700 SPS Tactical stock issue...

[ClemsonCJ14]

I've got myself a .308 SPS Tactical and I remember checking when I first got it about whether the barrel was free floating or not and it was. Well the other day I tested it and it wasn't, and it kinda baffled me. After inspection I noticed that it was because the synthetic material is apparently flexible enough that when the gun is resting on the bipod that I put on the end of the stock, it pushes the stock up into the barrel...which I don't consider to be acceptable when it claims to have a free floating barrel. Because regardless of if it were on the bipod or I were resting it on my hand or whatever, the weight of the gun itself is what pushes the stock upward into the barrel. So my question I guess is, is there something that can be done on my end or Remington's end to fix this issue outside of having to buy a new stock? I plan on it one day but until that time I would like to know that my rifle has a truely free floating barrel rather than just a free floating barrel whenever it's sitting on a shelf.

 

[ClemsonCJ14]

After posting this I did some research. Granted I'm pretty limited as to what I can look at as I'm at work and our computers won't bring up anything that gets flagged as "weapons", but "camouflaged" sites such as this one work. Anyways, from what I found, there are tons of people reporting this issue, however almost all of them say that despite the flimsy stock getting pushed into the barrel, it affects the accuracy almost 0%. So this eases my mind a little, however I still would like yall's input on what you think about this issue or if you've had any experience that prove otherwise.

 

[Tyler700]

This happens with every SPS tactical I have ever seen, including my own. You could reinforce it with something I am sure, but honestly, I would just keep it the way it is until you can afford a new stock. I got the HS precision, and haven't looked back. I went from having a 1.5-2 MOA rifle to a sub .5 moa rifle. Granted, the stock is skim bedded on top of the alum. bedding block, AND my handloads got better. Maybe I could try some of my old loads and see how much of the accuracy increase was actually the stock.. I loved the stock for hunting because of the overmolding and relative light weight, but the new stock wins for sure and was worth every penny.

That said, I have seen people do things SIMILAR to this.


I have even seen people do it with old arrows.

 

[ClemsonCJ14]

This happens with every SPS tactical I have ever seen, including my own. You could reinforce it with something I am sure, but honestly, I would just keep it the way it is until you can afford a new stock. I got the HS precision, and haven't looked back. I went from having a 1.5-2 MOA rifle to a sub .5 moa rifle. Granted, the stock is skim bedded on top of the alum. bedding block, AND my handloads got better. Maybe I could try some of my old loads and see how much of the accuracy increase was actually the stock.. I loved the stock for hunting because of the overmolding and relative light weight, but the new stock wins for sure and was worth every penny.

That said, I have seen people do things SIMILAR to this.
How to Reinforce and Stabilize the Forend on a Wood Gun Stock - YouTube

I have even seen people do it with old arrows.

Thanks for the info man. I may look into that down the road...but as you said and as I've found, it's not really anything that needs to be worried about. Especially considering for now, while I'm learning to be an accurate shooter, it will serve its purpose for hunting and sport just fine.

 

[grit]

A flimsy stock and unbedded action severely effect accuracy, point of impact, consistency, etc.

You must have a stable, rigid platform. You can buy a laminate from Boyds or Stocky's for little money. Pillar bed the action and free float the barrel. The difference is dramatic.

The factory stock can be bedded. You can epoxy rods in the forend. But, the epoxy doesn't adhere well, and you will end up with a mediocre compromise.

 

[ClemsonCJ14]

A flimsy stock and unbedded action severely effect accuracy, point of impact, consistency, etc.

You must have a stable, rigid platform. You can buy a laminate from Boyds or Stocky's for little money. Pillar bed the action and free float the barrel. The difference is dramatic.

The factory stock can be bedded. You can epoxy rods in the forend. But, the epoxy doesn't adhere well, and you will end up with a mediocre compromise.

Well I got to looking at stocks when I got home and I realized that the HS stock that everyone prefers for this rifle isn't too bad. My gunsmith was making them out to be like $600...

 

[grit]

Well I got to looking at stocks when I got home and I realized that the HS stock that everyone prefers for this rifle isn't too bad. My gunsmith was making them out to be like $600...

No. $300-350ish. They are very rugged, and a great price. Many of the really nice stocks are $600+. Perhaps he was including the bedding. There are several laminates you can get into for half the HS. Check Stocky's.

 

[WapitiBob]

I just pillar bedded my Rem SPS Tupperware stock this weekend. Not sure about the contour cut of your tactical stock but a AA battery and 80 grit fit the front end of mine just right. Then a C size battery and 80 grit fit the main action area from the back tang clear to just in front of the recoil lug. About 20 minutes sanding and checking was all it took for a perfect non contact fit.

When bedding I dremmel'd a cpl of the front pockets and put a decent amount of epoxy in there. Stiffened the front end right up.

 

[ClemsonCJ14]

No. $300-350ish. They are very rugged, and a great price. Many of the really nice stocks are $600+. Perhaps he was including the bedding. There are several laminates you can get into for half the HS. Check Stocky's.

All the reviews I read on midway about the HS Precision 5R say that no bedding is needed.

 

[Tyler700]

Bedding wasn't NEEDED in mine.... But it was an improvement!

 

[grit]

All the reviews I read on midway about the HS Precision 5R say that no bedding is needed.

They have a bedding block, like many stocks. The HS blocks are a V. Without bedding they will contact the stock in two lines, parrallel to the action. Lug contact could be good or poor, it won't be perfect. Bedding the action will create 100 % contact and support. Just handling the rifle, you feel a dramatic difference. The stock and action are truly mated. You can also correct minor alignment issues. The HS blocks are often misaligned to some degree.

The stock without bedding is a dramatic improvement of a factory plastic. However, they definitely benefit from bedding. The good news is, they are very nice to bed.