Replacement Stock Recoil Lug Cutout

[Rivethead]

I recently received a Boyds varmint Thumbhole stock to replace the factory plastic on my FV112.
I am also changing the barrel from a 22-250 to a 260 Rem (both varmint contour).

The Boyds stock had a few minor finish issues, I decided I could deal with myself. Anyone know what they use as their top clear coat? There are a few areas that look a little thin or need a little fill and I think it could have another coat and then a good rubout. But I don't want to use an incompatible product and end up redoing it from scratch...
After reading dozens of negative experiences dealing with their customer service... I considered myself a lucky with the types of minor oops I received... but that's another story.

What I'm concerned about today is the recoil lug cutout.
In my factory stock, it is only slightly thicker (back to front) than the 0.15" thickness of the OEM recoil lug.
I see that in another aftermarket stock below, it is also a thin cut.

9846

In the Boyds stock I received, it is .46" -which leaves quite a big gap in front of the recoil lug when everything is in place. The barrel nut cutout seems ok, but the void would be underneath it (That wood fuzz is now gone).

9847

When the action is in place, the recoil lug rides against the stock as it should. My concern is the large unsupported area in front of it.
Should I fill the void with something (leaving a 2 tape thickness gap) for removing the barreled action?
Acraglas, body putty...?

Another question is whether to install action pillars, glass bed the action, or do both.
I have never done either but have no hesitations about doing either (other than screwing it up)...

My initial thoughts were to just free-float the barrel as is for now but at this point I am wondering if pillars would be a good idea or if the area around the action needs to be bedded too.

Thanks...

[J.Baker]

Most would fill that with bedding compound while glass bedding the action to the stock. Also, sport on with the two layers of tape on the lug to allow clearance for removal. If glass bedding the action, many will also put two layers of tape under the rear tang where the safety is to float that area.

[pdog06]

You could a Northlander recoil lug which is about .45” I believe, but to be honest you want the front and bottom of the recoil lug to be free from contact anyway, so leaving it alone won’t hurt anything as long as your barreled action makes good solid contact with the stock with the rear of the lug.

[Whynot]

^ Like pdog said....

The action isn't going to want to move forward- so not a issue as long as good rear contact and the action screws aren't taking the load. Lots of aluminum chassis don't even have a cutout for the lug- just a surface for the lug to contact on the back side.

I would still bed it- but probably not necessary.

[GrenGuy]

In order to get the most out of Your new stock, pillars should be added and the action bedded, IMO.

[charlie b]

I did both to mine. In original .223 it made almost no difference. But, I was converting to .308 so decided it needed the works.

[Dave Hoback]

I would fill in the gap. Actually did that on my my Chassis. I shaped a piece of billet Aluminum & epoxied it in place. (Picture below) I’ve seen many times those who bed the Recoil Lug in the slot with just the tape as clearance. As you please.

As for bedding: If you care about this setup, I absolutely recommend Pillar Bedding. But if it’s just going to be a beater(which I can’t imagine), then a quick bedding job is fine. The enemy of wood stocks is Creep! Creep is the movement of the Action in the stock due to Action screws not maintaining torque. This happens because over time, wood compresses & holds that compression. The Aluminum or steel Pillars stop creep in it’s tracks! And any 2-part epoxy works. Acriglass, Devcon, JB, etc. I use Devcon Plastic-Steel exclusively.

https://i.ibb.co/BZ5qSrq/D1274123-C862-4-C35-928-F-4294129-AF8-CC.jpg (https://ibb.co/d2wGzLG)

[Rivethead]

Thanks for all the good advice...
I'm too old to be climbing rockpiles hunting, so this one will probably end up just a range toy.
Eventual movement in the wood is my concern... they may recoil in one direction, but they get stood and bumped all sorts of ways in the meantime...

I see Stockys has pillars for sale with the sear cut. I have a drill press, but will probably have to get a Fosner bit. So that looks like a good way to go.

