Stevens 223 again

[Jack Stanley]

I was out with the Stevens model 200 rifle the other day tyring to shoot small groups and in no hurry to do so . I twas trying different ways to hold the rifle on the bench and learned whenever I let my hand get in front of the barrel nut the groups would open up . As long as either my hand or the front bag didn't get away from the bottom of the action area it would shoot pretty good groups .

Unless the stock is touching the bottom of the barrel where I can't see it there is no contact . I do notice that the front part of the stock is easy to move around . I'm starting to wonder if having a piece of aluminum rod bedded into the front might be a help .

Anyone got experience with this sort of thing ?

Jack

[Doc Highwall]

If the rifle is resting on something hard like wood even with a piece of carpet on it will cause the gun to jump all over the place.

[Jack Stanley]

No Doc ..... it was in my hand all the time . It's just the farther forward my fingers got from the barrel nut the worse groups got . And yes , I did keep my fingers off the barrel .

Jack

[Mk42gunner]

Jack,

I haven't had one of the Stevens Model 200s' to play with.. I mean examine closely. I did have a stainless Model 116 in .338 that the forearm was bendy on. I Accraglassed several sections of 30 cal cleaning rods into it (with a lot of dremel work to mechanically lock the Accraglas in place). After that I could shoot it with heavy tension on the sling.

Robert

[NHlever]

The "Rotomolded" plastic stocks used on many factory rifles these days can be pretty darned flexible. They also usually have some distortion when they are received from the vendor. You are on the right track with stiffening the forend though making sure there is no barrel contact at all would probably work as well. Although the stock appears to be free floated, it sure isn't acting like it with any kind of pressure on the forend.

[Fat-beeman]

Jack I got a savage 223 and its a tack driver at 100 yds. its a bolt action using
55gr cast gc
Don

[GabbyM]

I’ve heard of people stiffening the forearm by laying an arrow shaft in a cut grove then epoxy gluing it in. Sounds like a bit of a project to me.

[Jack Stanley]

Jack I got a savage 223 and its a tack driver at 100 yds. its a bolt action using
55gr cast gc
Don

I've been using 225462 bullets and just started on a can of 22-55-SP , The RCBS seem to work well as long as I can get the forend to cooperate . I'm sure this will run just fine when I get this fixed .

Does anyone know what type bedding material will stick to this plastic stock ?

Jack

[MtGun44]

A pair of carbon arrow shafts bonded into grooves inside the forend would really stiffen the
front part of the stock with very, very little weight. They don't use carbon fiber for space
craft and fighter jets for nothing - as stiff as steel with far less weight, esp when in a hollow
tube form like an arrow shaft. My worry would be how well anything would bond to those
plastic stocks, not like a wood or fiberglass stock.

Bill

[Houndog]

I've got the exact same rifle and experienced the same problem. I epoxyed two 3/8 steel rods into the bottom of the forend and most of the flex is gone. If you are going to do this, just be SURE to take your Dremel tool and thoroghly rough up the stock where you are going to bed the rods and wash it down with something like Acetone to remove the mold release left on the stock. I also bedded the recoil lug and made a seat for the barrel nut out of epoxy. This mod turned the little Stevens into a fairly acceptable shooter.

FWIW: I use Devcon for bedding compound. I like it better than Acraglas or Marine Tex because it is easier to work and is tougher than either of the other two.

[Jack Stanley]

I like the carbon arrow shaft idea and I have some acetone . Devcon I don't have , but if it helps , I've at least heard of the stuff I think maybe I'll call my gun plumber who's bedded a couple stocks in the past , perhaps it's something I could do . I have managed to repair a couple old stocks with glass and epoxy and haven't glued my fingers into a stock yet .

Jack

[Houndog]

Jack,
If you want to try to do this by yourself, it's not all that hard. Whether you use steel as i did or the carbon arrow shafts, the process is the same. Take a Dremel tool and make a trough in the webbing that supposed to stiffen the forend, remove the chips, thoroghly wipe down the inside of the stock with Acetone. BE CAREFUL, the acetone WILL ruin the external stock finish, and enough of it will melt the stock! Be sure to wipe down the steel or arrow shafting to remove any trace of Oil or mold release whichever the case may be. Mix up some Epoxy and spread some in the trough you made. Lay the prefit shafting in the troughs and push it into the Epoxy. Completely cover the shafting with more Epoxy and smooth it out. BE SURE IT"S NOT THICK ENOUGH TO TOUCH YOUR BARREL OR ACTION!!!! Let it thoroghly cure and the flex will be mostly gone.

