bartsche has just given me the idea of switching the entire barrelled action instead of just the barrel. This would be feasable with Lee Enfiels due to their availability with 'dark' bores at a reasonable price.

The question is this:
How does one solve the problem of bedding the action when the switch is made? For any rifle? The butt should be easy - just bolt it up tight, but the fore-end is going to do something to accuracy or POI if not done 'cleverly'.

The idea is to be able to take more than one caliber on a trip without taking up too much space. Not to mention the added benefit of having just one stock and 'feel' that we are familiar with. The latter reasoning may be more important!

quote:

Originally posted by 303Guy:
bartsche has just given me the idea of switching the entire barrelled action instead of just the barrel. This would be feasable with Lee Enfiels due to their availability with 'dark' bores at a reasonable price.

The question is this:
How does one solve the problem of bedding the action when the switch is made? Do not think it can be done.

The idea is to be able to take more than one caliber on a trip without taking up too much space.
All you are talking about is not having a second stock. Just get two alike, They will feel the same, and the problem is solved.

Keith

There is some (fairly recent) Central European rifle that relies on this system. The name and model escapes me at this very moment, but I seem to recall it is a gun manufactured in either Germany or Austria (?). We shall see if anybody else can give my mind a much required refresher..

I'm sure if you posted this over on www.wildundhund.de/forum (German forum), somebody would be able to fill in the missing pieces.

- mike

You can already do this with a Sauer 202.

When I travel I just take the butt stock off and it really reduces the size of the rifle for travel.

You can then just bring one butt stock and as many barreled actions as you want. You could even do it in wood or plastic.

quote:

Do not think it can be done

What do these words mean? They are not in my vocabulary.

quote:

All you are talking about is not having a second stock.

Exactly!

I am thinking of five or six barrelled actions and one stock. This would be easy with a one-piece type stock. It's the Lee Enfield type stock that is challenging. (To me anyway).
The stock will be hand made by me so making that many identical stocks would be a bit difficult. But if I could find some way of 'pre-bedding' the action ......

GeoffM24
I looked up the link - thanks. That is a novel way of doing it! Not quite what I am looking for but it has given me an idea. A two-piece fore-end! Seat the fore-end into a socket arrangement similar to the butt with an identical head screw. Lose the original butt screw and replace it with a cap-screw. One tool to do the change.

More ideas will be welcome! Please keep them coming. Thanks.

Aren't there a few synthetic stock makers using the aluminuim bedding block system. Free floated barrel.

Same thing right?


Rich

303-Guy-

First off, how accurate do you want all the barreled actions to be? As you know if you've ever shot full-bore competition with the SMLE, it isn't easy to keep ONE barreled action shooting to competitive standards over a whole season (1 MOA or better). Continually taking it apart and putting it back together can turn that into a genuine horror flick with the SMLE.


I think I might opt for something half way between a "switch barrel" set-up and a "switch barreled actions" deal. That is, I think I might get a bunch of different Lee-Enfield rifles set up exactly as I wanted, each complete with it's own buttstock and forend (upper & lower). I'd make the forends (both upper and lower) as skimpy as possible, consistent with good shooting and decent appearance.

Then, when I wanted to go hunting or shooting, I'd pick the one I planned to use as the "primary" that day and chuck it into my duffel bag or case. Then I'd pick the others I wanted to go along, and REMOVE THEIR buttstocks, leave their forends all on, wrap them in individual covers (blankets?) and stuff them in the duffle bag too. If I wanted, I could also remove the buttstock from the primary rifle too, but would take care I didn't forget to take THAT one along!

In the field, when I got through shooting the primary one, I'd put its buttstock on the one I wanted to shoot next.

That way you save the length of carryng complete rifles, and the bulk of having all those buttstocks along. But you wouldn't have to sweat the vagaries of inaccuracy commonly caused by improperly packed-up forends...one of the biggest banes of SMLE shooters.

And then, of course, you'd have them at home all ready to shoot at any time, just in case a mate stopped by and yelled, "Hey, I'm on the way to the hill to shoot some "XXXX"...wanna go? Toss your stuff in the back and let's get on!!!" You could just grab any one of them of appropriate chambering, toss some chips in along with a couple of pints, clambor on board, and go!

.303 Guy! I may have contributed to this Idea??? but you gotta remember that sometimes my pacemaker can overload my key board. roger

quote:

... Then I'd pick the others I wanted to go along, and REMOVE THEIR buttstocks, leave their fore-ends all on, ...

That idea is the most logical. And the simplest! After all, the fore-end does not take up much space and needn't be heavy. And over time, there is no reason not to make a number of identical butt-stocks. In the meantime, one decent butt-stock can be moved around at will while keeping the other rifles on the ready!

quote:

Aren't there a few synthetic stock makers using the aluminium bedding block system. Free floated barrel.

Aahh! I had thought of something like that. Then I thought of a 'sandwich block' come skeleton fore-end into which each barrelled action is bedded that can then accept the 'full' fore-end, much like a shotgun. Appealing because I like a fat fore-end. But to start off with I think I will go with AC's suggestion. I can always change my mind later.