I have a factory wood 870 stock that I would like to cut down about 1 1/2-2"

Is it possible to find a smaller butt pad to fit the cut down stock?

You will not find any bolt-on pads that fit those dimensions.  You will have to get a "grind-to-fit" pad from Brownells, and grind it to fit the new dimensions.  A buttpad grinding jig and a beltsander or disk sander are necessary.

It can turn into quite a project, if you're not careful.  

2guntom
454 Casull +

Sound like more trouble than its worth.

Is your stock "standard" length? Would a youth model stock get you short enough? Just a thought.....

Quoted: Sound like more trouble than its worth.

Yes, that was what I was implying.  I did exactly that, removed 1 1/2" from the stock on my wife's gun, then installed a LimbSaver Grind-to-fit recoil pad.  





You don't realize how much the buttpad mouting surface reduces until you've done this.  It was small enough that it was below the minimum safe grinding size on the buttpad.  I had to grind on an angle to keep enough of the backplate.  If you look closely at the second pic you can see how it flares out.

I have a belt sander, but not one with a big table, and I don't have a buttpad jig.  My wife is tickled with the results, but I am not.  When I do something like this, I find every flaw imaginable.  I was not proud of the end result.  Adding to the mayhem, I was refinishing about 5 other stock sets at the same time.  This particular stock set had a problem when I started to apply the top coats (don't mix brands!).  I had to sand it back down and try again.

If you like to do projects, this one will keep you involved and busy.

There is an (actually 3) alternative.  The Pachmyer slip on recoil pads come in 3 sizes.  The "small" is actually quite small.  Measure your buttstock and guesstimate the finished dimension then check it against what the pad fits

Internal Dimensions:
Large Pad: Length: 5.30" Width: 1.72"

Medium Pad: Length: 5.05" Width: 1.58"

Small Pad: Length: 4.85" Width: 1.50"

Here's a link to some others
MidwayUSA Slip-On Pads

Another alternative is to do like the other gentlemen suggested and hunt around for a reduced LOP stock, ie "youth", or even some of the "tactical" models.

And if you are willing to pay, there are many gunsmiths that specialize is custom fitting stocks and reworking existing stocks.  They have the tools and the experience.  When you get your stock back, it will look factory or better.  Of course quality work does demand a top-notch price.  Shop around; you might be surprised what you find.

2guntom
454 Casull +

Why can't you just sand down the original pad? I think my 870s pad is just solid rubber, looks easy enough to me.

Quoted: Why can't you just sand down the original pad? I think my 870s pad is just solid rubber, looks easy enough to me.

It depends on how far the screw holes are spaced from the ends.  The dimensions of the buttstock shrinks dramatically at the rear when you remove an inch and a half.  Then, to grind the old buttpad to fit the new dimensions, you would have a u-shaped divet in either the top or bottom, or maybe both where you ground into the old screw holes.

2guntom
454 Casull +

Quoted: Is your stock "standard" length? Would a youth model stock get you short enough? Just a thought.....

The gun is an early 1970s 870 Police model and I would like to keep the original furniture is possible.

Look through the the threads in this section.  I believe it was a thread about a guy trying to customize a 20gauge 870 to fit his girlfriend.   Somebody posted to that thread from a shop on the west side of the country that does stock reductions.  If you can find that thread, that would be a shop to contact.

2guntom
454 Casull +

Quoted: Look through the the threads in this section.  I believe it was a thread about a guy trying to customize a 20gauge 870 to fit his girlfriend.   Somebody posted to that thread from a shop on the west side of the country that does stock reductions.  If you can find that thread, that would be a shop to contact. 2guntomwww.2guntom.com/454/group/2gunsfiring_v1.gif 454 Casull +

I believe that was Mesa Tactical