Glue, Screw, or to Bed

[CaptainMal]

Man this is a sore topic for me.

I had a fancy glue job on a BR rifle build. Two barrels later and a couple thousand rounds of failure, I had it removed. In a three-screw action there were only holes for one screw. Barrel removal means flipping the stock around and around. Trigger work and removal did not seem possible to me.

Ripped that SOB apart. Had a local gunsmith drill out the stock, build pillars and source screws, Devcon the action and torque the three screws properly. Immediately the next barrel and one following have been super.

Maybe for a short-range rifle with rather small barrel of lighter weight, it will work. My experience is glueing in a heavy action and barrel is BS.

 

[Kurz]

Can anybody compare accuracy in a chassis stock, like Choate, to screw and glue. I have a Choate and everything I put in it shoots better. It uses a vee bedding block, really just a piece of angle iron that the action rests in. Is there a "sporter" type stock that uses this system?

Bill

I'm unsure as to the model of Choate stock you are referring to but I found this available as an illustration for my point.

Please note that the bedding block (as you wrote) discussed by Choate is hardly 'just a piece of angle iron' but rather a machined piece of 6061 T6 aluminum imbedded in the injection molded stock. The machining step takes place after the block is molded into the stock. Rarely if ever does the machining match the action contour exactly which is why so many shooters perform a skim bedding between the action and the block. The recoil lug is always bedded.

It is funny though about accuracy.

I had a sheriff ask me to use a Choate Tactical stock for his Winchester M70 duty rifle. He couldn't get it to shoot accurately in the factory wood stock even when bedded properly. So I simply dropped it into the Choate to shoot some sample groups which turned out to be approximately 1/2" at 100 yards. He proclaimed it fixed and wanted it back but I insisted on bedded the recoil lug, which I did. FGMM (duty issue) shot very consistently in that stock, not benchrest groups but entirely adequate for his job. I ended up switching out all of the rifles in that squad.

A quick search didn't reveal any hunting type stocks by Choate but several other companies have them available.

Bell and Carlson is always adequate and reasonably priced but the top spot is held by Manners Composite Stocks using their proprietary Mini-Chassis. At just about $1,000 each for some models, it is in the rarefied atmosphere of stock prices.

 

[bsekf]

I realize it is more than a piece of angle iron, however that's what it looks like. Is the top picture of a Choate stock? I believe mine is the Sniper, terrible heavy, since I don't use a bipod, I am going to cut the front 5 pounds off. I am keeping a list of the different chassis mentioned. Since I only have LA Savage stagger feed, I can move the stock around.

Thanks everybody.

Bill

 

[Kurz]

Is the top picture of a Choate stock?

Yes but it's of the Varmint model not the Sniper model, different forearms.

If the bedding block is the important part of your search, Whidden makes a bedding block so you can inlet it into a stock with the correct dimensions. Otherwise do a search online for chassis rifle stocks and prepare to be amazed at the number you'll find.

 

[Ccrider]

If you're doing a screw-in, you want pillars (metal ones). The clamping force of small screws is surprisingly high at lowish torques - it can be 500-1500 pounds (very, very roughly - it depends on a lot). You don't want that force permanently squishing what's basically a plastic stock. Pillars will keep a good, consistent hold, and the minor cost/effort is worth it in my view.

I thought pillars are also used in a glue and screw in. Am I wrong?

 

[dcali]

I thought pillars are also used in a glue and screw in. Am I wrong?

I think pillars are always a good idea, glued or not.

 

[Shooter13]

at least one of those was when the guy was leading the match

OUCH!!