Savage MKII BV Bedding Project

[goldenbb]

I purchased a used Savage MKII with a laminated wood stock. With the receiver in the the stock the action pillars were 3/8 inches away from touching bottom. To fix the bad fit, wooden blocks and washers were glued into the stock. Now with the action inserted the barrel and the receiver were free floated about 3/32 above the stock. The area near the forward action screw was reinforced. See below.



Here are the blocks and washers.



Prior to bedding, tape was added to the barrel and the receiver to center the action in the stock. The front and rear of the receiver were bedded using JB Weld with clear Kiwi shoe polish as release agent.







Homemade 1/8 stainless bottom metal replaced the flimsy factory metal. 30 in-lbs of torque on the action screws provided the clamping force for bedding.



I was not completely happy with the bedding at the rear of the receiver, so I did it again. I wanted it to be tight to prevent any movement fore and aft as well as sideways. Initially I bedded the first four inches of the barrel but decided this was too much. I ended up removing some and left only the first two inches.

 

[goldenbb]

Very happy with the results.



Here are five “5 shot” groups. This rifle does best with Lapua Center X and also very well with SK Rifle Match.

 

[FootedShaft]

Great results !! Where did you find the cheek piece in your picture ?

 

[goldenbb]

Great results !! Where did you find the cheek piece in your picture ?

I don’t know where I bought the cheek piece. It was many years ago. I do remember that I got the idea from the Ryan Cleckner. This is one of the best firearms videos I have ever watched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COoXVpGfXQE

Here is a photo of the manufacturer’s tag.

 

[grauhanen]

What's on the barrel near the muzzle?

 

[goldenbb]

What's on the barrel near the muzzle?

Good eye. That is a split shaft collar that I have been attempting to use as a barrel tuner. I had been doing a lot of shooting in October, November and December with generally poor results because of the low temperatures. I am not sure how much it helped. I eventually discovered that keeping ammunition warm would fix my poor groups. My homemade tuner is very touchy. Potential exists to wreck groups as much as improve them.

The barrel diameter near the muzzle is .796 inches. The collar has an inside diameter of .800 . I was able to fit one layer of black electrical tape inside the collar.





I adjust the position of the collar using the back side of this cheapo digital calliper. Really only accurate to +/- .001 inch.



Staring at .441 inches (randomly chosen) I slid the collar away from the muzzle in .003 increments and shot 5 round groups at 50 yards. From the target below you can see ammo group well with the tuner at .450 inches. Collar position is highlighted in orange. Group size in in blue pen.



I then shot groups just above and below .450 inches and found .451 to provide satisfactory results. Are these groups any better than this Savage would do on a warm day without the tuner? I don’t have enough data yet.

 

[laserlite]

Nice work.

I was on Grainger's site last week looking for a split collar with a 1" diameter. What got me going down that road was this:
https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/poor-mans-tuner.4022837/
Cheers

 

[grauhanen]

The work with the collar deserves praise for the effort involved. A lot of shooters might be satisfied with trying a couple different ammos from a LGS or playing with action screw torque.

To help avoid false hopes while conducting the testing, it's important not to assume that changes in group size are because of the weight location rather than because of ammo variation. Whenever groups are shot, they will generally be of different sizes because of the ammo itself, even if it is Center X or better. Results must be reproducible to be useful.

For the general reader, purpose-made barrel tuners are adjustable and work by moving a weight beyond the muzzle. The Harrel tuner, for example, moves the weight ahead of the muzzle in increments of .001". They have 500 increments of movement. Adding weight to the barrel behind the muzzle is not necessarily an effective way to "tune" the rifle.

 

[goldenbb]

The work with the collar deserves praise for the effort involved. A lot of shooters might be satisfied with trying a couple different ammos from a LGS or playing with action screw torque.

To help avoid false hopes while conducting the testing, it's important not to assume that changes in group size are because of the weight location rather than because of ammo variation. Whenever groups are shot, they will generally be of different sizes because of the ammo itself, even if it is Center X or better. Results must be reproducible to be useful.

For the general reader, purpose-made barrel tuners are adjustable and work by moving a weight beyond the muzzle. The Harrel tuner, for example, moves the weight ahead of the muzzle in increments of .001". They have 500 increments of movement. Adding weight to the barrel behind the muzzle is not necessarily an effective way to "tune" the rifle.

Thanks for the words of caution. I may be a moth drawn to the flame, but I will continue testing.

 

[Mystic Precision]

Great info and thanks for sharing... very interesting how sensitive position is for your rifle. Maybe a lighter weight?

Tuners.. or hanging a weight on a barrel... can affect on either side of the muzzle.... just as you have demonstrated.

It is easier to do a tuner forward because you dont have to worry about variations in barrel contour and you can use a lighter mass per given affect.

Eenie meenie.

Jerry

 

[goldenbb]

Great info and thanks for sharing... very interesting how sensitive position is for your rifle. Maybe a lighter weight?

Tuners.. or hanging a weight on a barrel... can affect on either side of the muzzle.... just as you have demonstrated.

It is easier to do a tuner forward because you dont have to worry about variations in barrel contour and you can use a lighter mass per given affect.

Eenie meenie.

Jerry

Thanks for your encouragement Jerry. I only slightly understand more about barrel tuners than Grainger Canada.

 

[RabidM4U5]

grauhanen beat me to it, I would reiterate that you'll get better results with the weight ahead of the muzzle. My advice would be to weigh the collar, then figure out how to attach a few together to get 4-5 ounces hanging past the muzzle. Good luck, I like your creative thinking on this.