From Bell & Carlson to McMillan A5 . . . my stab at stock modification

[Ranger412]

Recently, I modified the Bell and Carlson Tactical Medalist stock that my Savage 10fp has been living in for the past year or so. Immediately after buying the stock, I bedded the action and was satisfied with job that I did. I’ve been able to print groups in the ½” to ¾” range with it regularly. While the stock shot fine, I wasn’t thrilled with its overall design. The McMillan A5 is what I really would like. After returning home from a recent range session, I noticed that the front sling swivel stud was loose. That’s all it took for me to dive into full blown stock modification.

I began by removing the front “wings”. Seeing as I never “bag” the gun and only shoot prone with a bipod, the wings seemed like unnecessary bulk. I saw a Youtube video where a guy had removed them and the stock looked much better to my eye. I started with the belt sander and then switched over to a palm sander. The sanding removed the wings but also exposed some of the fiberglass mesh as well as some voids. I planned to cover the mesh and fill the voids with bondo or another filler. The A5 has a rounded profile to the stock’s forearm and, at the time, I wasn’t sure if I want to try and replicate that or not. In the end, I decided to leave the sides flat.



As you can see in the pic above, I made a right angle jig to hold the stock for the next two modifications. The jig is simply two pieces of plywood joined at a right angle. The stock was secured to the jig and leveled by eye. I like the look of the off-hand hook molded into the bottom of the A5 so off to the oscillating spindle sander the stock went. I ended up sanding into the aluminum support that extends into the grip area and stopped there. I also didn’t want to go into the hollow portion of the stock, so the hook isn’t as deep as I’d prefer. I further contoured the hook with a CPVC pipe wrapped with sandpaper to make it more “hand friendly”. Sanding behind the hook made the toe area flat and, hopefully, it should ride a rear bag a little better.



Next up was an adjustable cheek riser. This is actually one of those mods that’s more a requirement than just something nice to have. As mounted, the scope sits just above my eye line. I find I have to pick my head up off of the stock ever so slightly for proper eye alignment. Nothing against the kydex-type cheek rests or stock packs, but I thought I could replicate one of the factory adjustable cheek risers. I researched several mods that folks have done over the net. I think what I came up with works well and you’d be hard pressed to do something any cheaper.
I marked out the shape that I wanted on the stock using blue painters tape. Keeping the stock mounted to the right-angle jig, I didn’t look back and hit it with the band saw. I started with the cut nearest the recoil pad and then finished with the front angled cut and horizontal cut in one final pass. It actually came out really square and without much need for excessive sanding to clean it up.





Next came the tricky part . . . how to rig up the cheek piece hardware. Not one to have to wait to order parts, I brainstormed for an idea that would allow me to get this done with locally obtained hardware. I settled on the idea of using shaft collars and steel rod. The collars have small set screws that would allow for height adjustment as long as I could access them. An eight dollar trip to TSC had me a ready to go. I ended up purchasing shaft collars that had a 3/8” ID, ¾” OD, and were 3/8” thick. Once I marked their location on the stock, I used a Forstner bit chucked into the drill press to drill the holes. The front hole required a counter bore to be drilled deeper into the stock to allow for the 3/8” rod that would eventually support the cheek riser. The rear hole was drilled into the void so no second, smaller hole would be needed. After drilling the rear hole into the void, I was glad I didn’t make that cut for the cheek piece any deeper. I finished by drilling ¼” holes into the side of the stock so that I could access the set screws.



I used epoxy to secure the collars in place. Two ¼” bolts were inserted into the set screw holes to keep the collars in place and lined up.





After the epoxy cured, I moved onto making the riser rods and installing them in the cheek piece. The rods were made out of 3/8” steel rod and a flat was ground on one side so that the set screws would have better purchase. I considered using aluminum rod, but this rifle is not regularly carried or shot prone, so weight was not an issue. In addition, the steel set screws would likely damage the aluminum rods faster and lead to their eventual replacement. I drilled 3/8” holes into the cheek piece, keeping it level on the drill press table as I went. I was unsure if my angles would be true and the rods would slide easily in the collars. I accepted the fact that I may have to drill the holes a bit larger and fill in with epoxy should the angles not jive. To my pleasant surprise, everything lined up just fine. I epoxied the rods in place and taped the assembly up to cure.



Shortly after buying the stock, I also purchased a Badger Ordnance rail. I eventually planned to add it to the rifle for easy bipod mounting. With the front sling swivel working loose, and being the catalyst for this project, I turned my attention to installing the Badger rail. You might be able to tell from the pics, but both of the factory studs were not centered. I measured for the stock’s center line and laid out the location for through holes for the rail. T-nuts were countersunk into the barrel channel and cap head screws secured the rail. It should be ready to accept any rail-mounted bipod.

[Ranger412]

I installed the GrovTech flush cups for QD sling swivels to the left side of the stock. Ideally, I would have used a ½” bit and bought the special 9/16” tap that’s required. My choice was to drill 5/8” holes and secure the flush cups with epoxy. I’m not real proud of my work with those, so I’m not going to go into further detail or post close-up pics. Time will tell if my install method holds.

