Well why not?

[gvjm]

I just bought a new 308 700 ADL and ordered a new stock for it. While I was waiting I weighed the rifle as it came out of the box. It weighed 6.5 lbs. Remington specs this rifle at 7 1/2 lbs. With my new stock it weighs 7.5 lbs. Now this original stock is a real *** but I started thinking what if I pillar and glass bedded this thing? It's not going to cost that much and theoretically shouldn't add that much weight. taking a pound of a rifle that's going to be lugged around in the hinterlands is never a bad deal! Anybody done this or is it a waste of time?

 

[066wally]

Pillar and glass bed a factory stock? That's where it all started. If it is a plastic stock, I wouldn't bother.

 

[jrock]

I've tried to work over an SPS stock as you say, including stiffening the fore end. Did it more for a project. Sure it worked for the most part. Fore end flex in the vertical direction proved to be the weak link. I still ended up buying a new stock. I sold the stiffened plastic stock on ebay for $80 so that was cool.

 

[Mram10us]

I've done it and they shot great. Got one on the bench now they I reinforced, pillar and steel bedded and still super light. Compare the two on paper at 300-500 and see the difference

 

[Jud96]

I've done this on a few rifles. If you bed them right and do a good job, they shoot well and work. I prefer a little nicer stock, but for a lightweight stock with some work, they do the job.

 

[azsugarbear]

If you like doing projects and learning as you go, working on a tupperware sock can be rewarding. Do a careful job with the pillars and then skim bed the entire action, along with heavy bedding around the lug and the first few inches of the forearm. I then rout out the center of the forearm in front of the bedding and install/bed a square piece of carbon to help stiffen the rest of the forearm.

 

[73driver]

How many extra ounces of bedding compound and stiffening material will you be adding? Consider that. A B&C or HS Precision stock sure look nice.

 

[Alibiiv]

I have a number of rifles, Ruger 77s, that all have their original stocks. And....they all have been glass bedded, the barrel has been floated from 4 inches in front of the recoil lug and then pillar bedded. I have noticed a significant difference in my groups on factory barrels since I have done this. I didn't to it for weight reduction, I simply wanted the rifles to shoot better, and...they all did. I have a friend who shot on the Army rifle team who taught me to measure 4 inches in front of the recoil lug and then free-float the barrel from there. Pillar bedding is not difficult, I've found it a bit time consuming to get the pillars to the right height because I do not have a lathe and have to file; but, it's easily doable. I use Acraglas bedding and I use two layers of Brownell's ".010 Plumber's wrap" tape. The two layers of plumber's wrap tape gives a nice .020 inch even float/space that has a neat clearance between barrel and stock. If you decide to go the plumber's wrap route, put the tape on one layer at a time, otherwise the tape will wrinkle when you try to wrap the tape around the barrel doubled.

 

[Fiddlemeister]

This is a 35+ year old ADL. Whittled down, refinished the stock,glass bedded and floated. Had the barrel cut to 18.5 inches. Baush and Lomb, compact, 2.5-8. Less than 7 lbs. Shoots 1/2-2/3 inch, 3 shot groups with 168's. Longest shot was over 425 yards, bang/flop Whitetail. Now only used as my back up/ bush gun with 180 Nosler Partitions.