I completed installation of my Anschutz rail today using the tooling that I outlined in my post <http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3849963.0>. I clamped the stock into the stock jig taking care to center the longitudinal axis and to make sure the exposed forend surface was level. I then installed the pattern in the stock jig and secured it with 4 drywall screws. (The pattern has a rabbet on the edges that allow it to sit down between the side panels with no play.) I used a Bosch Palm Router with a ½ inch straight bit and a ¾ inch template guide. (The template has to be larger than the bit if you want to be able to retract the bit back up into the router.) I turned the speed down fairly low and made a series of counterclockwise passes with successively deeper cuts, cleaning the chips out after each pass. I stopped at a depth of .2 inches because there is a limited amount of meat on the forend of a Tacticool stock. The rail still sits a little proud but that is a compromise I was willing to make. I often shoot from an owl-eared bag so I think the forend will ride the rest comfortably.
After a lot of patience and steady attention, I achieved a very close fit – the rail is wedged in so tightly that it won’t fall out when you turn the stock over. I wanted this close fit because the recoil impulse travels through the rail. I drilled the holes for the rail screws while the stock was still in the jig. Since the forend is wedge-shaped, I would have had a hard time getting these holes aligned on my drill press. I thru-bolted the rail to stainless steel T-Nuts. I could have used nylok nuts but I wanted to be able to remove the rail without removing the barreled action from the stock. I recessed the T-Nuts by using a tiny 3/4 inch hole saw from DeWalt and a forstner bit.
If you look closely you will see that there is no way to insert or remove cars from the rail at this point. My plan is to machine off the lips of the rail for 1 ½ inches on the rear end so that I can make these changes without removing the rail.
Well, there you have it – DIY installation of an Aschutz rail!
Stay tuned for Chapter 3: Inletting for PTG bottom metal.
P.S. More pictures follow this first post.
After a lot of patience and steady attention, I achieved a very close fit – the rail is wedged in so tightly that it won’t fall out when you turn the stock over. I wanted this close fit because the recoil impulse travels through the rail. I drilled the holes for the rail screws while the stock was still in the jig. Since the forend is wedge-shaped, I would have had a hard time getting these holes aligned on my drill press. I thru-bolted the rail to stainless steel T-Nuts. I could have used nylok nuts but I wanted to be able to remove the rail without removing the barreled action from the stock. I recessed the T-Nuts by using a tiny 3/4 inch hole saw from DeWalt and a forstner bit.
If you look closely you will see that there is no way to insert or remove cars from the rail at this point. My plan is to machine off the lips of the rail for 1 ½ inches on the rear end so that I can make these changes without removing the rail.
Well, there you have it – DIY installation of an Aschutz rail!
Stay tuned for Chapter 3: Inletting for PTG bottom metal.
P.S. More pictures follow this first post.
