customizing own stock?

5whiskey · January 5, 2006, 06:48 PM

I just wanted to get a few opinions on this one. I know everyone will probably think I'm crazy, but I don't even really care. Same inaccurate savage with the flimsy synthetic stock as yesterday. I shimmed the pillars and shaved off some of the forearm and shot it today. Shooting a little bit better, but not much. About 2.5 moa, where it was probably 5 moa. I decided that if I reinforced the stock and actually bedded it I could probably get down to something resembling accurate. So I went out and got fiberglass bondo to fill in the very cheap and very hollow stock to keep it from flexing.
After thinking way too much (or little) I decided to try and customize my stock (with bondo). It's actually not looking too bad so far, but now I realize exactly how dumb it kinda sounds. Picture a normal savage stock looking very simular to an old m40a1 stock, cept I got the grip almost as straight as a tactical stock grip. It'll be a little (ok, alot) heavier but I really don't mind, I'm a big ol boy. Has anyone else ever tried this? If so how well did it work? And one last thing that isn't silly, is 4 to 1 epoxy a suitable material to bed a rifle stock? If not, what is? Thanks all.

For we who are strong ought to bear
the infirmities of the weak, and not to
please ourselves
Romans 15:1

D-Weezy · January 6, 2006, 01:49 AM

If you like Savage check out this site.

http://www.savageshooters.net/sharpshooters/

doubleD · January 6, 2006, 09:53 AM

Not sure exactly what you mean by:
"So I went out and got fiberglass bondo to fill in the very cheap and very hollow stock to keep it from flexing."

However, I think you are on the right track to minimize if not eliminate the stock flexing.
Any build up, or "shape modifications" I have made to fiberglass stocks, I have stuck with the Acraglass products available from Brownell's. These products are tested for the "gun world" and have the properties of adhesion, stability, and shrinkage critical to gun work. For stock modifications I would recommend the original Acraglass which is a 4 to 1 ratio, and add the flock for mixture thickness. In small amount mixtures, go to a farm supply house and get the larger syringes so you can accruately mix the epoxy proportions. For bedding the barrel and action either the original or the Acraglass gel (a 1 to 1 mix ratio) will do fine. Brownell's has very good directions with their products.
Personally I have not used the auto/marine body products or the generic epoxies in gun work, except the paint for fiberglass stocks. I am not sure how well they would work but would personally stick with known "gun" products. There are other brands of bedding products for guns out there which I would not hesitate to use, but my experience has been with the Brownell's products.
If you are unfamiliar with Brownell's, here is their web site: www.brownells.com
good luck

5whiskey · January 6, 2006, 10:31 AM

Thanks for the 411, double d. It's a little late for this round (I already started and am dying to go on and finish), but I'll use brownell's from now own. I'm with you on sticking to epoxy's tested for gun stocks. I did speak with someone who has worked on quite a few, and was told that bondo would probably be fine, but he also said he would recommend brownell's as well for future use. Thanks again. And the stock is hollow. completely hollow. At the forearm the wall thickness is about 1/4", with a couple of solid compartments that are too small to add much strengthwise. I think savage was going for light and cheap in one shot when they made it. Needless to say, it's not strong enough to be shooting a 7 mag with bipods (they put alot of pressure on the forearm). That's why I filled the forearm with bondo.

Harry Bonar · January 6, 2006, 09:03 PM

Dear Shooter:
I DO NOT like "pillar bedding."
You can take a piece of strong tubing and put it up the barrel channel and fill it with "steel bed" from Brownells. Then, for goodness sake, bed the recoil lug area with steel-bed, totally forget the stupid "pillar-bedding" idea and after that work, free-float that barrel CLEAR out from the action face.

Here's the "pillar bedding" problem: After the compression of the stock material (fiberglass or wood) you have a barreled action sitting for all practical purposes on top of two silly aluminum pillars - this isn't condecive to accurate shooting.
There's just nothing I can say good about "pillar bedding" it's a fad that will pass very quickly - after you tighten down the action screws on a pillar bedded stock you might think its tight - not so - all that is tight is the action and eschuctions by the screws to the pillar length and if you make the pillars tight to increase compression of the stock material, why not just disregard the pillars?
Hope I don't start a frizz! Harry B.

