Savage 12 FTR stock swap question - 3 screw to 2...

I was asking a gentleman the other day about a Bell and Carlson Medalist and told him that I mine was the 3 screw target action and he informed me that the 2 screw stocks would work just fine (opting to not use the middle screw) as long as the spacing between the 1st and 3rd (on my stock) was the same as the spacing between the 1st and 2nd on the BandC.

Secondarily, he mentioned that I should use the "blind magazine" version (which I would agree with since mine is a single shot).

After taking all of this in, I noticed that the stock options were greatly increased by going this route. However, since I am a fairly new Savage owner, I thought I would throw this out and see what the seasoned veterans of the Savage 12 FTR's had to say.

Thank you in advance for your insight as the most important part of this question is what the real effect on accuracy this would have by going the route suggested to me above.

I am also in the same boat. I have a 12 F/TR 308 bone stock and would like to tacti-coolize it with a different stock, but so far I've had the same concern as you have. I'll be interested to know what others have to say here about it. I have a BC medalist on my Remington 700 5R and really like it. My other concern with the B&C is whether it will accommodate the massive barrel.

I've read the same thing about the 2 bolt vs 3 bolt stocks. My feeling is that even with only 2 action screws/bolts on a B&C stock, the action would be at least as well supported by the aluminum v-block (if not more) than on the OE stock with 3 action screws/bolts & pillars.

I also had a B&C stock on a Rem 700 and was able to open the barrel channel up a bit to ensure the barrel was free floated. I used a steel rod about the same diameter as the barrel channel, wrapped with sandpaper to slowly open it up. I only went through the paint/finish and a tiny bit of the actual stock material, mind you. I don't think you'd want to go through much more...

Those are good points, Qball. I also sanded down the stock for my 5R. No problems.

Hey Qball...
I think you are on to something...what you said makes more sense to me after looking at the stocks closer. If the majority of the action is supported in the "V" block(s), the ass-umption on my part would be that this would provide MORE support than (3) screws and pillars due to the "V" blocks providing more supportive surface area than the way it is configured now in the laminate stock...
Forests and trees...forests and trees...thank you again Q!

Keep in mind, I'm going off what I remember from my Remington B&C stock, which was inletted for the magazine well & bottom metal for that particular rifle (hinged floor plate). All the Savage stocks I can see on the B&C website are either inletted for mag feed or a blind mag & I'm not sure how the Savage bottom metal from the F/TR would work in that scenario?! With a blind mag inletted stock there would be an unfortunately large, empty void under the Savage target action which would reduce the effective support from the V block. I can't imagine it would be particularly difficult to 'fill' during a bedding job, if one wanted to deal with it, however.

Although... I have a sneaky suspicion that void would live almost directly under the location of the middle (third) action bolt on the Savage target action. A person could conceivably install a pillar for the third action bolt in that empty void, while filling it during a bedding job. It would require drilling a hole through the bottom of the stock, but I can't imagine it would be all that difficult - IF everything lined up as I suspect it might!!!

Wishful/hopeful thinking maybe, but in my head it works out perfectly...

You know "Q"...I have the same ability to develop the perfect working plan in my head...then reality jumps up and bites me right in the @$$...I get the drift of what you are saying with the blind mag well and the location of where it "should be". I'm of the opinion of milling a large v-block, filling in the mag space with a two part liquid epoxy mixed on the viscous side, setting the additional v-block in and then setting the action down in to it, tightening the front and back action screws, letting it set up, and then pulling the action.
From the there, it's a simple bore with counter sink hole on the bottom of the stock and and the 3rd action screw being utilized...works perfectly in my own "vision"...LOL

Don't go overboard on this. Why not order a Boyds stock with a blind mag option and simply fill the void with a piece of hardwood or laminated plywood bedded in thickened epoxy or even Devcon 10110 bedding compound? The Varmint Thumbhole version goes for $99 and that's hard to beat. I've got a couple of Boyds stocks on competition rifles and once you fit them properly, they're every bit as good as my McMillen which I paid a lot more for.

Drill for a pillar to accommodate your center screw. Then epoxy bed the action as you normally would and forget about any aluminum V block. The V block idea, to my way of thinking, is a simple and cheap way for a mass produced stock to make a reasonable fit with most any round action. But, I don't believe it's superior in any way to a good epoxy (often called "glass") bedding job.

What's expeditious and cost-effective for a manufacturer is often difficult to replicate for the DIY builder, but the opposite is true when it comes to epoxy bedding, assuming your time isn't worth very much to you. Time is money to the manufacturer and I'm pretty sure that's why metal V blocks are used.

100% behind you with the full bedding as the way to go! The V block supports the entire length of the action (minus any inletting) but only on 2 thin strips/lines along the round action where it contacts the block. A full bedding job, even in a stock that has a V block, ensures maximum support of the action on every available surface.

Full bedding > V block > Pillars > nothing

Mozilla and Qball,
thanks for the valued input and I appreciate the suggested way to go as this sounds like the best approach to the best desired outcome!

strongarm...the B&C stock will work as long as the frist and 3 screw have the same measurements...i have a 3 screw target action and had it in a B$C A-5 stock.
after shooting it for awhile i added the 3rd screw and a pillar and bedded it.

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...s/photo3-3.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...s/photo2-7.jpg

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...s/photo4-2.jpg

Great job LongRange! How much better does it shoot? :-)

Hey there LongRange,
Thats exactly what I was hoping to see. I prefer "free recoil" and the slanted underside of my factory stock just rides the slope down each shot instead of recoiling in a more linear direction like a flat bottom aftermarket stock would.
Having done exactly what I was hoping could be done, how did you set out to get the middle pillar height and location set? The way I would do it is to attach it to the action (with a spacer so that the pillar would set slightly deeper than needed) and then set the action down in to the stock thus sinking the pillar in to the filling material. Is that somewhat close to the way you did it?