Recoil lug thickness studies

I agree. I have 4 Tikkas all with multiple barrel changes and every one is still running the original factory style lug. They are in aluminum bedding blocks but still, the lugs are in great condition. Only a small amount of mechanical locking is necessary. Anything more is up selling and fluff.
Aluminum bedding blocks, properly bedded...those facts make the difference.
 
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Question. After reading comments about the recoil lug being bent and also distorting the action during recoil, I was wondering if a rifle is bedded in an solid aluminum or carbon fiber chassis or if it has an aluminum bedding block in a wood/fiberglass stock, maybe it would be better to remove the recoil lug and let the aluminum block absorb the recoil???

By removing the recoil lug, maybe it would permit the action recoil vibrations to be absorbed more gently by the entire length of the aluminum block/chassis. Sort of a mini free recoil effect, thus not distorting the action. Has anyone tested removing the recoil lug in a chassis or bedding block rifle and letting the chassis free-recoil?
 
Question. After reading comments about the recoil lug being bent and also distorting the action during recoil, I was wondering if a rifle is bedded in an solid aluminum or carbon fiber chassis or if it has an aluminum bedding block in a wood/fiberglass stock, maybe it would be better to remove the recoil lug and let the aluminum block absorb the recoil???

By removing the recoil lug, maybe it would permit the action recoil vibrations to be absorbed more gently by the entire length of the aluminum block/chassis. Sort of a mini free recoil effect, thus not distorting the action. Has anyone tested removing the recoil lug in a chassis or bedding block rifle and letting the chassis free-recoil?
Fastest way to ruin a rifle and stock. All the recoil energy will be directed at the two action screws and the point of the stock touching the screws towards the shooter. JMHO anyways. I am not a gunsmith.
 
On my wooden stocks, besides glass bedding the action, I added a RECOIL ROD to supplement the recoil lug which would theoretically take some of the pressure off the recoil lug recoil.

A 3-4 inch long hole was drilled into the wood stock aft of the action at a downward angle into the handgrip. A threaded metal rod, glued in with epoxy, was fitted into the hole so that it touches the rear of the action. I usually glass bedded the action 1st, then after curring, added the rod to touch the back of the action. This rod also strengthens the wooden handgrip.
 
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Fastest way to ruin a rifle and stock. All the recoil energy will be directed at the two action screws and the point of the stock touching the screws towards the shooter. JMHO anyways. I am not a gunsmith.
Makes sense. I forgot about the action screws. They need to be protected.
 
I have a drawer full of bent and distorted Savage and Remington factory recoil lugs. Often when I measure them they vary .003 or more side to side. Most Savage factory recoil lugs will be bent after shooting a bit.
For those that argue that it is impossible to bend a factory recoil lug haven't taken many apart.
If I am going to take the time and expense to properly bed a rifle then I will want a properly ground and hardened recoil lug.
I'f you want to get rid of those Remington lugs, I'll gladly pay for the shipping. I mean they're bent and no good. Let me know what you have.
 
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These rifles must have massive punishing & destructive recoil forces. Possibly, rifle could be placed in a spring type gun mount to absorb massive recoil.

And not only that, I'll go out on a limb and say there is no fiberglass, wood or any synthetic material stock that has more strength than a steel lug. So if you bend a lug, you have another whole problem to address and deal with.
 
I don't disagree, but it is a force over area thing. The damage to the stock from a bent lug might not be catastrophic. It may not even be all that obvious to a layman.

If the bedding wasn't great to start with then the barreled action got a running start at hitting the stock. Each time likely adds to the running start distance.

I don't like it and won't do it on my own rifles, but this where tightly bedding the front of the lug can add some lug bending resistance to the system.
 
I saw Larry Potterfield do exactly what Justme2 described in his video " Building the nearly perfect Safari Rifle. " Makes perfect sense to me, especially in a hard recoiling magnum. Thanks Me2
 
I saw Larry Potterfield do exactly what Justme2 described in his video " Building the nearly perfect Safari Rifle. " Makes perfect sense to me, especially in a hard recoiling magnum. Thanks Me2
I just bedded the recoil lug on my M70 300 WM. The way the factory was doing it in the mid 90's was with something that looked like hot glue, which over time dissintegrated. My action does not move now at all.
 
Photos of a .375-.338 Ruger M77 MKII. Rifle was bedded with .10-inch thickness of steel & epoxy mix behind recoil lug. The recoil lug is integral with receiver being investment cast stainless steel. I placed a 1/8 inch steel machine screw behind recoil lug recess about .30 inch behind recoil lug. I dipped the machine screw in epoxy & turned in then filed & sanded it flush with stock. After all that I noticed stock deformation behind tang - the tang was being pushed into the stock by recoil despite steel epoxy & cross bolt. I then relieved about .020 space behind tang.

IMG_1935.JPGIMG_1934.JPG

Load is somewhat under 70 grains of 4350 type powder & a 300 grain bullet. I like to shoot at railroad tie pieces with the 300 grain RN PPU bullet.

No hydraulic & spring force absorption but movement within stock. I thought stuff did not move.
 

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