Next up, I filled in the voids and other small imperfections with Bondo. I thought about using an epoxy, such as Devcon or Marine Tex, but I decided to go with the Bondo. I’m not sure if it’ll hold up quite as well as the other options, but it was less expensive and stated similar properties. The front portion of the stock was covered on all three sides, allowed to cure for 24 hours, and then given an initial sanding with 100 grit paper.



I also applied filler to the cut made for the raised cheek piece.



The goal with the filler here, in addition to filling in the tiny air bubbles, is to “hide” the recessed stop collars. When I originally installed them, I wanted to set them down into the stock slightly for two reasons. One, to ensure that the collars were firmly secured with the additional epoxy to their top surface and two, allow the set screw access holes to be further away from the cut line. In the above pic you can see that I placed a couple pieces of 3/8” rod into the collars to keep filler out of the holes. They were coated with Pam cooking spray, which served as a release agent. They popped free and slid out easily once the filler was cured. With the filler sanded and the holes contoured slightly, I was able to get a nice finished product.

While originally looking at ideas for the raised cheek piece, I found this post that went one step further.
http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...tall-pic-heavy
Instead of leaving the stock and riser as is (i.e. having the saw kerf spacing as a gap between the stock and cheek piece) the author added filler in between the cheek piece and stock to fill the original saw kerf. He applied filler to the stock or the cheek piece, and a release agent to the opposite surface. Then, he set it all back in place and allowed the filler to cure. The result was an almost seamless fit when the cheek piece was lowered. I’m not particularly concerned with that much attention to detail and don’t plan to ever shoot the gun with the cheek piece in its original position again. I felt this added step was a nice finishing touch but just beyond what I wanted to do.

Once all of the filler was cured and finish sanded, I moved onto texturing the “graspable” areas of the stock. I used blue painters tape to mask off the forearm and grip. I then drew on the tape, outlining the areas I wanted to texture. The grip proved to be the most tedious as it wasn’t a flat surface and all of the drawing I did was freehand. I followed up by cutting along my lines and removing the tape to expose the areas to receive the texturing.





I mixed up one of the smaller kits of Marine Tex and slathered it on the stock.



Using my gloved finger, I began to pull up on the texture to make small points and ridges. I then carefully peeled up the tape to reveal a nicely bordered area of texture.





When researching the texturing process, one poster said to wet a finger and smooth out the transition area between the texture and stock while the Marine Tex was still soft. Most folks then let the Marine Tex dry overnight and then sand or file it down to their liking the following day (to make it less aggressive). I questioned why the wet finger technique wouldn’t work with knocking down the texture as it was working really well to smooth out the transition. I spent about five minutes wetting my finger and rubbing it lightly over the Marine Tex which was, at that time, about three hours old. I thought the result was outstanding. Plus, there was no obnoxious dust to try and get out of those nooks and crannies

[Ranger412]

The final process was to Duracoat the stock and cheek piece. The stock’s previous color, as applied by Bell and Carlson, was OD green with black spider webbing. For this final stage of the process, I decided to stick with OD green but not get too fancy. I may go back and add another color or camo pattern at some time. After several coats of Duracoat Tactical OD Green, I’m very pleased with the final product. And to celebrate the addition of the Badger Ordnance rail, I bought myself an Atlas bipod.

Before:



After:









Summary and Thoughts:

I’m really satisfied to have the project completed. It took me two weekends and a handful of evenings from start to finish. Aside from the sandpaper and Duracoat that I already had on hand, I believe that I have about $40 into this project (includes riser hardware, Bondo, and Marine Tex). The band saw and oscillating spindle sander made life easier, but the job would still be doable without them.

If I were to do it again, what would I do differently? Not much actually. We’ll see how the Bondo holds up. If it deteriorates in any way I’d say it would have been wiser to use a heavier duty epoxy to fill holes. That would have made the contouring a little more difficult though as those hardier epoxies can be tough to sand. I probably wouldn’t cut the cheek riser as deep as I did on this one. As you can see from some of the pictures, I only had about 1/8” of material to epoxy the rear stop collar in place. Since the set screws are ¼”, I could easily add knobs with ¼” threads. This would allow for tool-less adjustment, but my son shoots the gun left handed and I wanted to keep that side clean. One regret that I do have was my rush to install the flush cups. By purchasing the correct tap, I would have had a much more professional and sturdy installation. I would also think hard about offsetting the rear cup from the center of the stock as this area was hollow and I believe more material exists near the toe and comb.

Well, if you’re looking at the pics and the accompanying narrative you might be tempted to do a similar mod. I’d encourage you sharpen up your saw blade, buy some sandpaper, and go for it. I don’t believe I compromised any of the structural integrity of the stock enough to result in a failure and I’m definitely happy with the functionality and aesthetics of the finished product. While it resembles the McMillan A5 on the back half, the front half is more akin to the A4. Let’s just call this one the “Four-Point-Five”.

