Remington 700 Recoil lug question

[HappyWarrior]

I have a 700 short action and an almost new 243 AI barrel.
I've looked at aftermarket recoil lugs that seem to come in all kinds of thicknesses.
What is the "normal" thickness for one.
How do you determine what thickness lug to buy ?
Thanks !

 

[DJ Fergus]

If memory serves me right, the last factory 700 recoil lug I measured was .185" thick. So that would be normal for a factory 700. Custom rifles are usually .250 but can be anything from .200, .225. up to .300. If you could find out the thickness of the last recoil lug when the barrel was last chambered & installed to an action, this might get you close on head space but no guarantees. You would still want to check it with go & no go gauges.

 

[MagnumManiac]

When I build a switch barrel on a Rem 700, I use PT&G twin pin .250" thick recoil lugs.
The reason is that it has enough meat to resist deformation under recoil and provides a solid platform for a switch barrel set up.
On my bigger builds, 338Edge/338RUM/Lapua or Norma Mag, I run a .300" thick twin pin lug. The reason is the extra meat if it is a switch barrel, although I still use these if it's not a switch barrel too.
On my bigger builds I use a larger diameter recoil lug as well that matches the larger barrel shank.

Cheers.

 

[ButterBean]

I have a 700 short action and an almost new 243 AI barrel.
I've looked at aftermarket recoil lugs that seem to come in all kinds of thicknesses.
What is the "normal" thickness for one.
How do you determine what thickness lug to buy ?
Thanks !

What seems odd to me is a Legend like yourself with all of your wealth and knowledge about everything else would not have known this already or figured it out for himself, I'm disappointed, really I am

 

[Susquatch]

What seems odd to me is a Legend like yourself with all of your wealth and knowledge about everything else would not have known this already or figured it out for himself, I'm disappointed, really I am

I feel like you are having fun, but can't resist commenting.

There is an old saying that I love. It goes like this...... The more you know, the more you know you don't know.....

I've reached that magic point in my life when I have learned so much about so many things that I have finally come to realize that I don't really know squat about anything......

 

[ButterBean]

I feel like you are having fun, but can't resist commenting.

There is an old saying that I love. It goes like this...... The more you know, the more you know you don't know.....

I've reached that magic point in my life when I have learned so much about so many things that I have finally come to realize that I don't really know squat about anything......

I know the feeling

 

[ButterBean]

I feel like you are having fun, but can't resist commenting.

There is an old saying that I love. It goes like this...... The more you know, the more you know you don't know.....

I've reached that magic point in my life when I have learned so much about so many things that I have finally come to realize that I don't really know squat about anything......

And to clarify, I'm dead serious about what said, No offense intended at all

 

[Susquatch]

I have a 700 short action and an almost new 243 AI barrel.
I've looked at aftermarket recoil lugs that seem to come in all kinds of thicknesses.
What is the "normal" thickness for one.
How do you determine what thickness lug to buy ?
Thanks !

Fergus is correct, the standard recoil lug is 0.185.

I mostly use 0.250 because it is quite a bit stiffer without getting gawdy looking and because it is a common choice for bench rest competitors. However, I confess that I have never seen an analysis or even any testing that would vindicate this assumption. Even the venerable Robert Vaughn didn't touch it (at least not in his book).

The only thing you really need to know is that a thicker recoil lug demands an appropriately longer barrel tenon to accommodate the length needed during the headspacing process.

 

[shortgrass]

The point of these thicker lugs is they have ground, parallel sides and the hole is 90* to the flats. IF the face of the receiver is square to the centerline of the action, and the shoulder on the barrel is square to the centerline of the barrel, it only makes sense that the recoil lug, sandwiched between the receiver and barrel, have parallel ground flats for even torque. Put it this way, if the lug happens to measure .187 on one side and .1865 in another place, as the heat starts it will begin to push the barrel, ever so slightly, from the side measuring .187. Make any sense to use flat, ground and parallel?

 

[MagnumManiac]

Fergus is correct, the standard recoil lug is 0.185.

