Question about Bedding Axis in Boyds Stock

I am getting ready to bed my Axis 243 into a Boyds stock. My question is do I need to worry about the engagement of the recoil lug. Right now if i tighten the action down into the Boyds stock two bad things happen. First the barrel isn't free floating when the action screws are tight, not a big deal, nothing a little sandpaper can't cure. Second, the magazine won't lock in. I figure that if I glass bed the action it will raise things up just a bit and fix both problems while also giving me a bedded action. What I am worried about is how much engagement the recoil lug will have when I am done. I am not talking about much change, maybe a 1/16 to an 1/8 of an inch. Any ideas or help is appreciated.

Does the magazine lock in place when the receiver is out of the stock (assuming it's a short action)? The problems I've had with magazines not locking in place have been with the plastic pieces in the stock moving out of position. On new stocks it occasionally seems to be the front latch plate that isn't seated deeply enough. If it's the problem, I'll knock it completely out of its place, make sure there aren't any obstructions in the groove, and then reinstall firmly. The rear catch I've only ever had come loose after hundreds of rounds fired. On new stocks they all seem to be in good shape.

I'd be apprehensive about using bedding to overcome inletting bad enough to throw off magazine lockup. I also don't think I'd start bedding a stock that wasn't free floated yet. That's just be my preference though.

If all else fails, you could pull the lug, tape it in position on the barrel, and epoxy it in place when you bed the receiver.

i would absolutely consider free floating the barrel instead of bedding it.

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Originally Posted by YZ400Man

I am getting ready to bed my Axis 243 into a Boyds stock. My question is do I need to worry about the engagement of the recoil lug. Right now if i tighten the action down into the Boyds stock two bad things happen. First the barrel isn't free floating when the action screws are tight, not a big deal, nothing a little sandpaper can't cure. Second, the magazine won't lock in. I figure that if I glass bed the action it will raise things up just a bit and fix both problems while also giving me a bedded action. What I am worried about is how much engagement the recoil lug will have when I am done. I am not talking about much change, maybe a 1/16 to an 1/8 of an inch. Any ideas or help is appreciated.

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In my experience with Boyd's stocks, they're pretty well inletted (if somewhat aggressively) but often with insufficient barrel clearance. You're right. Break out the wooden dowel and 60 grit sand paper.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you're concerned about the recoil lug engagement. I don't have an Axis, but I think it has a tab type recoil lug which is held in place between the action and barrel nut just like the one on my Savage Model 12. When I bed Savage actions, I simply use a Dremmel tool to remove some material surrounding the action and around the recoil lug area so that the Devcon 10110 isn't too thin. I usually leave a ledge for the tang to rest on to set the rear height and multiple wraps of tape on the barrel to set the forward height. At this point, the barreled action is not touching the stock except in those two spots. Of course, the void gets filled with Devcon up to the area of the barrel nut where I place a modeling clay dam to keep the compound from flowing forward. I bed the recoil lug along with the action after putting one layer of masking tape on the front surface and edges of the recoil lug. The aft face is bare, waxed of course. That provides enough clearance to remove the action but the aft face of the recoil has 100% engagement. In other words, when I'm done, wherever the the action and recoil lug contacts the stock, they only touch the Devcon bedding compound except for a tiny area at the aft end of the tang. The recoil lug is completely surrounded by Devcon with a tiny bit of clearance on the front face and edges.

It's possible I've misunderstood your concern. If so, please clarify.

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Originally Posted by Mozella

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you're concerned about the recoil lug engagement. I don't have an Axis, but I think it has a tab type recoil lug which is held in place between the action and barrel nut just like the one on my Savage Model 12.

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Nope. On the Axis, the recoil lug is a piece of steel that resides in a recess cut in to the stock, and it mates with a slot cut in the bottom of the receiver. I can understand the original poster's concern. Logically, any layer you add between the stock and the action will lessen the lug's engagement with the receiver slot. Whether or not that will be significant I do not know. It could mean nothing; it could make everything go out-of-whack.

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Originally Posted by pisgah

Nope. On the Axis, the recoil lug is a piece of steel that resides in a recess cut in to the stock, and it mates with a slot cut in the bottom of the receiver. I can understand the original poster's concern. Logically, any layer you add between the stock and the action will lessen the lug's engagement with the receiver slot. Whether or not that will be significant I do not know. It could mean nothing; it could make everything go out-of-whack.

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OK, I get now. I was misinformed about the Axis recoil lug, but now I see the problem. Please do what my wife does and ignore everything I said. ;)

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Originally Posted by YZ400Man

I am getting ready to bed my Axis 243 into a Boyds stock. My question is do I need to worry about the engagement of the recoil lug. Right now if i tighten the action down into the Boyds stock two bad things happen. First the barrel isn't free floating when the action screws are tight, not a big deal, nothing a little sandpaper can't cure. Second, the magazine won't lock in. I figure that if I glass bed the action it will raise things up just a bit and fix both problems while also giving me a bedded action. What I am worried about is how much engagement the recoil lug will have when I am done. I am not talking about much change, maybe a 1/16 to an 1/8 of an inch. Any ideas or help is appreciated.

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I have bedded two Axis actions and a 110 action in Boyd stocks. I removed about 1/8" of material around the tang, leaving a little material undisturbed touching the tang for a height reference. I drilled holes in all areas from which I removed material. When I put Devcon into the areas where the material was removed, I also used it to lock down the tang firmly.

I pillar bedded mine as well. When I drilled out the pillar holes in the stock to install the lamp rods, I knocked out the front magazine catch on one of the guns. I hold the pillars in place with the action screws. When I bed the barreled action it sits down on the tang and the pillars are coated with Devcon too. I pulled the action forward firmly against the tang to make sure the pillars are seated forward to hold the action firmly against the tang. I use electrical tape to hold the action firmly in place.

After the bedding dried, I glued the front magazine catch back in and adjusted it to make the magazine click in properly. I have some pictures if you are interested, but I don't know how to post them. My .243 with a Shilen varmit barrel shot one three-shot group at .337" at 300 yards, but my 7mm-08 with a stock barrel won't hit the side of a barn. I am still working on it.

Jim