tight magazine fit

[topshot]

After installing my axis heavy barrel 308 into the Boyds thumbhole stock, I noticed that the magazine was VERY hard to seat in the stock. After taking a look I noticed that the magazine is making a lot of contact with the action. So after racking my head and trying to figure it out, I looked at the recoil lug. It seems that Boyd might have cut the channel for the lug a little too deep and it sits too far down in the stock and doesn't allow proper clearance for my action and magazine. So I cut some thin strips of sheet metal and inserted them into the recoil lug channel. After shimming a bit the magazine fits perfectly now. My question is, is it ok to shim the recoil lug so it sits higher, thus lifting the barreld action up a bit. Also should I bed the lug in so I don't have to worry about it shifting

[J.Baker]

The bottom of the recoil lug shouldn't contact the stock. This ensures the belly of the action is in contact with the stock - offering the most contact area between the two. This also ensure there's room for bedding compound under it if/when you decide to bed.

As such, if you're needing to shim you should do so at the action screws and then bed the barreled action with the shims in place so they're permanent (or install pillars of the proper length).

[topshot]

That makes more scenes then trying to shim the lug. A couple questions. When I shim the action, can I just use thin washers between the stock and the action?? Also if I shim the action would the recoil lug still seat properly into the notch in between the action and the barrel. Is the recoil lug suppose to make full contact with the action?

[fgw_in_fla]

I'm not understanding why you'd want to move the action with shims & such. Are you sure the magazine doesn't need a little fine tuning?
Did you try a different magazine?

Past experiences with Boyd's stocks & Axis actions have shown one stock will have a magazine that fits tight, the next one will have a sloppy loose mag cut out.

Look at the magazine latch. When you push the mag up into place are you setting it in with the rear slightly angled up? The latch goes in last and if you push up slightly on the latch with your finger, will it lock into place?
Usually, if a mag fits in too tight taking a little off the latch with a file will solve the problem. By "a little" I mean a very little. (a little + .005" +/-) A little at a time and it should lock in easily.
Unless the stock you have is a Monday stock or other problems, I'd look at the magazine before applying any serious modification to the action or stock.

PS - I just read your original post again. You did cut the barrel channel out a little to accommodate the heavy barrel? Or did you order a heavy barrel stock? The barrel isn't touching the stock causing the action to not seat in properly, right?