I mostly use 0.250 because it is quite a bit stiffer without getting gawdy looking and because it is a common choice for bench rest competitors. However, I confess that I have never seen an analysis or even any testing that would vindicate this assumption. Even the venerable Robert Vaughn didn't touch it (at least not in his book).

The only thing you really need to know is that a thicker recoil lug demands an appropriately longer barrel tenon to accommodate the length needed during the headspacing process.

Not exactly, it's the barrel shoulder that is actually lengthened to accomodate the extra length of the fatter lug. The tenon and threaded section stay the same.
Wish I could post pics, I have a brand new 6.5 8 twist blank here I have contoured and rough chambered in 264WM, I could show how the tenon stays the same and the Knox form is where the room is made for the recoil lug.

Cheers.

 

[ButterBean]

The point of these thicker lugs is they have ground, parallel sides and the hole is 90* to the flats. IF the face of the receiver is square to the centerline of the action, and the shoulder on the barrel is square to the centerline of the barrel, it only makes sense that the recoil lug, sandwiched between the receiver and barrel, have parallel ground flats for even torque. Put it this way, if the lug happens to measure .187 on one side and .1865 in another place, as the heat starts it will begin to push the barrel, ever so slightly, from the side measuring .187. Make any sense to use flat, ground and parallel?

That's all assuming that the stock bedding is parallel and squared to the lug, granted a parallel lug helps but there us more to it than that if you wanna go down that rabbit hole

 

[shortgrass]

That's all assuming that the stock bedding is parallel and squared to the lug, granted a parallel lug helps but there us more to it than that if you wanna go down that rabbit hole

If the rifle is bedded properly , the the 'tail' of the lug that meets the bedding will be properly supported. The square and even contact of receiver to recoil lug to barrel is 90%, possibly more. Ask me how I know. Maybe it's the 30+ yrs I've been building accurate rifles. Fasten it to a 2 x 4 and it'll perform if you can manage to aim it. In the case of a ground lug, receiver face and barrel shoulder square to the centerline, the metal work matters. Ain't no 'rabbit hole' to it, it's simple mechanics.

 

[Susquatch]

Not exactly, it's the barrel shoulder that is actually lengthened to accomodate the extra length of the fatter lug. The tenon and threaded section stay the same.
Wish I could post pics, I have a brand new 6.5 8 twist blank here I have contoured and rough chambered in 264WM, I could show how the tenon stays the same and the Knox form is where the room is made for the recoil lug.

Cheers.

In both machining and in woodworking a tenon is a projection that inserts into other parts. In my world, the tenon is the outside machined end of the barrel that inserts into the recoil lug and the receiver. The shoulder is only the flat surface perpendicular to the bore line that the recoil lug sits against. The shoulder does not include the short cylindrical surface under the lug. In fact, I've seen many tenons that are threaded all the way to the shoulder with no short cylindrical surface. But I always cut my tenons with a short cylindrical section that is precision fit to the lug. I didn't mention it earlier, but another advantage of the fatter lug is to facilitate a longer cylinder and a wider thread relief cut for us old guys with manual lathes. But hey, as long as we both understand what we mean it's ok by me if our definitions are slightly different. Heck, I even tolerate others calling it the tendon (which I see all the time).

 

[ButterBean]

If the rifle is bedded properly , the the 'tail' of the lug that meets the bedding will be properly supported. The square and even contact of receiver to recoil lug to barrel is 90%, possibly more. Ask me how I know. Maybe it's the 30+ yrs I've been building accurate rifles. Fasten it to a 2 x 4 and it'll perform if you can manage to aim it. In the case of a ground lug, receiver face and barrel shoulder square to the centerline, the metal work matters. Ain't no 'rabbit hole' to it, it's simple mechanics.

If the rifle is bedded properly That's exactly what I'm getting at, You are absolutely correct on everything you said and I have no doubt of your rifle building ability but it still didn't answer the OP's simple question and once again another thread is completely sidetracked