Hi, my vintage Parker-Hale 375 HH has never been very accurate, but yesterday, at the range, I've got a good improvement simply by loosening the recoil lug screw:

100 meters. Group 1, tightened screw - group 2, loosened screw



The lug screw



The crossbolt screw (updated photo)




When I loosened the screw, I could feel the barrel slightly raising from the foreend and now there is a small gap between the barrel and the stock. What is your opinion? Is there a real risk of stock breaking if I shoot the rifle with said screw loosened? Thanks.

I wouldn't do it. I would go have your rifle rebedded by a gunsmith who is knowledgeable in both accuracy and big bores. He may recommend pillar bedding, partially floating the barrel, etc. It does seem like you have a bedding issue.

Regards,

Chuck

My P-H in .458 has the extra bolt thru the barrel channel along with a recoil lug about half way between that bolt and the action. It also has two cross bolts.

Someone prior to me glass bedded the rifle and it will group into under 2" at 100 yards. When you loosen the extra bolt nothing moves. I'd second the idea to have it bedded.

wildboar

Have that lug bedded (or do it yourself) with a bedding compound at the "loosened" position. It then should shoot fine since it won't pul;l/bend the barrel down. It will then continue it's work as a recoil lug which is what it's really there for.

Larry Gibson

Thanks for your useful hints!

With the lug screw loose measure the distance the stock is off of the barrel or lug. Then squeeze the stock against the lug. The distance the stock moves is the thickness of a spacer that can installed under the lug. Install a spacer or washer between the bottom of the lug and the fore end and install the screw. You may get even better accuracy. However if the recoil face of the lug is angled you will lose contact with the stock. If this is the case it will need bedding.

SR, I'm currently doing exactly what you are suggesting!

Done!

The recoil lug



The washer; I got it thinner



After having thightened the action screws, with the washer in place, the barrel doesn't flex when I tighten the lug screw. I hope to test the rifle within a few days and I will post the results; thanks again!

I hope your washer works and you get the accuracy improvement you are looking for. However I notice that your lug is not flat faced. I am not sure it is a very good recoil lug. You might inspect the bedding for the receiver recoil lug and the rear of the tang to make sure your stock is bedded well enough to prevent the stock from splitting.

I suggest you add the washer and glass bed the washer and stock. -Rob

Ditto above, and put a hidden piece of allthread in the forearm adjacent to that round "recoil lug," if not another visible crossbolt,
before you glass bed the works.

Likewise a crossbolt or buried allthread in the web between trigger well and magazine well if it has not been done already.

If you are shooting that well with iron sights, that gun can shoot, and so can you.

RIP, the groups have been made with a Leupold Vari XIII 1.5-5x20 at x5. I took the "crossbolt screw" photo several months ago (I've posted a more recent photo now). Unfortunately I'm only an average shooter and I can't shoot that way with iron sights. I'll take into account the suggestions to bed the front lug and strengthen the stock.

It is definitely a bedding issue. Experiment just what the barrel wants with shims in various locations:

various thicknesses under the barrel at the forened for a pressure point

under the chamber to raise the barrel for float except for the shank which is not floating due the the shim

under the flat under the receiver for full barrel float

NOTE: Have the action screws tight and leave the recoil lug screw out for these tests. You will not need that screw if the barrel wants to float.

Guns that need a specific torque to shoot accurately have bedding issues; this is not to say that they are bedded improperly or poorly, but that they are bedded standard, one size fits all from the factory, which may or may not match a specific barrel's harmonics. If the barrel does not want to float, bed it or have it bedded to it's wants and the screws will stop soilidly when tight. It is a good feeling to feel the actions screws stop positively and not feel mushy like they can go a little tighter. Pillar bedding does this routinely but a good bedding job will do it too. On pre 64 Win 70's I would typically tighten the action screws tight and then tighten the forend screw then back it out a little and retighten to just where it stopped without a lot of torque.

Nearly every .375H&H that I've ever shot would group 3-5 shots into a < 1 inch cloverleaf group. A .375H&H doesnt need a barrel mounted recoil lug either. I'd suggest you would be best served by grinding or knocking that barrel lug off and free floating the barrel two inches from the action. I'd just releive the stock around the tang, steelbed the tang and bed the whole action, paying attention to the mag box area clearances. Also Bed the first two inches of the barrel. You'll have a world of improvement.-Rob

Wildboar,
I see, you were starting to get that scope dialed in for that tight cluster.

I second Rob's suggestion of getting rid of the barrel "recoil lug" altogether.
Put the barreled action in a vise and wrap the barrel with wet towels.
Put a torch to the round lug on the barrel until the solder loosens,
then scrape off any residual solder and polish the spot and spot blue.
Or have a smith do it.

My .375 H&H has a whippy No.3 sporter barrel that is .625" at the 24" muzzle.

With initial free-floated barrel bedding it shot about 1.5 MOA for three shots.

I placed a piece of folded note card between the stock forend tip and the barrel, tightened the two action screws,
and it shot better.

I then rebedded it, with some extra epoxy in the barrel channel,
with the gun upside-down and horizontal in the padded vise.

I hung a 4 to 5 pound weight from the muzzle of the barrel, snugged the action screws, and let it setup for 24 hours.

Next day I removed the weight and broke it out of the epoxy, then reassembled it and tested with the same ammo.

0.75 MOA

That whippy barrel shot best with a little up-pressure at the forend tip.
It still does. The stock is a 1 pound Brown Precision.

I am guessing your heavier barrel in the trim walnut stock will do best if cross-bolted fore and aft of the magazine well,
with secure pillar bedding (simple Mauser action spacers don't count),
and epoxy bedding of only the full-diameter portion barrel shank (Knoxform portion) and entire action.
The rest of the barrel should be free floated, and barrel lug removed.
A round lug is not a good recoil lug anyway.
If it contacts the wood rearward in recoil, it will tend to split the stock.

If you can unsolder that barrel tensioner lug then thats definately the way to go. Sometimes they silver solder them in place and you'll need a pretty hot torch to unsolder it. I'd try a propane torch first and see if its simply soldered on. make sure its not threaded onto a stud either. If in doubt, cut off most of it with a Dremel cutoff wheel and then a few passes with a grinder will solve the issue quickly.-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
... barrel tensioner lug ...

Ah, yes, that is what it is.
Not a recoil lug at all.
If it was actually working as a recoil lug it would have split the forearm wood.

The gun shot better with less tension from the tensioner.
Seems that round barrel lug is more a detriment to accuracy than a help.
That bedding needs to be sorted out for best results.

This forum is an invaluable source of knowledge! I will make soon some cheap tests with this "barrel tensioner"; the current washer gives almost zero pressure on the barrel but I have another one, slightly thicker, that can give some upward pressure. I will test the accuracy with the 3 combinations:
without washer-no screw, with the thin washer and with the thick washer, both with the screw tightened. Then I will decide about the utility of that barrel tensioner.
I've also sanded the barrel channel to free the barrel; action bedding will be the next step.
I appreciated your hints!

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
A .375H&H doesnt need a barrel mounted recoil lug either.

A question Rob. I am having a new SS Krieger barrel on my 416 Wby and a new stock as well. I want an accurate rifle..I have just got a syntetic stock from AHR which is very rugged and strong (they use it for the 600 OK). My smith says, that a barrel recoil lug is not necessary when using this syntetic stock because it is strong enough without and that way leave the barrel free floated (he says that he always make barrel recoil lugs on anything bigger than 375 when using wood stocks). Do you agree?