Savage 840 receiver ???

[hpdrifter]

I just traded for a Savage 340 in 30/30 and its accuracy leaves a little to be desired. The rifling looks good in it, although it took quite a while and many patches to get clean. Kinda looks like the crown maybe the results of a hacksaw job on the barrel. It measures 19.25" now. Anyone know what they were originally?

I can recrown this jewel and hope for more accuracy, but my main question is the receiver/stock joint or lack thereof. As some of you might know, there is only 1 action bedding/mounting screw and the other is on the barrel towards the end of the forearm via a barrel band.

The receiver looks to be tilted in the stock with the tail end off of the wood quite a ways. I got to thinking (dangerous sometimes) and it doesn't look like it would be too hard to weld a tab on the bottom end of the action and drill and tap for a second bedding screw. Kinda add a tang.

If a feller was to use the heat control paste, and put a heat sink in the action and wrap with cold wet cloth and then weld in small steps, would the action survive this process? Tig weld of course.

If this is doable, I can mount the action like a real rifle and do away with the barrel band and free float the barrel.

Any other suggestions? Help would surely be appreciated!

[Treeman]

Many years ago I bought one of those rifles that some one had welded a tang on the rear and dispensed with the barrel band. They had also hogged out the forend channel and poured in several ounces of lead. The "bedding" that had been done to accompany this "improvement" was horrid. The barrel was free floating but every thing was hanging on the action screw and "new tang" screw. Recoil had cracked the action recess. I epoxy bedded the action lug and shot it for a while-the gun shot great but was UGLY. Finally I got tired of looking at the mess and I hacksawed off the added tang and dressed it up with a file, cold blued the worked area, rebedded the action , spraypainted the stock OD green, and reinstalled the barrel band (the seller had all the parts and sold me the entire scoped but ugly outfit for $75) Accuracy with the barrel band is better than I can hold. FWIW I only snug up the forend to barrel band screw lightly. The action is bedded in epoxy. With all the lead in the forend it is a pretty chunky carbine but it the best offhand rifle I own.

[leftiye]

HP, If after taking Treeman's account into account you decide to weld a tang or boss onto the rear, then your precautions sound pretty good.

If you can avoid ruining any possible heat treat at the rear bridge and forward, the strength of the reciever should be unimpaired (plus it won't warp and make a mess of the reciever). Use keep brite (Brownells) or silver solder flux to avoid scale formation. Gas shielded welding would be preferrable with TIG being the best option to avoid scale also.

Adding an extension onto the rear would require much less welding, and heat etc than a build-up type of application, but will require holding the piece added on accurately, and firmly (very) so that shrinkage does not warp it out of place. Welding technique comes into play at this point to reduce warpage. I would tack one side, one end and then the other so that the tacks countered one another until the seam was filled. Putting on a thicker piece than necessary will allow you to machine it off to get more accurate dimensions, and circumvent the effects of warpage too.

[hpdrifter]

Treeman, if I do decide to do this, I hope I do a better job than you describe. Right now, I can look at the side of the action and see through the trigger recess to the guard. Free floating would be the dollar bill clearance type of job.

leftiye, your process is what I had in mind. A half inch size triangle, just enough for a screw would be welded on. Oversize so it could be fitted to the action by file and emery. And if I went to this trouble, I think I'd pillar bed the tang screw.

I might try shimming the barrel band so it doesn't snug the barrel completely down into the barrel channel first and bed the recoil lug. Just to see what will happen before going drastic. Heck, a new crown may settle all problems, except the butt ugly syndrome. It's kinda so homely, it grows on ya!:)

This action just don't seem to fit this stock. I'll bet theres a quarter inch gap at the rear of the action.

Thanks for all the input and info.

[leftiye]

That bedding job sounds like loads of fun!

[hpdrifter]

yeah, might be easier(at least to the eye) to inlet the action a little more and/or start with a new chunk of wood.

Thanks again.

[Mk42gunner]

I used to have a 340 in 222 Remington it had a Bishop stock with no barrel band on it. I didn't know they were supposed to have bands until I saw three of them in a gun shop in Reno. The rifle shot okay with one screw holding the stock on, but a 222 doesn't recoil like a 30-30 either. I think if you do a decent job of bedding it you will be surprised with the accuracy.



Robert

[rmb721]

Another thing to check on Savage 340's in 30/30 is headspace.

[uscra112]

From what I've read the 840 should shoot well just as it is.

I have a .222 that I just got and haven't fired a round thru yet, (I'm waiting for the scope mount to arrive.) Maybe I'll know in a week or so.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking about the old Krag - it was fitted into the stock in somewhat the same way, and was a pretty accurate rifle for what it was. In fact, a little while after the 1903 was introduced, they had to ban Krags from service rifle matches to keep them from beating the 1903s.

[BerdanIII]

I've got one in .30-30, too and rebedding helped a bunch. I relieved the forend so that it didn't touch the barrel except at the chamber and the barrel band (shades of the MkIII* SMLE). I also shimmed the recoil lug because I found out that with the action screws out, the receiver was flopping fore and aft in the stock. A few minute's worth of work and group sizes were cut dramatically. Also, why not just drill and tap the receiver at the tang? Mausers work that way.

[hpdrifter]

there ain't no tang. the receiver is flat(end of tube) within~3/16" of the trigger housing.