Bedding an Accustock~help!

Hey guys~I'm brand new to the forum, and have just asked a question in the reloading forum....but..among the things I'm considering (to help get tiny groups with my Model 10 Predator Hunter .243) is bedding the stock. Yes, it's an accustocked rifle of course, but I've yet to manage to get it shooting under 3/4". My loads may need to be tweaked (the third time) but I think I might want to rule-out the possibility that bedding the rifle would help. I've heard it will make a positive difference on all guns, though some more than others.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has bedded an accustock, exactly what you did, if you found it had any positive effect, etc. Photos welcome. I should add~I've never bedded any rifle before so perhaps trying an Accustock as my first is a dumb idea...but hey, I guess I've got to start somewhere!

I look forward to hearing the replies, thanks for taking a moment to respond,
Rob

Welcome to the forum! I have never delt with the accu stock myself but I will try to give you some information that could help you.

First thing I would do is work on what torque your action screws like. Start by torque your front screw to 30lbs-35lbs and your rear to 15 lbs. shoot 3 to 5 round groups at 5 lb increments as you tighten your rear action screw. You should see your groups tighten up and then widen back out at some point. Of course once you find your sweet spot go back to it and fine tune if you like.

Second if if that is not giving you the desired results go ahead and bed the action. Since you don't have to pillar bed it is pretty straight forward. there are a ton of videos and threads on here about bedding your action. I would research until you feel comfortable about what you need to do from start to finish, before you even order anything to start your bedding.

I just completed a pillar and glass bed on my savage wood stock and it turned out pretty good, not perfect, but I am always my worst critic. I spent several months watching videos and reading before proceeding. I could do the whole process visually in my mind before I got started. I was still a nervous wreck when I stuck my action into the bedding compound lol.

Good luck brother!

The savage Accustock itself is not bad, but I do have to say that I think the weak point of the Accustock system is the recoil lug. To accommodate the wedge system that holds the recoil lug in place in the Accustock they went with a very minimal recoil lug, very thin and with even less contact area than a non-Accustock Savage. On my Savage 116 in 7Rem Mag I lived with it for a while, but felt the rifle just wasn't as accurate as it could be. Turns out I was right.

Normally, the first thing I do with a Savage, especially one of the heavier recoiling calibers, is replace the factory recoil lug with an aftermarket lug from either Sharp Shooter Supply or Northland Shooter Supply. The aftermarket lugs are much thicker, have more surface area, and have faces that are perfectly parallel, all of which help with accuracy. It's a small investment, it never hurts, and it usually helps, sometimes a lot. Unfortunately, the way the Accustock is designed, there's no way to get an aftermarket recoil lug to fit into the stock...unless you grind away almost the entire aluminum "backbone" of the Accustock on the sides as well as down into the stock, in the area where the new (bigger) recoil lug would go. My 7 Rem Mag would struggle to hold 1" groups even with my best handloads. I finally got fed up and got out the Dremel tool, ground out enough room to install an aftermarket recoil lug, installed the aftermarket lug on the barrel, and then epoxy bedded the action along with the new lug. The effect was dramatic. My group size was literally cut in half, immediately. Same handloads, same barrel, same shooter, groups half the size as two days before.

If I would have been satisfied with 1"-1.5" groups at 100 yards, the Accustock would have been fine. You could skim bed the action into an Accustock with very little work, but I don't think that's worth it because it doesn't address the main weakness, which is the recoil lug. It's a lot MORE work to bed an action with an aftermarket recoil lug into an Accustock (requires lots of grinding to make room for the new lug) than it is into a non-Accustock (requires NO grinding), but it made a big difference for me. The Accustock is an excellent factory stock for those who don't want to mess with bedding. It does a good job of holding the action in place reasonably well, better than many other cheapo factory stocks. However, if you plan on upgrading the recoil lug and bedding the rifle, then you'll either have to replace the Accustock, or modify it significantly.

Sorry, no pics, but I would definitely say that if you've never bedded a stock before, the Accustock is not the best place to start.

Hey guys, I just bought a recoil lug from Midway and put it in my Accustock. Fits really good.
Savage arms standard shank recoil lug 10,110 series with accurate steel.

Just an FYI, the torque mentioned above is INCH pounds, and Warrick give some good advice about "tuning" your action screws. It will really shrink your groups. If you don't own an inch pound torque wrench, they're available from Harbor Freight Tools for about $22.00, less if you use the 20% off coupon available in the Sunday paper, or online.

Just picked one up last weekend, fine tuned my M12 BVSS and recorded the numbers in my book.

Here is more information regarding tuning a Savage action. http://www.accurateshooter.com/techn...torque-tuning/