jpdown
12-19-2019, 06:50 PM
I’ve been tinkering with Savage rifles before I became a member of this site in 2007. Once you get the Savage tinkering bug, it’s hard to cure. So recently when the barrel on my first Savage target rifle build was shot out, I decided to part it out. I kept the rare Savage SA, RH, top bolt release, stainless steel action with varmint Accutrigger. It was manufactured during the transition from stagger-feed to center-feed when Savage Arms would mix and match older surplus parts for distributor exclusive discount rifles. It has the old-style rectangular safety button, but a center-feed magazine cut-out and 4.4” action screw spacing. Over the years, I switched out the bolt handle to the SSS tactical handle, and bolt body and head to PTG.
I was never a big fan of fan of the Accustock. I’m an older generation walnut and composite kind of guy and don’t like plastic gunstocks or parts. However, since purchasing a Savage 110 Desert Tan Tactical in 6mm Creedmoor with Accufit-Accustock, I’ve mellowed. The ability to adjust length of pull and comb height to personal fit with a solid, comparatively lightweight, weatherproof, yet affordable stock for a hunting rifle is what sold me. Since I only use Burris Signature Zee rings, the medium height rings were never low enough for a repeatable sight picture and firm cheek-weld when shouldering a Savage factory stock.
The Savage SA, top bolt release, Accufit-Accustock with sporter barrel channel and narrow forearm is not available for sale by Savage Arms unless you want to purchase a Savage 110 Scout rifle and part it out. The other Savage 110 Accufit-Accustock rifles are bottom bolt release. Therefore, I decided to use my Savage 110 Tactical Accufit-Accustock as a dual varmint and sporter barreled action stock.
Savage factory, stainless steel, 22” sporter barrels in 6.5mm Creedmoor are fetching premium online auction prices. I decided to purchase a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor “take-off” factory sporter barrel in black matte from the site member classifieds. I’ve refinished several Savage rifles using GunKote, a baked-on metal finish. This time I decided to try using Cerakote Savage Stainless H-150Q to match the barrel finish to my spare stainless-steel action. Prep work with Cerakote is more intensive than GunKote. I followed directions and the final Cerakote finish was flawless.
The next challenge was installing and head spacing the barrel on the action while keeping the Accustock recoil lug centered without a recoil lug alignment tool. I finally gave up and carefully used a hand drill and 6-48 bit and tap set to pin the recoil lug. I used a 6-48 ring screw which required Dremel work to fit the screw head to the Savage action recoil alignment slot. I also had to trim the bottom of the screw head so that it would not contact the Accustock rail when the barreled action was properly torqued into the stock.
Finally, I degreased the Savage Desert tan stock with acetone, taped, and sprayed with Krylon webbing. This gave the drab plastic stock a custom look and added a little texture for slippery gloved hands. I also degreased, taped and sprayed the interior of the forearm with black truck bed paint to help mask the oversized varmint barrel channel.
The pictures below show the finished build with AICS 5-round magazine. The final picture also shows my Savage 16 LWH in a walnut LWH stock for comparison. It was finished in Duracoat woodland tan and Krylon webbing paint. The bottom parts were changed from factory plastic to metal. With the 20” light weight barrel and scope it weights 7.4 lbs. The Savage Tactical Accufit-Accustock build with 22” factory sporter barrel and scope weights 8.5 lbs.
I was never a big fan of fan of the Accustock. I’m an older generation walnut and composite kind of guy and don’t like plastic gunstocks or parts. However, since purchasing a Savage 110 Desert Tan Tactical in 6mm Creedmoor with Accufit-Accustock, I’ve mellowed. The ability to adjust length of pull and comb height to personal fit with a solid, comparatively lightweight, weatherproof, yet affordable stock for a hunting rifle is what sold me. Since I only use Burris Signature Zee rings, the medium height rings were never low enough for a repeatable sight picture and firm cheek-weld when shouldering a Savage factory stock.
The Savage SA, top bolt release, Accufit-Accustock with sporter barrel channel and narrow forearm is not available for sale by Savage Arms unless you want to purchase a Savage 110 Scout rifle and part it out. The other Savage 110 Accufit-Accustock rifles are bottom bolt release. Therefore, I decided to use my Savage 110 Tactical Accufit-Accustock as a dual varmint and sporter barreled action stock.
Savage factory, stainless steel, 22” sporter barrels in 6.5mm Creedmoor are fetching premium online auction prices. I decided to purchase a Savage 6.5 Creedmoor “take-off” factory sporter barrel in black matte from the site member classifieds. I’ve refinished several Savage rifles using GunKote, a baked-on metal finish. This time I decided to try using Cerakote Savage Stainless H-150Q to match the barrel finish to my spare stainless-steel action. Prep work with Cerakote is more intensive than GunKote. I followed directions and the final Cerakote finish was flawless.
The next challenge was installing and head spacing the barrel on the action while keeping the Accustock recoil lug centered without a recoil lug alignment tool. I finally gave up and carefully used a hand drill and 6-48 bit and tap set to pin the recoil lug. I used a 6-48 ring screw which required Dremel work to fit the screw head to the Savage action recoil alignment slot. I also had to trim the bottom of the screw head so that it would not contact the Accustock rail when the barreled action was properly torqued into the stock.
Finally, I degreased the Savage Desert tan stock with acetone, taped, and sprayed with Krylon webbing. This gave the drab plastic stock a custom look and added a little texture for slippery gloved hands. I also degreased, taped and sprayed the interior of the forearm with black truck bed paint to help mask the oversized varmint barrel channel.
The pictures below show the finished build with AICS 5-round magazine. The final picture also shows my Savage 16 LWH in a walnut LWH stock for comparison. It was finished in Duracoat woodland tan and Krylon webbing paint. The bottom parts were changed from factory plastic to metal. With the 20” light weight barrel and scope it weights 7.4 lbs. The Savage Tactical Accufit-Accustock build with 22” factory sporter barrel and scope weights 8.5 lbs.