Recoil lugs.

[TAJ45]

Newbie here when it comes to "smithing" anything that goes bang.

I've noticed of late several folks mentioning/offering recoil lugs that are tapered. Intuitively I'd think the front half and not the back. And of course only on the "lug/tang" part.

Secondly, what about the concept of sets of lugs, varying by say .002 to .0025" thickness or (open to suggestion) to establish proper head space when swapping factory bbls, as on a Rem 700 XP or XR?

I have shop privileges and access to a CNC mill and could fixture to blank these out then surface grind to whatever spec decided upon.

Shade tree? Dangerous? OK idea? Elegant solution to non-existent problem? I know, time consuming but when retired, that commodity is sometimes in greater supply.

 

[Preacher]

The recoil lugs are tapered on the sides only, so they will slip into the space they set into easier...
They will also go in and out a lot easier, think of a wedge....
No problem at all using different diameter lugs to set headspace.....

 

[flatlander]

I agree that the availability of lugs in various thicknesses to address headspace issues could be a good thing. BUT - a shooter doing barrel swapping would still need a bbl vise, action wrench, and headspace gauges in order to determine what lug thickness is needed to set correct headspace. And since Remington's lugs are nominally 3/16" thick, you won't be able to use a desirable .250" thick lug without setting the bbl back. Going thinner than .187"/3/16" isn't something I'd consider doing in most cases, so, all things considered - I doubt there's that much of a market for a series of thinner lugs.