Composite Stock Stress is Stressing this Dad

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I bought a Ruger Hawkeye 7 ‘08 with a composite stock Christmas 2011 for my son who wanted a composite stock. The family discussed Winchester, Remington and Ruger and decided on Ruger. A Leopold VX-1 3x9 40mm scope is mounted and various loads of Remington Core-Lokts and Speer Hot-Core with varying dollops of IMR 4350 and 4320 carefully measured and recorded.
The groups now after a year of shooting are 2 to 3 inches at 100 yards. My gunsmith showed me where the barrel is rubbing against the stock as it flexes and where stock material has transferred to metal where the main nut near the magazine floorplate hinge holds the stock to the receiver.

I’m stressed, it’s late August and deer season is fast approaching. The gunsmith assures me things will get better and I should be at the range with the rifle test firing it on Monday. The issue is the factory composite stock. I’m a wood stock only man, as is all the rest of the family but my son is 15 years old and did not want a wood stock.

I am assured the accuracy issues corrected with bedding are a normal course of maintenance however my M77 wood stock purchased in 1982 came out of the box spitting everything right on target. It’s in .270 and shoots 130 gr and 150 gr bargain and premium bootits right on. I’ve dropped it bad twice but the zero held. It only knows 1 inch groups at 100 yards at bings the 12 gong at 200 yards with all different kinds of ammo every time.
Signed, stressed Dad

[nicholst55]

Most synthetic stocks flex; cheap ones flex worse than the more expensive ones. There are a number of methods of reinforcing the fore end of synthetic stocks to reduce or eliminate flexing. Some folks epoxy pieces of welding rod into the barrel channel; others use small pieces of structural aluminum, etc. One of the slickest methods I've seen involves epoxying pieces of round (or square, for that matter) carbon fiber stock into the fore end; this works particularly well with USGI synthetic M14 stocks. Carbon fiber arrow shafts work very well, and broken ones can sometimes be obtained from archery shops for free.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

I am very big on first shot consistancy. To the max!!!!!!!!!!

For that reason, be it wood or plastic/synthetic, my hunting rifles are always floated. No exception.

I have seen what the change in hold or the use of a bi-pod can do to the point of impact.

Therefore, even if a rifle should possibly shoot better with a bit of barrel pressure, I'm not go'in there!

However, I have never seen a rifle that decreased in it's grouping ablility with floating and have seen a number which have greatly improved after floating.

Don't stress. Just sand out that barrel channel to the point where with the action propperly installed in the stock, you can rest the total weight of the rifle on the tip of the forend and still maintain up and down and side to side clearence between the stock and the barrel.

Doing so releaves any possible stress, yours and the rifles.

RUGER's instructions for the Hawkeye says NOT to float the barrel.

But mine, a 300 win mag. as is standard operating proceedure, is floated and 3 - 165gr Nosler Partitions into into 5/8" c to c at a tad over 3300fps is good enough for me. 100yds.

Float that barrel!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[fouronesix]

I am very big on first shot consistancy. To the max!!!!!!!!!!

For that reason, be it wood or plastic/synthetic, my hunting rifles are always floated. No exception.

I have seen what the change in hold or the use of a bi-pod can do to the point of impact.

Therefore, even if a rifle should possibly shoot better with a bit of barrel pressure, I'm not go'in there!

However, I have never seen a rifle that decreased in it's grouping ablility with floating and have seen a number which have greatly improved after floating.

Don't stress. Just sand out that barrel channel to the point where with the action propperly installed in the stock, you can rest the total weight of the rifle on the tip of the forend and still maintain up and down and side to side clearence between the stock and the barrel.

Doing so releaves any possible stress, yours and the rifles.

RUGER's instructions for the Hawkeye says NOT to float the barrel.

But mine, a 300 win mag. as is standard operating proceedure, is floated and 3 - 165gr Nosler Partitions into into 5/8" c to c at a tad over 3300fps is good enough for me. 100yds.

Float that barrel!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

Well said!

Except for muzzleloaders, big single shots and old original (valuable) guns I pretty much follow the same philosophy. I know for example the previous generation riflemen who had experience with good bolt guns like the pre-64 M70s were constantly tinkering with the fore end tension screw- Jack O'Connor comes to mind. Over time, the environmental conditions would change which in turn would change the stress on the barrel. The better woods or better sealed woods are more resistant to it but sooner or later the stress would change thus the groups would vary or wander. Even now some of the local target shooters I hang out with are constantly tinkering with stock-to-barrel contact and pressure. Many times groups can be tightened up a lot by varying contact and pressure but sooner or later the whole process will have to be re-visited as the groups start to open or wander.

The last 15 years or so when dealing with synthetic stocks designed for utilitarian hunting purposes, I've settled on the following: 1) Use a good quality stiff stock to begin with (like HS Precision, etc.). 2) Free float the barrel from the recoil lug forward. 3) Properly bed the action.

Bolt rifles put together like that will possibly never shoot quite as well at any one time as those tricked out with some kinda of fore end pressure but they will ALWAYS shoot well and never change or wander due to temperature changes or how the fore end is rested or gripped.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Hello Fouronesix, Yes, I agree!

I have never seen a critter that gave me time and oppertunity for, "sighters" and adjustments for whatever the stock has done or how it has changed this week.

Nope, I want to know where that first shot is headed every time I head to the field, and if needed - haven't ever found this to be an issue - I would take a slightly lessor group just to assure first shot consistancy.

CDOC

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Got the 7 ’08 Hawkeye back from the ‘smith yesterday. He free floated the barrel and glass bedded the action. He said he put enough glass for three rifles in this gun. I asked if I should get a Remington SPS if the bedding job doesn’t fix it, he said that Savage with the Accu-trigger system is real good one.

I retired to the range and got an inch and a half at 100 yards with 130 gr Speer Hot Core over 50 gr of IMR 4350 and a one inch group with the same boolit lit with 42.0 gr of IMR 4320.

That about does it.