Recoil lugs , what size and material

[James Jones]

I've seen several differant recoil lugs on the market some are a bit thicker than others and have differant shapes so the question for you smiths out their is , Is their realy any differance between a lug thats .250" think or one thats .330" thick , I meen can one flex that much in say a 308 caliber?
Also , other than the weight savings , what is gained by using a Titanium lug over a regular SS one

 

[Pete Lincoln]

JDJ. the main reason for swapping out the recoil lug on say a Remy 700 or a savage is that the darn things don't always come particularly square from the factory and it can't hurt to have a lug that is a little fatter. I use the Badger stainless steel lugs on my remingtons as a rule. my estimate is that the thickness that comes from the factory will do, but once you have milled the sod square and flat its then to darn thin. Hence some smiths turn the old remmy lugs in to bottle openers and replace them. Its just the sensible thing to do whilst rebuilding a rifle. I don't think the few ounces saved with a titanium log over a stainless one is worth the extra cost,, but i would always use a stainless one over a chrom moly one for rust considerations. (due to my Scotland experiences !!)
Pete

 

[chris matthews]

Weight is about the only savings with a Ti lug and it ain't much....
In a 308 a 0.250" is certainly enough, in a "magnum" a 0.313" would be better- but it's not the thickness that is the issue here- look at the two side by side- a 313 lug generally has a longer "foot" sticking below the barrel than a 250 lug- more surface area- however if it was only 250 thick then it would flex just like the factory lug. So that's why one is thicker than the other....make sense?