Help to stiffen my stock to improve accuracy?

[ricky5042]

Hi all
Here are some pics of my stock on my howa rifle, its a hogue rubber over moulded stock.
The grip is great but the fore end of the stock flexes quiet a lot and its only pillar bedded and there is loads of gap behind the recoil lug on the action, so what I was going to do was to try and bed it properly where the lug is but am unsure as to the best thing to use? and if you look at the pics you will see the cross sections In the bottom of the stock from the factory which are supposed to give it some rigidity which they don't!
they are way below the free floating barrel so I was thinking of filling the bottom of the stock with some sort of bedding to fill the bottom and leak over each rib so it connects them all together and give it some strength
and make it more rigid, so what would you suggest to use to fill the bottom of the stock? I was going to use some Milliput Standard Yellow-Grey 4 oz Two Part Epoxy Putty to bed the recoil lug and its not practical to use it for the rest of the stock, one option was to use some resin as it will find its own level and should set hard enough to stiffen the stock.
any ideas would be very welcome

Thanks

 

Rick

[ejg223]

Best advice would be to save money for a good stock. Second best would be to find a laminated or wooden stock and pillar bed.

Worst advice would be to stiffen up the plastic stock.

If you decide to stiffen up the stock I think the best way of doing it would be by reinforcing the forend and bedding in the same go. To stiffen up a forend and not add huge weight one is best off to create a sandwich construction forend using glass or carbon fibres. Would be the best to run the reinforcing fibres under the bedding.

Not exactly the same, however a thread I put up about a timber stock that I did a while back and materials used.

 

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php/1110-Ruger-bedding-job?highlight=ruger+bedding

 

http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php/1019-Epoxy-for-bedding-or-repair?highlight=ruger+bedding

 

edi

[ricky5042]

Hi edi

I was going to get a laminate thumbhole from howa see pic

But when I e-mailed howa they replied saying this particular stock has been discontinued!

so iv been looking for a second hand one with no luck so the next option was as first post.

 

Rick

[NICK]

Hi Rick.

May I suggest you have a chat with Joe West Rifle Stocks? They seem able and willing to accommodate if they can and the people who know about these things rate their Stocks highly.

 

Nick.

[ricky5042]

Hi Nick

Thanks il look them up

 

Rick

[tackb]

the howa is a good rifle generally let down by poor standard stocks , a friend has one which has been pillar bedded into a McMillan and it's a cracking bit of kit now !

 

I'd look to replace the stock in your situation.

[ricky5042]

Hi tackb

The rifle is a good shooter already but to get the full potential I will need to do some thing with the stock as it crap!

That is my second option if I cant stiffen it up is to look at a new stock, short on pennies at the mo which is why I

was going to try this first.

 

Rick

[tackb]

try ringing the rifle builders , one of them may have a better style of howa stock they have taken off for a custom type build?

[Akeld]

http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/product.htm?pid=6863&cat=1220

[KAW2810]

I had a Hogue stock on my Howa and it was terrible.

I ended up getting a Bell and Carlson one for it which improved it no end.

It's now been rebarreled and had a full bedding job done by Dave and it shoots better than any rifle I have ever owned.

[ejg223]

By the way, I have a Manners stock here that we just re-sprayed in OD green. It belongs to gyr from this site. The stock has a glued in AI mag system for short action. 223-308. Price can be found out by PM to gyr

 

edi

[ricky5042]

Hi

Good idea I never thought about asking builder if they have one better than mine.

Akeld, I don't like that type of thumbhole! I prefer the thumbhole stock like the pic I posted.

I will have to look at bell and carlson and see if I like them.

edi, thanks for the heads up will it fit the howa action? I will pm him for price/pics

Thanks

 

Rick

[Akeld]

 

Akeld, I don't like that type of thumbhole! I prefer the thumbhole stock like the pic I posted.

 

 

My apologies, I'll try harder next time

[ricky5042]

l

 

 

My apologies, I'll try harder next time

lol that's ok

[gunner]

l

 

lol that's ok

Crumbs why dont you two get a room !

[FOXANDY]

shhh hes trying to stiffen his ***ck

[Missed]

I use my howa around seawater so I decided not to put a good stock on it. I stiffened the stock using two aluminium arrow shafts and some marine grade epoxy. I now have a stock that takes the abuse of being around the cages but is very, very stiff.

[ricky5042]

From what iv been looking at I can do similar to my stock with a resin based bedding to fill all the space in the bottom

of the stock to just over the sections and once cured should be as good as yours im going to bed the recoil lug first

so should be perfect for now.

[Chanonry]

tried that on a Steyr. Don't waste your time, get a new stock

[Napalmio]

You can stiffen the stock with carbon arrow shafts and epoxy, and also shave a bit off the top fore end to reduce the chances of contact with the barrel, but I gave up on both my Hogue stocks in the end and fitted Axiom stocks. I gained a significant improvement in accuracy with both rifles (223 and 308), with carefully developed loads the 223 went from 5/8" to 3/8" 5 shot groups and the 308 from 7/8" to just under 1/2". I know you're trying to avoid spending the wonga and a bit of stiffening and bedding won't hurt for now, but long term I'd highly reccomend the comfort and adjustability the Axiom brings for a reasonable cost, and of course there's no worries about rain, humidity and general care that a decent wooden stock will bring.

[The Gun Pimp]

ricky - basically, you have a plastic washing-up bowl which just happens to be shaped like a stock.

 

Ringing round gun-builders to see what they have in their scrap-bin is a good idea but it will inevitably need work to get it to fit your action.

 

Joe West (dorg on this forum) can sell you a new stock inletted for a Howa. It might cost a few £££ more but it will be the best you can get.

 

Tisme has a Howa in a laminate stock that works pretty well - maybe he will comment.

[Brillo]

I invested in a Bell and Carlson Medalist. The improvement was VERY noticeable. Recommended.

[ricky5042]

Hi

Thanks for the input guys

One of the guys down my club has an Axiom stock on his howa which he said I can have a go with next time were at bisley

I have started a new stock fund

 

Rick

[Ronin]

I haven't got any Howa stocks, though I've built plenty of accurate rifles using PSE composites (Edi) on the forums products.

 

Like others have said Joe West also make good laminate products for the Howa.

 

Bin the stock, save your money and buy a decent good quality product ……..

[The Gun Pimp]

Fox Firearms used to have a few Axioms when he was a Howa agent - he might have an odd one lying about.