Somewhere around here I have an unopened green/white box of acraglas I bought probably a dozen years ago that I never used, then sold the rifle...
I got part of a can of Johnsons paste wax I used to make bullet lube.. I think I can use as a release agent.

Acraglas, being 2 part, ya think it's still good after all these years? (If I can find it).

That spacer is a real nice Dave...

[Dave Hoback]

I would make my own pillars, but if you just want a ready to go set, look at Desh’s. https://deshind.com/product/savage-model-101112110-bedding-pillars/ And yes, you can use a Forstner bit, but a regular drill works fine as well. Another option is a Brad point. For these I’d go 7/16” bit to allow plenty of epoxy around the circumference. And you don’t need the ultra expensive bits either. Not for wood. Brad Point would be my choice. Here’s a decent, inexpensive bit, made in USA. https://www.amazon.com/Drill-America-DMS68-0090-Brad-Point/dp/B01BKTRXTU/ref=sr_1_32?crid=2OHXE92NGVEEL&keywords=11mm%2BBrad%2Bpoint%2Bbit&qid=1695681711&sprefix=11mm%2Bbrad%2Bpoint%2Bbit%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-32&th=1


As for the Epoxy, I’ve used 2-part that was several years old even after it was opened. It does lose a bit of over time, but even the several old stuff I used was still incredible strong. If it hasn’t been opened, it likely hasn’t lost much if any performance. You can always test it. Find a piece of scrap aluminum or steel & bond it to some scrap wood. Let it cure 24hours and test holding.

[Rivethead]

Thanks for those links, I'll check em out...
I did finally find the Acraglas... it was in the last place I looked...:o
the price sticker is from Vances in Columbus, OH $19.95... I left there in 2003
but the cellophane is still intact.... I'll test it like you said...

[Dave Hoback]

If you need to replace it, this is the Devcon Plastic-steel I use. Its awesome stuff for bedding.

https://www.amazon.com/Devcon-62345-Plastic-Steel-Epoxy/dp/B000H5S8KC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3RFVTBU75705X&keywords=Devcon%2Bplastic-steel&qid=1695687787&sprefix=devcon%2Bplastic-steel%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-1&th=1 (https://www.amazon.com/Devcon-62345-Plastic-Steel-Epoxy/dp/B000H5S8KC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3RFVTBU75705X&keywords=Devcon%2Bplastic-steel&qid=1695687787&sprefix=devcon%2Bplastic-steel%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-1&th=1)

[want2ride]

EDIT- Googled for the answer.

[charlie b]

I just used spacers sold in the hardware store, 1/4" IIRC. Cut to length. I do rough the outside up with a file to get a better bite with the epoxy. I've used JBWeld for years on various things so that's what I use for bedding as well.

I've had trouble with Forstner bits 'drifting' in deep holes with some wood (even with a good drill press). I like the brad point too for this kind of thing.

PS I don't think epoxy ever goes bad unless exposed to high heat. I've had some West Systems with the pumps on the cans (so not really air tight) and they were good for over 10 years.

[Rivethead]

Well, this simple barrel switch has turned into its own project... an example of the 'ol slippery slope.

The 23yo Acraglas kit is all dried up... who'da thunk? The box says it has a shelf life of 10 years, so now I'll get some fresh Devcon as mentioned and look around to see what kind of aluminum lug spacer I can make.

But first I need to finish the Alumahyde job I planned for the barrel, and Brownells is out of spare clean-out nozzles (just too many nightmare stories on that stuff not to be a prepared), so i may have to make those too...

Then the idea came to me that I might want to practice bedding on another stock before working on this one... I have a couple candidates I can mess with.

If I really wanted to make a project out of it, I'd put it back together, shoot a few groups with the factory stock, shoot some with the new stock then bed it and shoot a final group to compare if all the work was worth it... Looks like it's turning into a bigger project... I'm in no hurry... Winter is coming...

