Adapting 4.40 receiver stock to 4.27 reciever

I did a couple of searches and didn't find anything on this subject so I decided to post on adapting a 4.40 receiver stock to 4.27 receiver. If there are already posts on the subject I apologize.

I just bought a stock for my new M200 243. It was one of the thumb hole laminate stocks from stocky stocks that are on clearance. As far as I could tell this stock was not offered for the 4.27" receiver screw action that I have but fit 4.40" receivers. I ordered one any way along with the pillars that they sell.

I just finished fitting the stock to my rifle. It came out nice and was easily doable so long as you can do a pillar bedding job. I am not a gunsmith and have only done a couple in the past so if I can do it so can you. There are a number of threads concerning the pillar bedding process available so no excruciating detail on that process.

The only downside with the refit is that you end up with a slightly egg sized hole in the forearm because of having to move the front pillar hole back towards the trigger .013 or so. The appearance of this doesn't bother my eye so I'm good to go. I also had to remove some material from the recoil lug area of the stock to get the initial fit where I wanted it. I like a little movement forward and backwards to assure that nothing is on a bind. This also makes room for some extra epoxy in the recoil lug area.

Mistakes I made: I did some measuring and drilled an overlapping hole in the forearm for the front pillar. This was not a good idea since I screwed up a little by drilling back farther than needed . What I should have done is just drill the existing hole 5/8" all the way through. With that done I could have easily seen what was required to make the fit and ended up with a better job. Another thing I could have done better was the way I removed the existing forearm bushing prior to drilling. I just drove it out with a punch. This caused some minor splitting of wood around the existing hole as the bushing came out. I should have used my dremel to do some smoothing around the hole prior to removal to prevent any damage.

The pillar kit from this source required that the rear pillar be notched for sear/bolt release. It also required shortening the rear pillar by .240 on my rifle. I used my dremel with a cut off attachment to work the pillar. Hint, I chucked the pillar in my drill press and spun it up while cutting the pillar to length with the dremel. This gave me a nice square cut. Beats the heck out of using a hacksaw and trying to get it square. I determined the required length of the rear pillar by sticking the action screw though the trigger guard and pillar. The screw needs to be longer by .200 to .400. Don't cut too short.

Materials used: Devcon Steel Putty 10110, Aluminum Pillar set, Kiwi neutral shoe polish for release agent, vinegar for cleanup.

Tools used: 5/8 Forster bit, Dremel with various attachments, electrical tape, masking tape, Q-tips, Stirring sticks

I used the Forster bit and a drill press so that I could easily elongate the forearm hole. A dremel can do the job just as well but takes more time. The dremel is safer and cheaper.

What might have worked better in making a moved hole is this; epoxy a dowel into the existing hole. When the epoxy cures just drill the new hole with no elongation. Stain and oil the end of the dowel that shows.

El Lobo

Thanks for the explanation and for the warnings on how to mess up. I appreciate the time you put into sharing your experiences with the rest of us.
All the best.

I always wondered the difference between them. Good to know.

Larry
Tinkerer

the dowel sounds like an excellant idea.

bob

I did this same project with a Richards Microfit clearance stock last year. My first step in the project was to drill out the forward action hole to 3/8 inch all the way thru and glue a walnut dowel rod in to plug the hole. Sanded it smooth on the bottom side and drilled the new hole with a drill press. There is barely a visible line where the dowel rod plug is installed.