side of the trigger guard: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54321956.jpg
Or
Left hand side of the trigger guardhttp://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54321925.jpg
It's easier then the inletting for the action, you may recall on the pictures above, that there was a small cut out for the trigger on the stock once the outlines were defined? Well from there you can either user a router to follow around the previous cutting work done or use a detail sander.
You'll need to decide if you want the original Trigger guard on the stock, adapt the original trigger guard with the stock (my favorite) or incorporate a guard into the wood work alone. You could have no form of trigger guard, but personally I don't like that idea it's an accident waiting to happen. I recon any rifle without a trigger guard is dodgy because you are removing an important safety feature. Most of you would agree I am sure? You never put your finger into the trigger guard unless you intend to shoot! So the rifle could move & go off as there's no protection for the trigger, I recon having No guard is bad news, being gun hoe does no one any flavors & could put lives at risk.
Back to the stock, Once you have decided exactly how you want your trigger it's time to get to work remember, to do it slowly & bit by bit as with the inletting. Once the Trigger Guard is done, put the action into the stock & make sure the Trigger can move freely without knocking or clipping onto the woodwork/original Guard, otherwise it could lead to missing targets once you eventually get to the range with it. Once you have the trigger exactly how you'd like you need to consider fixing the stock into the action.
Now to securing the action into the stock! You could measure up the original stock & mimicked it but, I'd favors seeing where the fixing bolts are located in the new stock, as you may have a long fore end or longer trigger guard or a feature that isn't present in the new stock. I recon the easy way would be to put grease or chalk on where the bolt fits into the action, put the action into the stock & see the mark, Before you do anything, check, check & double check, there's never going to be enough ways of checking that, because you don't want a hole in the wrong place.
Once confirmed all that's left to do is drill the hole, start small once in check to see if it's bang inline, (if it's not! Hey that's OK, if you are out a fraction at this stage as you could off set this problem with the next bigger drill bit), When you have a hole to the right width, check the thread will hold it steady, you may need to adjust the bolt, personally I'd leave the original bolt for the original stock. I'd buy a longer one if possible that could be cut down to size as required. Once you checked to see if it will hold the action tight, you can bore into the hole a little for the bolt to sit inside. I'd put a few metal washers in there to help out a little, remember you want a tight fit!
It's time to move onto the out side again, this time with a smaller router. You can see that the action fits well & secure, so it's time to really get the detail into the wood. Here you can see the stock is really coming on nicely, the lines are more refined & you can see where the detail will be
Right side view: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54302421.jpg
Left side view: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54302475.jpghttp://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54302475.jpg
Mick's made the front end resemble the original Hornet stock, nice touch. There's a shaped half oval section running form the top front of the wood to the back on both sides, Mick said its ideal as a grab rail for positioning finger tips on both sides of the stock, I can see that working really well, especially for consistency as it helps to improve your shooting ability. Granted it's halfway through being worked over by the Router but as you can see it looks the business. On both pics above you will see half the line for the cheek piece (the rest isn't done yet) it's clearly seen on both the right hand side of the stock and the left.
I'd like to point out that between the thumbhole & where the butt plate will eventually go. Mick's added an extra 2" to allow for my ape like arms, its still looks pretty good, it doesn't just have 2" extra after the back of the cheek piece, ya know just slapped on or forgotten about. It's proportioned all the way threw, (clever Bloke) every thing is slightly bigger going back from the thumbhole to where the butt plate will be. Once the inletting is complete it's time to start on the "Multi Thumb Positions" & The Ambi Thumbhole. You can see the final shape is there now above merely requires sanding & finishing.
The area around the Thumbhole, I mentioned earlier in the review because, it's a "multi thumb position" Ambi stock (see what I mean by unusual) It has 4 positions each side for thumb to rest in/on, 1 of which it the opposite thumb position,
The fact it's an Ambi Stock is amazing because I recon it still has the key features you'd expect from a dedicated Left or Right Handed Thumbhole stock. It doesn't lose features or sacrifice anything so it can be an Ambi stock, like some have done in the past. Take a good look at each side of the stock pics above; you would never guess from the pics of each side it was an Ambi Thumbhole stock now would you?
There are Ambi Thumbholes out there but in my opinion no where near as good as this baby!
So we draw an end to the finishing off stage, what do you do next? There are so many ways you can go from here. All though I have my favorite way, most of the stock makers use finishing oil/wax & polish it up. You could ask for another finish to be put on it. I happen to know that most of the stock makers will if you request it finish in what you want (most of the time) once it's polished it's up to you from there on out.
Well that's it in a shell! If you have any questions about the stock just add it to the thread below & if I can answer them I will or alternatively I'll ask Mick & post back an answer. I am sure you'll agree that the stock looks very impressive so far I can't wait to see who well it performs on the Range & out Hunting.

Mick's phone isn't going to stop ringing, I am chuffed that I got the 1st for the Hornet. I have more to come so don't go any where.

The stock is now done, now finished I couldn't wait to go & collect it.
All the inletting has been finished & the sanding is all complete. It's even had 3-4 layers of finishing Oil rubbed over her & she looks nice especially from where I am sitting If you look at it from either side you wouldn't believe it was an Ambi Thumbhole, err well sorry I meant to say Ambi Thumbhole with "Multi Thumb Position Stock" what do you think? Here's some more pics of the finished article:
Full Right hand side view: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54973770.jpg
Full Left hand side View: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/54972566.jpg
Now then, don't that look the business, here's some I took when I got here home
Left side grip: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/55588890.jpg
Right side grip: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/55588926.jpg
: right side: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/55589989.jpg
Left side: http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL328/1724074/3349189/55589968.jpg

You can go to the beginning of the story of the Stock being made in just pictures format if you like? Here: http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid3349189
I recon this is without doubt going to be popular, for Hunters & or Ambi Shooters & HFTer's alike, by all accounts no one can fault it as of yet, especially those who have handled her.
Before going down to pick the Rifle up I wasn't sure if I like the fore-end after a comment a mate made, I was a bit worried it'll put me off?
But once I got it in my hands it makes perfect sense why it's there for my long arms it aids cocking the rifle before firing. I have to say it handles better then I hoped for. I can hold it steadier then the original stock, & it fit's like a glove, I am planning on going down the range at the club this weekend so I'll report back as to how well it performs, Not the rifle the Stock! We all know how brill the rifle is don't we?
If she performs real nice down the range I'll sort out early next week, so I can take her hunting on my shoot & see how she performs then..
So that's if for now, guy's hope you liked my 2nd attempt at a review for the 1 & only BSA Hornet Carbine Ambi Thumbhole Walnut Stock! Can you say that lot in one go..
Monday I'll update the review on range handling, if you want any info I'll help as best I can or contact Mick direct about pricing & ideas? Give him a buzz he don't byte! He's an air gunner like the rest of us so he knows what's expected from our kit! OH I nearly forgot neither are most of the other stock makers all pretty accommodating.
ATB
Darren

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