If you want to get into bedding the recoil lug and barrel nut, it gets a little more complicated. The first thing is to thoroghly clean the action, barrel nut and the shank of the barrel to remove any trace of Oil. Next I tape the front, bottom and sides of the recoil lug with clear packing tape. Be SURE you have no wrinkles or overlaps in the tape! ( this is for expansion clearance) Use an Exacto knife or razor blade to trim the tape around the barrel nut. You don't want the tape up on the nut! Next, you need a small amount of potters clay (available at most hobby shops) to fill in the grooves in the barrel nut just under the top edge of the stock. Use the Exacto knife to work it to the same contour as the nut. Coat the front half of the action, the barrel nut, and the shank of the barrel with some release agent (I use 3 coats of Johnson's paste wax) and sit it aside to dry. Use your Dremel tool to rough up the area under the recoil lug, barrel nut and barrel shank in the stock. Wipe it down with Acetone as you did before. Take some masking tape and lay a strip along both sides of the stock where you are going to bed the recoil lug. Use your Exacto knife or razor blade to trim the tape to match the inside edge of the barrel channel in the stock. Mix your Epoxy and spread it inside the stock sufficently thick to form the recoil lug pocket, around the front of the action and under the barrel nut. Sit the action in the stock, insert the action screws and tighten them down. Wait about 30 seconds and back the screws off untill they are just barely snug. Some excess Epoxy should squirt out between the action and stock. Use a wooden stick to remove excess Epoxy from the top of the stock around the action where it was taped. Let the Epoxy cure a MINIMUM of 24 hours. A longer cure time won't hurt. Remove the action screws. If the front one is stuck, touch it with a hot soldering iron. That will release it from the Epoxy. Stick the bolt in the action and work the action loose from the stock by wiggling it loose from the stock using the bolt and barrel for leverage. Trim up the excess Epoxy and clearance the tapered area the barrel nut sits in, ( You don't want contact in this area) square the front of your new bedding block, clean the action and your new bedding and reassemble the gun.

[.357]

I bedded the recoil lug, and put a piece of a golf club in the forearm with epoxy. Make sure you rough up the stock and clean it well.my barrel now completely floats and shoots very well. I now when I pick up a Stevens pick up a golf club at united way for $ .50 then that is the first project I do even before I shoot it. They are great rifles especially to build on.

[Bad Water Bill]

What ever you do do NOT bed the tang of any Savage or Stevens tang. They are designed to be FREE FLOATING.

If you do the job correctly you should get 1/2" groups. Don't ask me with 5 Stevens actions and 9 bbls.

[Jack Stanley]

Should I decide to get myself into this , I'm leaning toward just trying to stiffen the forearm . I don't know as I want to fool with the lug right now because I don't often try real "bedding" jobs . I will try and remember to keep the tang clear though , it just seems odd that Stevens design would work like that .

So far my shooting has been low velocity cast at forty yards and provided I don't contact the forend it will shoot small groups . So right now , I'm having the faith that the rifle has it in there somewhere .

Jack

[Bad Water Bill]

If you REALLY screw it up you can get a take off for around $25.00

Try here http://savageshooters.com/SavageForu...oard,21.0.html

[Three44s]

I am a big fan of savageshooters.com but you'll need to register and get a paid membership (just $12 per year) to access the member classifieds ..... well worth the investment!

And if you want a stock that you have less fooling with ...... you'll need to upgrade to what's referred to as the Duramax.

I own two of those "tuppeware" stocks as Jack Stanley is working with and it has seemed to me that the twisting forearm is effecting the "bed" as it his.

This thread has some real good info and I see some carbon arrow shafts and some Devcon in my future!!

Three 44s

[Jack Stanley]

I never thought of it as tupperware but that IS a great comparison . The front of the thing really flexes a lot . I think I will look along side the magazine box and see if the shafts could be bedded there without messing up the floating tang or magazine .

Might be something I just better pass off to my gun plumber who has placed gallons of epoxy .

Jack

[kelbro]

I think I will look along side the magazine box and see if the shafts could be bedded there without messing up the floating tang or magazine .
Jack

There's the main problem. You can stiffen up the front all you want and that area around the magwell is still the weak link and will flex.

[gee-gaw]

Hey jack,
It has been my experience, that with a little foolin around with your grip and bag placement, you can get repeatable results. I have found that on a sporeter weight rifle I need to pull strait back to my shoulder and be careful not to make adjustments with the hand that holds the rifle. I make all my adjustments with my hand on the rear bag.
Works for me, your mileage may vary.
Wayne