Pillar Bedding a Boyds stock

[BLUESGUNNER]

I am considering doing a pillar bedding job on my Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmore . I just bought the AT One stock from Boyds. Is it worth the time doing this to the Boyd stock? Just curious of opinions.

 

[B23]

Opinions may differ but I always put pillars in wood stocks and have everything full action bed. Even my HS Prec stocks with aluminum bedding blocks I have the full action skim bed.

After thinking more about it the only stocks I have that don't have pillars are the HS Prec with their AL bedding blocks all others have pillars.

 

[searcher]

I'd rather have mine pillar bedded than not.

 

[jpx2rk]

I bedded a RAR action into a AT-1 stock, no recoil lug, just the metal V block, no pillars, and it shoots one hole stuff at 100 yds. 5 shots, not 1.

 

[Preacher]

Better than not doing it, they all benefit from it...

 

[MikeT49]

You can use lamp all thread tube for pillars. There was a recent thread on "Pillar Bedding a Hunting Rifle" where the lamp tube for pillars was discussed.

 

[MQ1]

I am considering doing a pillar bedding job on my Savage 12FV in 6.5 Creedmore . I just bought the AT One stock from Boyds. Is it worth the time doing this to the Boyd stock? Just curious of opinions.

I would test it out first before you do anything. I would venture to say skim bedding would be a more important (and easy) first step. I doubt you would notice much accuracy improvement putting in pillars. This is assuming you don’t leak gobs of cleaning product and oil and continually soak the stock.

 

[spudgun]

Oh, boy. Don't get me started on Boyds stocks.

Anyway, YES by all means, piller and bed the action. If you dont you will split the laminates in the stock at the screw holes ( I have first hand knowledge of this).

I did both of my AT-one's using the threaded lamp tubes (get them at any hardware store).

Used JB weld for my bedding material. Used Turtle wax on the receiver and receiver screws as a release agent.

Use play-doh to fill areas that you don't want the JB weld to get into.

You will find several Youtube videos on doing this.

Both turned out great...

Oh yea almost forgot the most important thing.

The front receiver screw has a nylon bushing in the hole. The screw head over time will sink into and deform the nylon bushing. You have 2 options:
1. remove the material and replace with a metal spacer
2. use a washer the same diameter as the hole and place between the screw head and the nylon spacer. This will distribute the pressure of the screw head evenly on the nylon spacer and keep it from deforming when you torque the screws down.

BTW, I have the same gun as you do and it will shoot 3" groups at 600 yds and 1MOA at a 1000 yds. Not bad for a $400.00 gun.

 

[BLUESGUNNER]

Oh, boy. Don't get me started on Boyds stocks.

Anyway, YES by all means, piller and bed the action. If you dont you will split the laminates in the stock at the screw holes ( I have first hand knowledge of this).

I did both of my AT-one's using the threaded lamp tubes (get them at any hardware store).

Used JB weld for my bedding material. Used Turtle wax on the receiver and receiver screws as a release agent.

Use play-doh to fill areas that you don't want the JB weld to get into.

You will find several Youtube videos on doing this.

Both turned out great...

Oh yea almost forgot the most important thing.

The front receiver screw has a nylon bushing in the hole. The screw head over time will sink into and deform the nylon bushing. You have 2 options:
1. remove the material and replace with a metal spacer
2. use a washer the same diameter as the hole and place between the screw head and the nylon spacer. This will distribute the pressure of the screw head evenly on the nylon spacer and keep it from deforming when you torque the screws down.

BTW, I have the same gun as you do and it will shoot 3" groups at 600 yds and 1MOA at a 1000 yds. Not bad for a $400.00 gun.

Thanks for the reply. I am on the same track as you. I have the stock drilled out, pillars sized and ready to go. I was thinking a washer over the plastic bushing in the forward mounting hole as well. I believe I will do it this weekend. I am anxious to get this rifle on the bench out back. I've heard good things for such an inexpensive rifle.
Do you have any reservations about not bedding the recoil lug in the boyds stock?

 

[spudgun]

Thanks for the reply. I am on the same track as you. I have the stock drilled out, pillars sized and ready to go. I was thinking a washer over the plastic bushing in the forward mounting hole as well. I believe I will do it this weekend. I am anxious to get this rifle on the bench out back. I've heard good things for such an inexpensive rifle.
Do you have any reservations about not bedding the recoil lug in the boyds stock?

