Bed Hogue Stock?

[justgoto]

I'm having a problem with my Howa 1500 30-06 sporting a Hogue OverMolded stock.

A little history:
It has always shot sub .5 moa with all components except the Hornady 220gr RN, those shot just under moa at 300 yards. The rifle is in great condition, (other than my current problem,) the bore is sound with a bit more than 2000 shots. Here it is with about 20 shots through it.

So I am sure the bore isn't to blame.

The problem I am having is bad accuracy, I'm getting about 2moa precision in the last week. I hadn't modified anything until yesterday when I thought the forward portion of the stock was a bit closer to the barrel than usual. So I ground away some of the stock as to give me a bit more room there. I also cleaned the bore thoroughly. Everything went well but I still suffered with bad precision.

I figured it was the summer load not doing well in the colder temperatures, so I preformed a ladder test; here is the ladder target.

It wasn't that windy but I figured 11,12 and 13 were a node; I was wrong, the 3 shot group was about 2moa.

So I figured it could be my stock screws were a bit loose. The didn't seem to be but I tightened them a bit more than I usually do. I usually use a screwdriver type wrench to tighten them as tight as I can with one hand, (I'm not overly strong.)

I tried another group with the charge weight of shot 12,m this time at 100 yards to eliminate outside elements, got about a 2moa group. Tried another load that had shot .5 MOA, got a 1.5MOA group.

So I tried another ladder test; here is that target.

That was more along the lines of what I usually get. The wind was about the same strength and direction as the previous ladder. I think it was shooting correctly at that time. But when I went to shoot the 3 shot group with charge weight of shot 6, I ended up with 5 inches at 300 yards, mostly a vertical deviation. The velocities were 2775, 2782 and 2776.


I think it is a bedding issue.
When I set the receiver in the stock I can move it forward and back 1/32 of an inch; but with the screws snug I don't see movement. I've bedded my sporterized Springfield 03 and the fit is precise, with no screws there is still no movement.

It could be a torque issue.
When I tightened the screws I did notice a temporary improvement, I used the allen wrench type tool that came with the rifle to get that little bit more torque, maybe 1/12 of a revolution more; the handle is 2.75 inches long.
I could tighten it more, there are no spects in my manual, just "tighten." Do you think I might need more torque? I have a ft-lbs torque wrench that goes as low as 20ft-lbs, would that help?


Say I need to bed it...
Is there a special bedding compound that works best with plastic? Is the procedure the same as if I was working with a wood stock? As in grinding material away to make room for a thick bed?

Here are the points of interest on the stock.

Maybe I'm missing something?

 

[Dr. Vette]

I bedded (sort of) my Vanguard into a Hogue stock. A few things to note -

I used Devcon 10110, and if you grind the hard plastic and then clean it I've had sucess getting it to stick.

Don't even think of bedding it to the rubberized coating. Nothing will stick.

I'd bed only the front recoil lug and I think you'll do just fine. Tape the front and sides (NOT bottom) of the lug and off you go. I put a small dab of Devcon around the rear pillar after removing some surrounding material because if you look close the pillar is taller than the plastic. If you do this, put a couple of layers of masking tape on the rear of the rear of the action as it has to be able to recoil a bit rearward. You're just trying to even out the "floor" of that area with the Devcon, nothing more.

Good luck!

 

[justgoto]

I bedded (sort of) my Vanguard into a Hogue stock. A few things to note -

I used Devcon 10110, and if you grind the hard plastic and then clean it I've had sucess getting it to stick.

Don't even think of bedding it to the rubberized coating. Nothing will stick.

I'd bed only the front recoil lug and I think you'll do just fine. Tape the front and sides (NOT bottom) of the lug and off you go. I put a small dab of Devcon around the rear pillar after removing some surrounding material because if you look close the pillar is taller than the plastic. If you do this, put a couple of layers of masking tape on the rear of the rear of the action as it has to be able to recoil a bit rearward. You're just trying to even out the "floor" of that area with the Devcon, nothing more.

Good luck!

Well, you're about 15 minutes late...

I took off a bit more off at the rear than you suggested, but I think it will be ok.

With my Springfield I didn't tape any of the lug and it fits like I think it should. The Howa lug is tapered greatly compared to the Springfield; I'm pretty sure there will be no issues separating the stock from the action when cured.
...

Hopefully I didn't screw it up.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Dr. Vette]

The tape at the rear isn't for easy removal. It's for a little space for the action to recoil backward. You don't want it to get jammed into the stock during recoil, so don't be afraid to remove some material behind it.

 

[justgoto]

The tape at the rear isn't for easy removal. It's for a little space for the action to recoil backward. You don't want it to get jammed into the stock during recoil, so don't be afraid to remove some material behind it.

I'm sorry, I was talking about tape on the lug.

Thanks!

 

[Dr. Vette]

And how did it turn out?

 

[justgoto]

And how did it turn out?

I am not sure yet, after looking at that group I wish I had shot at least one more time.
I'm going to shoot a ladder test to see if I can come up with a more precise load.

 

[justgoto]

And how did it turn out?

Actually, now I think the scope is to blame. :/