Bent Recoil Lug?? - PICS ADDED

OldSavage

OldSavage

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I recently bought a used Savage 116 in 300 Win Mag. The rifle was abused prior to my ownership and had a slight bluge in the muzzle end of the barrel but I was only buying it for the action initially and didn't think much of it. But things change and I decided to use it as a shooter so I brought it in to a smith to be cut and crowned and checked over.

The smith did a great job with the rifle and said everything was alright. Well today when I was dissassembling the rifle to give it a good cleaning I noticed that the front action screw is completedly stripped and cannot be tightened all the way and the recoil lug has a noticeable bend in it.

What the hell?

So what am I to think of this? All my rifles have something wrong with them I swear hahaha. I should stop being so cheap and buy a new rifle.

Lug2.jpg

Lug1.jpg

Screws.jpg

Stock2.jpg

Stock1.jpg
 
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I'd go back to my gunsmith and ask him how everything is ok if it left his shop like that. He should have seen that when he worked on your rifle. Did you fire it after he worked on it?
 
I have yet to fire it. I was just stripping it down to have a look at everything and I am kinda glad I did.

I guess its time for a new recoil lug, headspace gauge and barrel wrench.
 
It is probably safe to say that you are going to have to bed the area direcly behind the recoil lug, sounds like the relief in the stock is to big and the action is sliding to far back under recoil, makes me wonder why you don't have any big cracks in the tang area of the stock though. Is it a wood stock?
 
I would be surprised if your factory recoil lug was not bent. As far as the action screw goes, are you sure it was good before you sent it?

Cheers
 
Are the threads in the receiver damaged? They are 1/4" fine threads. If the screw is too long it will contact the bolt.

How the hell did the recoil lug get bent? Sharp Shooter Supply has replacement ones that are machined flat and supposedly better than OEM.
 
You can whack that lug back pretty straight with brass hammer... it will not affect your accuracy... you don't need to replace it...

It is my opinion that all stocks should be glass bedded ... on top of the aluminum that never fits right...
 
I ordered a new recoil lug as I would feel more comfortable shooting the rifle with the appropriate part and alignment.

I have no idea how it got bent as I bought it like this and haven't even shot the rifle yet.
 
OldSavage said:
I have no idea how it got bent as I bought it like this and haven't even shot the rifle yet.
Click to expand...

So this probably has nothing to do with the smith who worked on it
All you had him do is cut and crown the barrel

he would have probably checked it for function and found it to be in working order
the butcher job in the action was more than likely there when you bought it
 
I would never blame the smith for the recoil lug being bent, I asked him to check it for safety purposes. I believe he over looked something that I am not overly impressed with.

The physics of the situation would imply that the rearward force of the recoil against the bent recoil lug would force the action upward putting alot of stress on that front recoil lug that wasn't tight (as it is stripped) and the rear action screw would be the only saving grace in the system.

Oh well, there is not point analyzing the situation any further. In the end I shouldn't have bought this rifle. It had a bulge in the barrel and the seller stated that the function of the rifle was fine and the gunsmith he took it to did not find anything wrong with it what so ever (with the exception of the bulged barrel).
 
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