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My benchrest stock making

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bobfortier:
Hi all

I'm fairly new to the game, so I have to start with what I already have. I want to shoot in a couple of events next year in the Heavy Varmint class. So here is what I have to start with. Please don't laugh, we all have to start somewhere.

Savage Axis 223 action
Savage 12VLP barrel 1-7 twist
Rifle Basix trigger
Vortex crossfire 8-32x50 scope

Ok, I know all of this is way out of what you shoot. I want to shoot benchrest a bit like you play golf, trying to improve from your last shot all the time.

My current stock was made by myself to do a kinda do-it-all rifle. I will keep it in the safe if I go to shoot an f-class prone type event. It could have been ok for benchrest, but when I did it I made a belly shape to help keep the bipod in place, and it does not ride the bag that well.




And here is the action out of the stock. The low-price Axis has a recoil key as opposed to a recoil lug. It fits in a 3/16 groove in the stock.




I offer after-market laminated stocks for Savage Axis. What I do is I inlet a couple of blocks in advance, when I get an order I finish the shape and I apply the finish. I had a couple of blocks ready, and among them one that the mag was not fitting properly. Since I will bed the thing and shoot it single shot, no problem in taking this one that was taking space anyway.

bobfortier:
So, now I need to give it a shape. Here is a pic I found of the style I want to give it, and the same with a couple of measurement I deduced.




But first, lets have a look in the rule book. It says that 18 inches from the boreface, to 4 inches lower that the bore line, the buttstock must not be straighter than the line (sorry for my english, you get the idea...)







I did the cut a bit more angled, just to make sure.

Next I needed to make it longer. I use baltic birch plywood, 4 board of 1/2 inch glued together. It comes in 60 x 60 sheet, so my Axis blank are 29 3/4 in lenght. Since my stock will be painted (some blue I think) I don't really care about glue lines, the y will be sanded smooth later.

So I took the piece I just cut and prepared it to extend the stock

bobfortier:
And all I had to do was glue 2 1/2 inch strips on each side to make it a bit under 3"



I also made a small piece to delete the mag opening, it will all be sanded smooth later





Now it is all glued up, next step is refining the inletting, pillar bedding, and then shape the exterior

Hope you like it so far.

bobfortier:
Next step is the pillar bedding. Here is the action in the stock, just to get the idea.



Next is the preparation for the bedding. I use the method found on the net that is called a "stress-free pillar bedding". The idea is to glue up the pillar in Devcon. So I made the screw hole bigger, and prepared the pillar.

First, cut the screw to lenght. I insert a thread die, cut the bolt with the cutting wheel, and I remove the die, cleaning the threads.



Then I prepared the pillar. I use tubes found in the electrical section of hardware stores. They can be cut to lenght, have a perfect internal diameter, and the outside is threaded so the Devcon grip properly. I put a couple of layer of electrical tape on the screws so they are centered in the pillar. When I remove the tape later the screws will not touch inside the pillar.




After that, preparing the action with the usual shoe-polish and plumber stuff to avoid mechanical lock






Here is a trick. I clamp the stock in the vice and I make sure it is level. When I lower the action into the stock for the bedding, I put the level on the scope rail, and it tells me if I am level or not.




And this morning (the bedding was done yesterday evening) I removed the 2 screws, and the action popped right out, revealing a very good bedding job IMHO. It needs a bit of cleaning, but it will be good.





To be continued. I am currently in a home-reno project, so it might take a couple of days before I touch it again. The Devcon will have time to dry properly.

RayS:
Bob:
Do you have any problems removing the excess devcon? 
Ray

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