McMillan has no front pillar- should I add one?

I bought a McMillan A4, and sent it straight to CDI Precision for their Bottom Metal and inlet. When I got it, I was surprised to find no front pillar. Should I add one? Suggestions on where to get one? I have the means to cut one down to the right length, but I don't have the ability to radius one (unless by hand).

Thoughts?

[img width=573 height=768]http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj629/uhcoog1/905e8530.jpg[/img]

[img width=573 height=768]http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj629/uhcoog1/4742279f.jpg[/img]

Mcmillan charges 25 dollars to add pillars to a stock. I am not sure why you would only have 1. I would call and ask, they might send you one. Otherwise I would get one from midway or brownells or something like that. They should only be a couple bucks, the expensive part would be the bedding material to glue it in, something like devcon. I think you could get a scrore hi bedding kit or an accraglass if you wanted to save money, or you could go ahead and buy devcon and bed your rifle why you are at it.

Personally I would want a pillar in there. Mcmillan installs them as an option instead of including them, cause they say alot of people wanna bed the action and the pillars all at the same time. I think if ya gotta pay 600 for a stock it should come with pillars. I think it comes with the rear pillar on a Savage due to the way the hole has to be notched to clear the sear.

In your case though the pillar would had to have been cut or removed anyway to inlet for the CDI metal, so it may have been a good thing that it isnt in there.

You can buy pillars already radiused from MidwayUSA, or you can make your own out of a pc of threaded lamp rod and cut it to fit, then radius it with a grinder.

According to McM there is really no need for pillars given the hard fill and precise inletting of the McM stocks.

The "pillar" around the rear action screw is merely there to prevent any possible crushing given the very small amount of bearing surface around the rear screw.

Bolt it in and go.

If you put a pillar up front there is really no need to radius the top of it.

Your bedding will center the action in the stock not the pillars.

Once again though, I'd skip the pillars and just bed it.

Thanks for the info and suggestions, guys!

Yeah, I got the stock "on special", so I won't complain too much.

Since the stock has been inletted, I think I'll go ahead and add a pillar (or more than likely a lamp rod!). The fill looks like straight fiberglass, which I know is strong, but I would still prefer metal on metal on metal.

Though, with the flat bottom metal, it will be pushing evenly along the entire area, so there wouldn't be a centralized force at the screw. Hmm.