I need a little help

[sew0177]

I am inletting DBM bottom metal into a Boyd stock and need some help. I think the Boyd is a little thicker (top to bottm) then an OEM stock. I would really appreciate if someone with a DBM stock could measure the distance from top of the DBM inlet to the stock area where the front part of the receiver would sit. Basically I need to determine how deep to make the inlet in the bottom of the stock. Too deep and the mag will set too high ... too shallow and the bolt will not pick up the round.

Steven

[bassman]

Steven

I recently inletted a Boyds thumbhole SA for the DBM and this is what I did.
My rifle came as a blind mag centerfeed, and I bought the Boyds thumbhole for the older staggerfeed with the shorter action screw spacing. I knew this going in but the DBM inlet will cover up the extended hole. I noticed also that the action set a little high. I inletted the bottom so the bottom metal set flush on the bottom with the rest of the stock. The bottom is the part you really cant modify deeper or shallower because it will not look right if you get it too deep or too shallow. The action however, you can deepen. It took alot of extra dremel work to get the action deeper into the stock, and you must be careful to take down all surfaces around the trigger and the rear tang. You have to keep track of alot of things like the barrel depth, the trigger depth, and the side where you eject will have to be taken down a little to make it flush with the action. You also want to be aware of the gas escape holes on each side of the action and make sure you leave them just above the stock. I first got the bottom metal inletted to the proper depth. Then you can begin to slowly deepen the action while constantly assembling and fitting the DBM to check for feeding. I seated a bullet in a piece of brass with no powder and no primer to give me something to work with. You have to get the both ends of the DBM to fit at the proper height to make it feed correctly. You will notice at the rear of the mag. that the feed lips need to be just under the bolt raceway otherwise the bolt will hit the feed lips. Put it all together and keep test fitting until it will feed. The front of the mag needs to be almost touching the bottom of the action.
This was the first time I attempted to do this myself and I think it took me several weeks to get everything fitted properly. I also had to get my pillars cut to the proper height as well so I could Devcon bed the action.
Just go very slow and do alot of test fitting because if you mess up then you cant add the wood back.
I didnt really measure the height or depth, I just kept at it until I got it to feed.
It was a pain, but I am proud of the work I did. I put a Tru-oil finish on it and it looks great.
Hope this helps a little. ;)

Bassman

[sew0177]

Bassman ... excellent! I didn't even think about lowering the action. About how much did you have to lower it? My action is a mod 10 with the 4.4 hole spacing so I'll have to re-locate the front action screw hole.

[bassman]

Steven

I am really not sure how far the action went into the stock. The rear tang area is really pretty high and it now is at least 0.100" lower than the top of the wood in the rear...maybe lower. If you are careful to outline the shape of the rear tang with a pencil and remove wood up to the line with a cutter attachment on a dremel and do alot of test fitting. Remember to float the entire rear of the action. Pretty much everything behind and including the trigger. Make sure the action screws are snug to give you a proper alignment of the action in the stock before making any lines. You can leave the "belly" portions alone until you have it deepened enough, then take some out of the belly to lower it while maintaining the rear tang float. If you are doing pillars, then get your height set with feeding first. Then you can cut pillars to maintain the height. Once you have that done you must insure your barrel floats. Once your barrel floats then wrap electrical tape around the end of the barrel where the barrel contacts the tip of the stock. This will give the barrel a set height (while floating). The rest of the action can be bedded, but make sure to maintain the rear float with a business card or something under the tang. I bed my pillars at the same time as the action. That way I think you get a stress free bed. I just use pipe nipples from the hardware store and cut to fit. ;)
Be careful when cutting the bottom metal inlet towards the front. You will go deep enough to get very close to the recoil lug recess. I also bedded the bottom metal in to make a very clean look when the bottom metal is removed.

Bassman