Was at Huntingtons today which is a stones throw from my house and struck upon what I believe to be a good deal. I was offered a .510 Wells done up right on a Rem mod 30s action. It had all the reinforcements needed. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact the the owner said that the rifle was on it's third stock but that the laminated stock that it sits in now has been absolutly trouble free for 150 rounds. Which is exactly how many rounds has been down the barrel since being rebarreled with a new Pac-Nor 3 groove. He said that this barrel is much better than the one it had previously worn. I know what this cartridge is capable of but can it be that hard on stocks? Or does he just not know how to set up a rifle of that power? Anyone have any dealing with this beast personally? Thanks.

JR, I have a 500 A2, as you might know the 510 Wells and the 500 A2 have the same performance. I had a 460 Wby. rebarreled to 500 A2, I have over 750 rounds through this rifle and I have never had any problems with the stock. So I would say the rifle was not bedded properly without a second lug on the barrel or the wrong kind of wood for the stock was being used if he had that much trouble with stock breakage.

[ 06-20-2002, 20:53: Message edited by: Mitch ]

I recently bought a 510 Wells built on a Brevex magnum mauser. The stock has hairline fractures in several places although the gun appears to have been shot very little. If I don't sell it, I will add a recoil lug to the barrel and restock with a nice piece of dense, straight-grain English.

Before you buy it. Pull the action out of the barrel and look for a second recoil lug. If none is present you will need to add one or bye bye stock number 3. The Rem mod 30 I believe is a Enfield clone and the recoil lug isn't adequate by itself. I also have a 500 A2 and it should be a great cartridge on a Rem 30 action. Unfortunately not every one who builds Big Bores knows what they are doing.
I am making a second recoil lug for a 470 MBOGO right now and if you need one send me E-mail as I can make three as easily one.-Rob

fwit,
the model 30 started as what remington did when the contract end, quickly, for the 1917. They did what everyone else was doing, trimming and cleaned it up the receiver.
It's cleaner, nicer, and higher QC, and still an enfield design. Great gun, and it's what enfield modifiers should aim for.
jeffe

To answer your question. Yes that rifle can be a stock destroyer. Bedding has to be perfect to achieve any kind of stock life. Further you will need a second recoil lug mounted on the underside of the barrel about 3 to 5 inches forward of the front receiver ring.

Stock wood must be dense, Turkish (best), English, or Bastogne and STRAIGHT GRAINED. The grain layout must be perfect and it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that the blank be quarter sawn and air dryed. I would stay away from Claro as it is typically soft and the grain structure is such as to be prone to easy splitting. To complete 500+ stocking 101 you need about .030" clearance between the tang and the stock. If this clearance is not there the stock will be wedged by teh tang and WILL split. If you need to restock the rifle you will have problems finding anyone that has significant experience stocking big rifles, although many will tell you otherwise.

There is much more, but armed with this and the recommedation from Rog (pulling the action out of the stock and inspecting the bedding) you should be able to make an educated decision.

Todd E

Yup, I was just about to add what Todd E did. On my Hannibal there is a nice gap at the rear of both receiver and triggerguard.
Also think of adding two stock reinforcing bolts, these can be done real nice to add to the heavy rifle "look". You can get fancy and have some work done to the bolt heads or leave them plain or if you want have small discs of ebony cover them.
My rifle is bedded tang-to-tip, even the triggerguard, very solid.
Good luck on your acquisition and remember you do not have to always fire full on stuff. Email me and I'll send you an Excel sheet with all my reduced loads.