Freehand Sling Stud Install: Drill Sizing and Stud Angle Explained

In a video from Iraqveteran8888, the channel wraps up a build project on a small single-shot shotgun by installing sling studs and fitting a vintage Finnish M39 sling. The creator skips any dedicated swivel-install fixture and does the whole job freehand with a drill, a vise, and a punch, walking through how he picks hole placement and stud angle on a stock that's already had ebonizing and filigree work done to it.

Key points

• Stud orientation: he explains studs can run perpendicular to the stock's bottom line, angled, or countersunk, and he opts for a front stud flush with the fore-end and a rear stud set at a slight angle for a stronger pull against the sling.
• Pilot hole sizing: he drills to the screw's minor diameter rather than its major diameter, settling on a 5/32-inch bit after test-fitting a 3/32 that came up short.
• Hardware choice: he skips the white plastic washers in favor of black metal ones, noting the white ones tend to dry-rot over time, to match the gun's blacked-out look.
• Hand-tool method: with no drill press to set a depth stop, he eyeballs placement, drills by hand, and starts each stud with a punch before tightening, all while admitting it's not how he'd approach a customer gun.

Quick take

This is a no-frills, low-cost way to add sling studs to a stock without specialty jigs, and Iraqveteran8888 is upfront that his hand-eye approach is a shortcut compared to professional fixture-based work. Worth watching if you want the reasoning behind hole sizing and stud angle rather than just the final result.

Watch the full video: Iraqveteran8888