New Member, New MKII G project...long

Hello Savage Rimfire! First post, first Savage-Didn't see an intro page so I'll do it here. I'm an avid hunter and plinker, kitchen table gunsmith, and have lots of different shooters, but this is my first experience with a Savage rifle.
I bought this MKII GXP on a whim with my quarterly profit sharing bonus for $169.99 at Dick's for a project rifle, with no expectations other than the Savage rimfire reputation. I picked it out of four that the salesman brought out for me to examine-wife got a little impatient...she doesn't understand ;)
Rifle as bought:
Boyd's hardwood stock, I assume it's Birch.
Non Accu-Trigger.
Tip off 3/8" rail on top of action, no iron sights, not D and T'd for scope mount, 4X Chinese scope w/rings-checked it and put it back in box. I mounted and bore sighted a CenterPoint 4-16X40 Wallyworld scope ($65)
I took it out to the range the following day and shot quarter sized groups at 50 yards with CCI MiniMags, CCI SV's, Blazers, and Rem AutoMatch. Groups were pretty consistent, with a little poi change switching ammo. Pretty good for an inexpensive rifle, but could be better. The trigger was heavy, gritty, and had excessive pre-travel and creep. So begins the project.
The trigger job started with the bolt-it came with a very thin chrome plating that was wearing off after the first shooting session of about 200 rds. I took it all apart and polished all the internals and externals, chrome was sanded off and bolt polished, extractor and ejector were de-burred and polished, and the extractor spring clip was tightened up-nice and slick now. I then went to work on the trigger group...de-burred and polished all mating surfaces, shimmed the trigger to eliminate side to side slop, and started experimenting with shims between the trigger assy and receiver. I ended up with .025 shims front and back for a 2# creep free, crisp trigger pull, that passes the slam fire test.
Next up was the stock. I pillar mounted the action using aluminum tubing, a recessed a washer in the rear of the wood, and a washer on the outside in front-flimsy bottom metal only slightly distorted. I also tightened up the magazine area to reduce slop.
I pulled it back apart to refinish the stock, and disaster struck...a leaping kitty cat knocked the thing off the counter and it landed on the muzzle on the ceramic floor-big gouge in the top side. I had planned on a re-crowning, but not this soon. I cut 2" off the barrel, and filed square and used the Midway USA brass screw/lapping compound method to re-crown-took a couple of range trips to get it right.
Now the stock. It took three treatments of Zip Strip to get the original finish off, then free floated it. The first refinish with Tung Oil Varnish looked crummy so I stripped it again, sanded off all the checkering, cut about 2" off the forend at a back angle, and gave it several coats of Tru-Oil.
So after 3 months of tinkering the rifle is shooting Dime size groups at 50 yards with CCI SV's and Rem Auto-Match-actually better than I expected. My LGS doesn't have any real match ammo in stock now, but when he gets some I'll give it a try. Very happy with my labor of love...it feeds and shoots everything I've put through it.
The rifle...
[img width=600 height=180]http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af120/Radar-1/009-8.jpg[/img]
My crown job-pro job may be in the future, but it's working for now...
http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/a...r-1/004-15.jpg
The bottom with pillared action, still has a little wax residue-was still fitting...
[img width=600 height=179]http://i999.photobucket.com/albums/af120/Radar-1/041.jpg[/img]

Nice report. I'm going to bump this so it doesn't disappear too quickly.

I have an older Mk II GL that's pre-E-receiver but has an Accutrigger. I put a washer around the head of the rear action screw to reinforce the wood but the pillar bedding you did is probably better. What did you use for the pillar?

You'll laugh, but I used aluminum tubing from a broken yard ornament. I had to bore it until it fit the action screws snugly. I fit the front and rear to length, and epoxied them into the stock. I have since epoxy bedded the action at the receiver/barrel junction and along the sides where the action sits in the the stock. This resulted in a very solid fit, with only light snugging on the action screws. We'll see how this works out, if the weather holds tomorrow I'll be at the range. I've also added a bipod. Pretty happy with it so far with about $300 invested.