January 5, 2006, 06:48 PM	#1
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,657	customizing own stock? I just wanted to get a few opinions on this one. I know everyone will probably think I'm crazy, but I don't even really care. Same inaccurate savage with the flimsy synthetic stock as yesterday. I shimmed the pillars and shaved off some of the forearm and shot it today. Shooting a little bit better, but not much. About 2.5 moa, where it was probably 5 moa. I decided that if I reinforced the stock and actually bedded it I could probably get down to something resembling accurate. So I went out and got fiberglass bondo to fill in the very cheap and very hollow stock to keep it from flexing. After thinking way too much (or little) I decided to try and customize my stock (with bondo). It's actually not looking too bad so far, but now I realize exactly how dumb it kinda sounds. Picture a normal savage stock looking very simular to an old m40a1 stock, cept I got the grip almost as straight as a tactical stock grip. It'll be a little (ok, alot) heavier but I really don't mind, I'm a big ol boy. Has anyone else ever tried this? If so how well did it work? And one last thing that isn't silly, is 4 to 1 epoxy a suitable material to bed a rifle stock? If not, what is? Thanks all. For we who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves Romans 15:1

January 6, 2006, 10:31 AM	#4
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,657	little late now Thanks for the 411, double d. It's a little late for this round (I already started and am dying to go on and finish), but I'll use brownell's from now own. I'm with you on sticking to epoxy's tested for gun stocks. I did speak with someone who has worked on quite a few, and was told that bondo would probably be fine, but he also said he would recommend brownell's as well for future use. Thanks again. And the stock is hollow. completely hollow. At the forearm the wall thickness is about 1/4", with a couple of solid compartments that are too small to add much strengthwise. I think savage was going for light and cheap in one shot when they made it. Needless to say, it's not strong enough to be shooting a 7 mag with bipods (they put alot of pressure on the forearm). That's why I filled the forearm with bondo.

January 6, 2006, 09:03 PM	#5
Harry Bonar Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2004 Location: In the Vincent, Ohio general area. Posts: 1,804	stock Dear Shooter: I DO NOT like "pillar bedding." You can take a piece of strong tubing and put it up the barrel channel and fill it with "steel bed" from Brownells. Then, for goodness sake, bed the recoil lug area with steel-bed, totally forget the stupid "pillar-bedding" idea and after that work, free-float that barrel CLEAR out from the action face. Here's the "pillar bedding" problem: After the compression of the stock material (fiberglass or wood) you have a barreled action sitting for all practical purposes on top of two silly aluminum pillars - this isn't condecive to accurate shooting. There's just nothing I can say good about "pillar bedding" it's a fad that will pass very quickly - after you tighten down the action screws on a pillar bedded stock you might think its tight - not so - all that is tight is the action and eschuctions by the screws to the pillar length and if you make the pillars tight to increase compression of the stock material, why not just disregard the pillars? Hope I don't start a frizz! Harry B.

January 6, 2006, 01:49 AM	#2
D-Weezy Junior Member Join Date: January 5, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 9	If you like Savage check out this site. http://www.savageshooters.net/sharpshooters/

January 6, 2006, 09:53 AM	#3
doubleD Member Join Date: December 5, 2005 Posts: 24	Not sure exactly what you mean by: "So I went out and got fiberglass bondo to fill in the very cheap and very hollow stock to keep it from flexing." However, I think you are on the right track to minimize if not eliminate the stock flexing. Any build up, or "shape modifications" I have made to fiberglass stocks, I have stuck with the Acraglass products available from Brownell's. These products are tested for the "gun world" and have the properties of adhesion, stability, and shrinkage critical to gun work. For stock modifications I would recommend the original Acraglass which is a 4 to 1 ratio, and add the flock for mixture thickness. In small amount mixtures, go to a farm supply house and get the larger syringes so you can accruately mix the epoxy proportions. For bedding the barrel and action either the original or the Acraglass gel (a 1 to 1 mix ratio) will do fine. Brownell's has very good directions with their products. Personally I have not used the auto/marine body products or the generic epoxies in gun work, except the paint for fiberglass stocks. I am not sure how well they would work but would personally stick with known "gun" products. There are other brands of bedding products for guns out there which I would not hesitate to use, but my experience has been with the Brownell's products. If you are unfamiliar with Brownell's, here is their web site: www.brownells.com good luck