Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing tightening stock screws

Thanks for your help here guys, before I even get started. We put a Ram Line fiberglass stock on JustOneGunner's blued Model 7, and I'm wondering what is the correct way to tighten the stock screws. I don't have a torque wrench, but would appreciate if someone could give me some advice on the correct way to tighten these up.

Thanks,

GG

You don't need a torq wrench, shooters been doing it for years without all that stuff..Perhaps a bench rest gun gets some kind of positive results, but I really doubt it..I know some top bench resters that laugh at the practice and others that say it can't hurt, but don't know of any real control tests that have been done..I do know the American shooter can be sold a bill of goods pretty easy, just look at all the tricked up stuff out there.

I tighten the front screw fairly snug then the rear snug, then go back and tighten the front tight, then tighten the rear tight then take a half turn off the rear. Center screws? I usualy glass a block in the stock and use a wood screw.I don't want to use the center screw as it tends to warp the action or at least barely snug it up will probably get you by.

Thanks for the reply. I'll be working on this gun soon and will use your advice.

Not done any science, but I suspect that with a well bedded action and a stable stock, snug to tight will have little to no effect. I would think it obvious that point of impact inconsistencies would surface with poorly bedded units employing pressure points or stocks that simply stress ones action in one way or another.

If accuracy is the goal, any activity that can bring about a consistent set of conditions should help. A torque wrench is one tool that fits into that realm. I do not use a torque driver with any of my rifles, but I have expended considerable time assessing the bedding characteristics of each.

ya what 1minute said!

This is just an out of the box Ram-line stock. How do I go about determining if I have pressure point issues? Thanks for the info, guys.

BTT re: pressure points.

Not a gunsmith, but one could think that shooting it will tell you a lot

Gopher,

I would go out and get the longest 1/4-28 screws I could find at the hardware store, cut off their heads and use them as inletting screws. (Or buy inletting screws from Brownells)

Thread these headless screws into front and rear action holes.
Coat the bottom of the action with some lipstick and then set the action into the stock using the inletting screws to guide you. When the action bottoms out just press it lightly down and then remove the action and observe where it is making contact with the stock (the lipstick will be transferred to the high points on the stock). If you have pretty even contact you'll be fine. If just a coupla small points of contact are made you can remove material from the high spots and retry the action. do that until you get relatively even contact and then you can use the method Mr. Atkinson described to tighten the action screws.

Thanks guys, appreciate the help.