[Ranger412]

Alright, I think we're about done. I decided to persue the idea of cutting sleeves to install on the riser rods. Again, they serve the purpose of keeping the cheek piece at a consistent height when re-installing it following cleaning/maintenance. Picked these up at Lowe's last night.



I cut them to length using a CPVC cutter. To sneak up on the exact length, I chucked the sleeve in my drill press and lowered it onto a piece of sandpaper again and again. Once the length was right I chamfered the ends as it spun in the press with a piece of fine grit paper.





I think the end result will work well. Once I put some paint on the repair and the sleeves I'll have to update the thread with a finished product pic. As a side note, after the last match there weren't any issues with the stock. Looking forward to a long-term evaluation and report back to the forum.

[Gone to Texas]

Wow, awesome work!

[drybean]

Great Job

[Rick_W]

Nice work!

[zero]

I want a stock like that!!! Great work! You should do that for money. I know I would buy one.

[foxx]

Yea, that's awesome.

[Rosco]

Nicely done...great work

[zippyhuntin]

Very nice!

[GaCop]

Bravo! Excellent work!

[Ranger412]

Just finished up the same "raised cheek piece" mod on my son's Savage with a Boyd's Tacticool. Here's both rifles, ready for the next match . . .

[CowboyWubWub]

I've had your post bookmarked since you posted it on ARFCOM. Love the job you did.

[Starosta]

Great work!

[shooterfpga]

Nice mod. Definately got me thinkin of doin this. By the way what scope is that on the savage? Is the tacticool pillar bedded?

[LoneWolf]

Haven't seen the pictures yet, but reading the write up and comments and this should probably be made into an article!

[Ranger412]

Nice mod. Definately got me thinkin of doin this. By the way what scope is that on the savage? Is the tacticool pillar bedded?

My .308 is wearing a Steiner 3-12X56. My son's rifle is sporting a SWFA fixed 12X.

The Boyd's Tacticool does not come with pillars. I used lamp rod and I think I've got a pretty good technique for doing it that way. A little different from how traditional pillars are installed. I've seen several posts and pics across the net showing how these laminates will split sometimes if too much torque is applied to the action screws. I definitely think you want to pillar bed the laminate stocks.

[Steelhead]

Nice work!
Rifle looks great!

[FW Conch]

Ranger, I 'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to know your technique for installing lamp rod pillars?

Thanks......Jim :-))

[Ranger412]

It would be best with pictures, of course, but I didn't snap any when I was doing the pillar install and glass bedding job. But, here's a step by step.

1. Pick up some lamp rod from Lowe's or Home Depot. Usually found in the lighting section. There are a couple of different sizes, I believe I got 3/8". I got it slightly oversized, I'm sure, for the action screws. But, the action is secured really by the recoil lug for fore and aft movement so the actions screws really just hold things down.

2. I enlarge the action holes in the stock 1/64" or 1/32" under the size of the threaded rod. This allows the threads to actually bite into the stock. By placing the stock upside down on the drill press you, in theory, should be keeping everything square. Drill out the two action holes.

3. I take a small section, say 3", of the lamp rod and make some vertical cuts near one end with a cut-wheel chucked in a dremel tool. This effectively makes this section of lamp rod a tap. I chuck this "tap" into my cordless drill and set it on low speed. Keeping everything square I drill (tap) out the hole in the stock. Now I've "threaded the hole."

4. I cut two sections of lamp rod slightly oversized, measuring each from the bottom of the action to the inletting under the trigger guard. You want to make sure that the lamp rod pillar is long enough to support the action to bottom metal distance.

5. Using the cut-off wheel in the dremel tool, I make a cut across the opening of the lamp rod on one end. This makes a screwdriver slot for adjustment purposes.

6. I screw the pillars into the action holes and make sure that they are proud within the inletting for the action. Using a deep-well socket about the size of the action, I wrap it with sandpaper and sand the tops of the pillars so that they're contoured to the action.

7. Measure the distance from the action to the inletting and determine actual length of pillar. I used the digital caliper I had with that depth measuring tool that comes out the backside.

8. Chuck the pillar into a drill press and lower the slotted end of the pillar onto a sheet of coarse sandpaper over and over again until the pillar reaches your desired height.

9. Re-install the pillar and test fit the bottom metal to action fit.

10. If you are going to glass bed, I leave the pillars installed and use a dremel to grind out wood around them. I make sure to make a mark on the bottom metal side of the pillar so that it installs again at the same height if I have to remove it.

11. You can remove the pillar and add epoxy to the threads to secure it in place if pillar-ing only. Actually, I didn't do it on mine and expected the glass bedding job to hold the pillars where they are. It doesn't, but at this point I don't want to remove them and they're currently doing the job I need them to without being epoxied in place.

11. Sounds pretty crude and low-tech, but for about $4 I am able to pillar bed a stock and have consistent torque settings.

[FW Conch]

Interesting......Thank you "Ranger" :-))

[devildogandboy]

definitely a job to be proud of!!! excellent work!

Bruce

[shovelheadave]

Well done !!

[snowgetter1]

Thanks for going through the process Ranger. Great explanation.