Having discovered how to strip the bolt of my new M70 9.3x62 (thanks guys), I'm now wondering whether I need to enhance the stock's recoil resistence.

Part of my worry stems from having split the stock on a Zastava 300WM years ago in a home-made, recoil-mitigation device (without even adding the lead).

The 'new' rifle has been glass bedded to all surfaces of the front receiver ring and recoil lug. My fitter/turner mate says it should not be bedded in front of the lug - but from a strength point of view, at least, I feel the present situation should limit dynamic hammering from the opposing recoil pulses.

I have slimmed the stock down in places to replace dodgy chequering and other eccentricities, hopefully not weakening it in any important area. However, there is no crossbolt behind the recoil lug such as I've found on military Mausers in smaller calibres and I wonder if this might be a weak point in the Zastava.

Can after-market crossbolts be bought?

Do they still add strength, even if not combined with a metal square section behind the recoil lug?

Sure, recoil lugs can be bought; Brownells sells them.
Not bedding in front of the recoil lug?; Complete nonsense; of course you can do that.
If you are really worried about breaking the stock, you might add a lug to the barrel; that will cure it. Dovetail it in or solder it on, or both. Mill a ledge for it in any case.

Thanks dpcd, hopefully Brownells Australia can import those crossbolts. They might make the rifle look more business-like, if nothing else.

One thought I had on the extra-lug idea I seem to recall you don't approve of - but if it failed I might at least know there was a need for something more.

The idea was this. Just in front of the Nock's form the stock inletting seems to be flat rather than following the barrel-reinforce shape. My thinking was to JBweld a shallow but long bearing piece of steel to the reinforce above that flat, which would engaged with a short piece of steel JBwelded to the stock just ahead of the existing bedding.

If the JBweld was moved or sheared off by recoil, perhaps before the stock split I would at least have an indication something serious was required.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:
home-made, recoil-mitigation device (without even adding the lead).

some more details on this might allow some better advice.

The front, sides and bottom of the recoil lug after bedding should be relieved. This can be done with a small chisel just scraping. The purpose is to keep the recoil lug from shaving the bedding compound and having it pile up under the lug causing accuracy problems.

I put a layer or two of tape on the front of the recoil lug.
I think you are placing too much faith in JB weld.
The stock lugs brownells sells are just little rods threaded on both ends for the round end pieces; they would be easy to make if you can't get them into Australia.

Thanks gunmaker and dpcd.

The 'device' looked like a heavy, steel skate board with a large L bracket at the back to which a slip-on recoil pad was attached. On the front I put a sand bag mounted on a small bottle jack, the mass of which may have broken the camel's back. It was very comfortable to use and for a few shots my mate got excellent groups from his new rifle. I had used it previously with my Sako 338WM without trouble but the cheesy stock of that Zastava was a bit more sensitive ...

That reason for freeing the bedding is interesting, gunmaker. Previously, I'd read that for optimal vibrations the barrelled action needed to be able to move back and forward again, an outlook I don't see when it comes to heavy kickers. I think I might leave the full contact bedding in place and see what happens. With luck the lack of movement will mean bedding won't get shaved off; if it does, I'll free things up later.

I'm not sure I could fit any tape on the front of the lug, dpcd, but if I could, what should it achieve? I haven't found any of the crossbolts here yet, but believe some were offered at the recent Shot Show.

your "skateboard" broke your other stock. I wouldn't use one.

The relief on front, bottom and sides is so the bedding doesn't get shaved during assembly, Not when shooting.

I'm not sure who wrote about an action needing to move back and forth, but I'd guess they didn't build consistently accurate rifles with that "built in" feature.

There are two reasons for the tape on the front, sides and bottom of the lug. First is James' reason. Second is if you bed it with no clearance, and the lug has a rough finish or is not square you will never get it apart.

On integral lug actions, like a Mauser, I mill the lug with a slight .5-1 degree taper to the front and sides so this can't happen. The back surface is squared to the bottom of the action when I clean it up.

As to action movement in the stock, that is what you are trying to eliminate. The action should be rock solid in the stock. The barrel should be able to move in a circle around the axis of the bore, but the action must anchor the barrel solidly. Benchrest shooters often permanently epoxy the action to the stock and don't even use action screws.

Hopefully, my comments don't confuse the issue.

Jeremy

Thanks for that, guys.

Yes, gunmaker, I have retired the skateboard and have no further inclination to use it. It has informed my opinion of all such things, though.

I haven't tracked down any crossbolts yet, dpcd, but will find one somewhere.

The bedding was a bit tight when we first took the rifle apart, farbedo, but is OK now. So, I'll just make sure there are no shavings in there and try not to create any more.

My source of that opinion about allowing the action to return to battery was Centrefire Rifle Accuracy by W. Hambly-Clark Jnr, a man mainly concerned with target and varmint rifles, though I know he has made others up to 375 H&H magnum, at least.