Thanks for all your help and guidance, your suggestions will be very helpful in the coming weeks, and I'll try to remember to update this thread as I progress through this...
I usually try to read as much as I can about a process beforehand, but inevitably I'll probably have a few questions...

al

[Dave Hoback]

You don’t have to use an aluminum spacer. That’s just how I did it because I have the tooling to shape it to perfect dimensions & a surface grinder to make it perfectly flat to within .001”. You can simply use the epoxy to fill the void. Tape the front side of the lug, which is the side against where the epoxy will go. Or you can bed the Recoil Lug as well. But you don’t need any kind of spacer like I used.

I just don’t want you to feel trapped into doing things one way. Many of the things I do is because I’m a DIY hobbyist, & I have the means. But I likely would have simply just used the Devcon epoxy on its own otherwise.

[pdog06]

Dont forget the release agent on the action and anything you dont want the bedding to stick to. Otherwise you project takes another turn…lol

[Rivethead]

Yeah, I figure I could just fill the void with epoxy and be done with it, but if I get one of the small syringe applicators it might require too much of the epoxy, so my thought is not to make a precision fit spacer like you did but instead to just get a rectangular block to fill the extra space with something solid, then epoxy around it, to below the level of the nut.

I thought about using a couple recoil lugs and cutting the tops off to make the spacer w/cradle, but they add more cost. It takes a lot of effort to make a spacer with radius from scratch when epoxy is so much easier and more exacting.

My current dilemma is to go with a liquid epoxy like mentioned or to use a thicker putty/paste form. The liquid will squeeze into the nooks and crannies better, but can run & drip and become a mess, while the putty may be cleaner to work with it will require more attention to getting it to spread uniformly where needed... decisions, decisions...

heh heh, I can just see the look on my face when done, and it dawns on me I forgot the RA...

I'm a DIY too... here is one of my hair brained ideas I did from scratch about 5 years ago...

9850

[Dave Hoback]

You will like the Devcon Plastic-Steel. It’s not a liquid. It’s more like putty. But not super-super thick. And it settles & fills voids very nicely. As I’m seeing it, it’s only about 1/4” of void you have to fill. That 1 dual syringe tube of Devcon I linked (25ml), or the squeeze tubes (1-ounce), should be enough to fill the void, install Pillars & completely bed the rifle. It goes further than you think. But if you’re worried,just grab 2. It’s inexpensive enough.

[pdog06]

I agree. Definitely covers more area than you think and one tube should be enough.

For the action screw holes go to the hardware store and buy a couple 3” long 1/4-28 screws and cut the heads off them. Tape up the shaft so they fit snug into the pillar so no compound gets pushed down there. Screw them into your action before bedding and spray release agent on them as well. It will help you align everything when setting the action in, plugs the pillar and action screw holes, and also gives you something to tap on with a mallet to pop the action loose from the bedding the next morning. Works great

[Dave Hoback]

Good points. You can also use PlayDough to plug the small holes. Some even use it to plug the Magwell. I also strongly encourage watching some tutorial videos specifically on bedding the 110. Explaining in text, like we’re doing, is great. But a tutorial video is worth so much more than the written word alone.

There are many videos. I like this one by Vaughn Precision. He seems to know what he’s doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUcVuytNER8

Videos are a fantastic way to learn. Just need to know how to weed out the good from the bad; the knowledgeable & well… not so knowledgeable. A person who can do that could learn open heart surgery from video today. It’s a different world from even 25 years ago when I was a very young adult. LOL! I know some of the older enthusiasts here don’t like that. Especially the Professional gunsmiths. They think people like myself are hacks or bubbas. hahahaha. That’s ok…many very “seasoned” Bladesmiths thought the same of me once. How dare a one armed cripple with no professional learning think he could what they, The Masters, do! They thought that because I learned to make the knives I do by reading & watching videos. Until that is, their work was put up against mine. Yeah.. they stopped calling me a “hack” or “bubba” after that. Good times