I recently staked my new stocks. I used a 5/16" center punch. One staked without a hitch. The other wouldn’t stake. The end plate was so hard and brittle that a little piece chipped off before it would stake. It looked just like the Stag/SW illustration in the sticky.
Does anyone know what the different end plates are out there? Are they forged -vs- cast? There was a definate difference in hardness between the two. One was like mild steel, the other like a hardened steel. My carbines were originally Bushy’s although I have no idea where that end plate might have come from. I’m sure they all use different vendors from time to time.
Just so you know, I have staked a half dozen stocks before without any problems so I don’t think it’s a bad placement or strike. The intial hole would not expand or “blossom” as usual. Continued striking just chipped it.
Lesser companies use crappy back plates that are cheaply stamped.
Take a Colt backplate and compare it to a RRA. Notice how the Colt backplate is completely square on its edges.
The RRA will have the look of a stamping where material with have the “sheared” look to it on its edges.
This is just one problem among these plates. Others problems you will encounter are the plate being warped, not fitting flush with the back of the receiver, and being too big around causing charge handle interference.
OK, I replaced the bad plate with one from Brownells (PN# 080-000-290EA). Worked like a charm. While I’m sure the Colt part is GTG, here’s another alternative that will stake properly.
I am currently going through all my spares and shit-canning all unkown quantities. Gonna replace them with mostly CMT stuff.