I bedded mine just to the rear and sides of it, not the front. It was getting very close to the barrel nut. My thoughts were the receiver is pushing back on the stock and lug. So it made sense for me to bed the rear and not the front of it.

Yeah, I have recommended the 12 F/V to several of my customers that are wanting to get into long range shooting but don't know it they want to spend the $1k on say a Bergera, Howa, and others.
I bought mine 3 years ago used. I never shot over a 100 yd range in my life (I'm 72). Wanted to try it but didn't want to spend the big bucks to find out. I figured that I would start cheap (gun wise) and if I didn't like it or could do it I would be able to recoupe my money on the scope and maybe 1/3 on the gun.

You will also need to do some fitting in the trigger area of the stock. I had to route out some material to get clearance for the trigger parts. Did some work on the accutrigger by adding small thin washers to get rid of the side slop on the trigger and rreplaced the spring to adjust it down to 1.25 lb pull.

Got tired of screwing around with the accu-trigger and replaced it with a Timiny trigger after about 18 months using the Accu-trigger.

ell my testing with my reloads was very promising and my first attempt at 600 yds was a 3" group. After I did that with the factory stock, I went the Boyds route. Shot out my factory barrel, replaced with a Wilson and still going strong.

My second gun was a old used Savage 308, that i rebarreled to 6mm Creed. Went the same route with the Boyds stock.

Have fun with it.

 

[BLUESGUNNER]

I bedded mine just to the rear and sides of it, not the front. It was getting very close to the barrel nut. My thoughts were the receiver is pushing back on the stock and lug. So it made sense for me to bed the rear and not the front of it.

Yeah, I have recommended the 12 F/V to several of my customers that are wanting to get into long range shooting but don't know it they want to spend the $1k on say a Bergera, Howa, and others.
I bought mine 3 years ago used. I never shot over a 100 yd range in my life (I'm 72). Wanted to try it but didn't want to spend the big bucks to find out. I figured that I would start cheap (gun wise) and if I didn't like it or could do it I would be able to recoupe my money on the scope and maybe 1/3 on the gun.

You will also need to do some fitting in the trigger area of the stock. I had to route out some material to get clearance for the trigger parts. Did some work on the accutrigger by adding small thin washers to get rid of the side slop on the trigger and rreplaced the spring to adjust it down to 1.25 lb pull.

Got tired of screwing around with the accu-trigger and replaced it with a Timiny trigger after about 18 months using the Accu-trigger.

ell my testing with my reloads was very promising and my first attempt at 600 yds was a 3" group. After I did that with the factory stock, I went the Boyds route. Shot out my factory barrel, replaced with a Wilson and still going strong.

My second gun was a old used Savage 308, that i rebarreled to 6mm Creed. Went the same route with the Boyds stock.

Have fun with it.

Thanks again
Did you remove any material from the lug area of the stock before you bedded it? I was thinking of slicing out about .125" behind the lug first.

 

[spudgun]

Thanks again
Did you remove any material from the lug area of the stock before you bedded it? I was thinking of slicing out about .125" behind the lug first.

I did not. What i did was to coat the stock with play-doh, then insert the receiver and tighten it down. then I removed the receiver and looked at the thickness of the play-doh along the stock. If I saw a area where it was thin I would then remove some material from that area to increase the thickness of the bedding. Once I was satified that I had no metal of the receiver touching the wood stock I went ahead and bedded it.
i am not a professional gunsmith, I only did what I thought made sense to me.

One more thing I did. It was advised to me by another shooter that has more experience than myself, was to add 1 layer of blue painters tape to the lug on the receiver. This will assure that the lug will have enough clearance to be removed and re-installed latter.

 

[LCazador]

Thanks for the reply. I am on the same track as you. I have the stock drilled out, pillars sized and ready to go. I was thinking a washer over the plastic bushing in the forward mounting hole as well. I believe I will do it this weekend. I am anxious to get this rifle on the bench out back. I've heard good things for such an inexpensive rifle.
Do you have any reservations about not bedding the recoil lug in the boyds stock?

Why don't you just run the pillar all the out even with the stock and throw the plastic escutcheon away? Then just counter sink the pillar so the screw sits flush.

 

[BLUESGUNNER]

Why don't you just run the pillar all the out even with the stock and throw the plastic escutcheon away? Then just counter sink the pillar so the screw sits flush.

Very good idea