PTG Savage Stealth Bottom Metal

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I just received my PTG Savage Stealth bottom metal. This one is inletted for the polymer AICS 223 magazines, does not include bolt release and has the T-latch. PTG offers two magazine well options: 308/metal magazines or AICS 223 polymer magazines. They state that the polymer magazine option is not compatible with the metal AICS magazines, but the polymer option will result in a much better fit with the AICS 223 magazines.

First impressions are very positive. The polymer magazines fit well and have very little freeplay in the bottom metal.

The bottom metal does not fit into a Hogue stock with full bedding block. Inletting the Hogue would require removing about 0.075" off of each side of the magazine well. The bottom metal is 1.25" wide through the magazine well.

It does not fit into a Boyd's Tacticool with side bolt release inlet either. The magazine well area needs to be opened up, as with the Hogue. All it takes is some careful work with a Dremel. The front action screw from my 10FP is about 1/8" too long though.

Update April 10, 2014

I decided to go ahead and inlet the Hogue stock, which is shown below. It took about two hours with an 1/8" carbide cutter. The parting line in the magazine well is at the correct location for the necessary inlet depth. A minor issue is that my existing front action screw is about 0.35" too long. This bottom metal requires a 0.75" long front action screw. I don't understand why PTG set the front action hole depth as they did, as it means standard 1.1" front action screws will not work.

I ran into a snag: the shells will not feed as the bolt never clears the back of the cartridge face. There is about 1/8" of interference.

The magazine looks like it is positioned correctly relative to the action. It doesn't look like it should move forward as the opening in the magazine is just behind the barrel face.

My gun is a 10FP in .223. I either need a new front baffle for a standard short action cartridge or I'll just trim 0.15" off the one I have to make it work.

Update April 12, 2014

I trimmed 0.25" off of the back of the front bolt baffle to increase the bolt throw. It works nicely now.

Update April 29, 2014

I wasn't all that impressed with the Hogue stock. It is actually more flexible than the Savage tactical stock that came with the gun, so I went back to the Tacticool. It was a lot more work than I expected. The inlet for the bottom metal around the front action screw needed to be cut flat at shown. I pillar bedded the stock in two steps as the inlet for the bottom metal is open to the recoil lug area. I did the pillars first, then bedded the recoil lug as a separate step. When I attempted to put the bottom metal on, it wouldn't fit, as the holes in the pillars didn't exactly line up with the bottom metal. I had to open up the holes in the pillars as well as do some more inletting work for the bottom metal to make it fit without binding. The back of the trigger guard sits deep in the Tactcool stock. I'd have to sand about an 1/8" off the bottom of the stock to make it flush with the bottom metal, but I'm going to leave it as is.




Tacticool before and after pictures.





Hogue before and after pictures:




Problem! The cartridge is about 1/8" aft of the bolt face!



Fixed by trimming 0.25" off of the front bolt baffle:



Final product: