I bought a new left-handed Ruger in 300 Win.
I'm planning to re-barrel and chamber to 458 Win.
The factory stock is laminated.
My question...
Will the laminated stock hold up without crossbolts? Seems the laminate should be stronger than grained walnut.
Anybody done this....

Roger QSL

Roger,

I have a 458 with a laminated stock. Took about 75 rounds before the stock started to split, even when glass bedded. If it were me I would put bolts in both the front and back, and glass bed, before you started shooting. It can be done very inexpensively and doesn't take long to do.

Better to get ahead of the problem than trying to catch up after it starts to crack, like I did.

Hope that's useful.

TMc

xbolt and bedd, with a recoil lug on the barrel and a pin down the wrist .. 150-250 bucks

TMC, Jeffeoso...

Thanks for the info.
Do you know who does this in the Phoenix Az. area?

Roger QSL

Cross bolts and wrist pins will help BUT the problem area is between the receiver screws on each side of the mag box cutout. That area is where the most flexing occurs and where the laminations split. Anything much above the recoil level of a 300 WM and depending on the thickness of the walls will cause the laminations to separate.

The only sure way to handle the recoil level of a heaby magnum in a laminated stock is to have an aluminum bedding block installed with a piece of allthread inserted into a groove in the barrel channel connected to the bedding block AND include cross bolts, wrist pinning and another piece of allthread from the wrist pin to the recoil pad.

All this reinforcing will transfer the recoil forces along the full length of the stock and stop the flexing in and around the mag well...the weakest part of the stock and the point where the recoil is concentrated.

Even with all that stiffening, all it takes is some of the glue between the laminations to separate outside the reinforced area and all the work it for nothing.

Take a good look at the walls of the mag well, measure the thickness of the wood underneath the mag well and think about all those THIN laminations, then think there is only a section about 5" long and a quarter in wide and about 3/8" thick between the receiver screws...not very much to handle a bunch of slapping around. That is the weakest area of the stock.

Laminated stocks look nice and work for most applications but for heavy recoil nothing works like a nice piece of solid walnut extra thick around the mag box, cross bolts and wrist pinning AND glass bedding.

I've had the same problems with both Ruger laminated stocks and Savage laminated stocks. I'm in the process of milling recoil bedding blocks for several of my heavy hitters that includes milling out the weak area and having a solid section of aluminum all the way through the stock between the receiver screws to eliminate the weak area.

Most laminated stocks are supplied by one wood laminating company and at one time Savage said the laminated stock were guaranteed for nothing over a 300 WM recoil level.

If you haven't had any problems with splitting in a heavy recoiling rifle with a laminated stock you are lucky, but it is an accident waiting to happen.

'Njoy