Stevens 200 stock ideas...

E

eljefe

Guest
G'day from Oz.
I've been lurking here a few months and am on my way to a doctorate...thanks to the info I've gotten from you guys.
So, I went and bought myself a 223, dies, cases, 3-9 Burris ballistic plex, 55,69 and 75 Hornady bullets, Acraglass gel etc-that was 2 months ago.The 'permission to acquire' came a few days ago, and I had zeroed down to a Stevens200

That 223 was to shoot and see...bed action, skin bed the dednutz mounts, and most other things. The Choate stock I checked on was MORE than the cost of the rifle!
Been reading good things about the 223 Stevens 200 and BAAD things about the stock...
Wondering if you good folk would spend some time helping me with:
Have any of you tried stiffening up the fore end of the 200 with brass or aluminum?
1.Can I run a groove in the last 6 -8 inches of the fore-end and 'bed' some alum or brass tube into this, bed the action...
2.What would be a decent alternate caliber for this action?I could try and get a spare bbl and see how we go

Why do I want to do all this? I flunked gunsmithing school and ended up an ER type
PS I have also started F Class with a 6.5x284 Tikka and Service rifle with a No4 Smelly in 303.
TIA
El Jefe
 
hi ,200 stevens the barrel channel can be stiffed to a certain extent in those manners you mentioned . this will work great for bag shooting or off hand to keep the stock from touching the barrel channel .but will do nothing for the real problem the action area . the reason the rifles are so affordable is because the stocks cost about 10.00 to make . although it seems to be bedded securely to the action it's not . when we talk accuracy i know a lot of guys out there have guns that shoot great at 100yds. but beyond that they just think they missed that is not always the case it is the short coming of the stock . now if accuracy is by design left up to what you are using the gun for . such as predetor hunting, and your shots will fall under 300yds. stiffen the forearm and you should be good to go . if you want to shoot a goffer at 300yds. not going to help . you must bed the action and secure it to the stock . The Rifler
www.therifler.com
 
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I have a savage "tupperware" stock that I worked on for quite a while. You can embed rods in the forearm, or fiberglass & resin, but you end you not being able to cross the area of the recoil lug, and I was not able to get it to be as stiff as I wanted.

I carefully put layers of fiberglas (boat repair, car repair kits) with resin up against the sides of the area beside the magazine (and bedded) in an attempt to make that area more stiff.

My groups did get better, however it is still not a very stiff stock.


I have read others recommending going OUTSIDE and adding stiffening on the outside rather than inside. I almost started that, but decided to buy a stock instead. Stockade Stocks sells a benchrest style stock that fits the savage / stevens action, and if you buy their moneysaver version and fill/paint it yourself, it is about $200. I had them put weight in it, which you might not want if for hunting. I had them NOT put in the space for the magazine, and the stock ended up fitting the action extremely well, so much so that I hated to have to bed it (but did anyway). It is night and day different to have that 3" flat up front with a real benchrest!

I have seen take-off and other wooden stocks for these rifles for sale in the $50 class but was not sure how much stiffer that would be, and I like composite anyway.
 
docsleepy said:
I have a savage "tupperware" stock that I worked on for quite a while. You can embed rods in the forearm, or fiberglass & resin, but you end you not being able to cross the area of the recoil lug, and I was not able to get it to be as stiff as I wanted.

I carefully put layers of fiberglas (boat repair, car repair kits) with resin up against the sides of the area beside the magazine (and bedded) in an attempt to make that area more stiff.

My groups did get better, however it is still not a very stiff stock.


I have read others recommending going OUTSIDE and adding stiffening on the outside rather than inside. I almost started that, but decided to buy a stock instead. Stockade Stocks sells a benchrest style stock that fits the savage / stevens action, and if you buy their moneysaver version and fill/paint it yourself, it is about $200. I had them put weight in it, which you might not want if for hunting. I had them NOT put in the space for the magazine, and the stock ended up fitting the action extremely well, so much so that I hated to have to bed it (but did anyway). It is night and day different to have that 3" flat up front with a real benchrest!

I have seen take-off and other wooden stocks for these rifles for sale in the $50 class but was not sure how much stiffer that would be, and I like composite anyway.
Click to expand...

Good post :)

A friend did the same thing to the forend using long drills, epoxy and threaded steel rod. Ran into the same problem around the recoil lug.

I ran tensioned piano wires thru/around the same area on one of my wooden stocks and built up another with carbon fiber exterior...... LOTTA work.

IMO the Choate is pure-dee junk not worth the price if gifted to you.

Unless you're a real Handy Andy in the shop I'll second the motion of buying a stock. :)

G'luck

al
 
Thank you folks,
Got the rifle today,cant believe the stock is so flimsy-esp the last foot.Wonder what a bipod will do to it?

There go my plans of an el cheapo play around rifle.Looks like I'll have to get a stock for it.Yup, am part termite and love my walnut.But guns and stuff are scarey priced out here, compared to US.Lets see...
 
Those stocks are dirt cheap. I bought one for $25 to have a spare in case I fouled up mine. Sponsors on this site can sell you one for next to nothing.

If you want to use the Savage stock and don't mind "ugly", and have ever done any fiberglass lay up, franklky I would buy fiberglass cloth and the resin (try West Marine, boating company. They have fiberglass epoxy resins that cure in 1-4 hours. Alternatively, buy the slowest epoxy you can find in a hardware store in 45-minute version. Take rifle apart, put on latex glove, have a bowl of Vinegar nearby (takes the rein right off your hands better than anything; stops the reacction), and precut the cloth and lay up about 5- 8 layers on the outside of your stock or until you think it is thicck enough.

I'm holding my old stock right now, and I would go all the wsay from te tip fo the foreend to the pistol grip if I were to try it.

Total cost would probably be about $50. Fiberglass is very easy to sand down once it has completely set; you can get very nice smooth surface. Use a dremel to cut out the trigger hole again. Spray paint with color of your choice after you have sanded to suit yourself and it will be WAY WAY stiffer. People may think it looks odd until you start shooting. I embedded a T nut for the front swivel so I could have a smooth bottom if I didn't want the swivel and wanted to use a benchrest front.

There is a guy at our range who carved out a 3" flat piece of wood adaptor that he then glued to the forearm of his rifle and now can use a benchrest front rest. You could do that and lay a bit of fiberglass over it to secure it to the narrow forearm and you would get much much much less horizontal.

When I went from the narrow forearm to a Stockade Stock 3" benchrest type, and a $160 front rest, my horizontal went from 1/2" to just about a bullet width's worth. (Now if I could get the VERTICAL down....). There is a huge advantage in not having the cant problems etc.

AGain, I'm real happy with the Stockade Stock result. Howver, I kinda wish I had gone with a Lawton or STolle action....maybe next year!

You mentioned bedding the action; this is a must.
 
I did a stock for one of these

I asked on here for a wood stock off a Savage "Package" Rifle and a benovelent fellow sent me one he had taken off. It DID NOT FIT! The action screw holes aren't the same as the Savage.

A friend who is good at making stocks work made it work for me. I haven't shot it since it was transplanted but I am sure it will help.

My Stevens barrel in the bore looks like it was cut with a coal chisel but it shoots pretty well. This is one instance where one should have never looked into the bore with one's bore scope ! :(
 
Thanks Guys!
I did look down the scope with the Mk1 eyeball and saw what looks like a 'spot' about a couple of inches after the chamber.Dont want to 'scope it ( dont have one, and I dont think the surgeons will take kindly to me borrowing their 90 deg scope! :) ) am scared of the chatter marks I'll find...
will run in the barrel soon and see how it goes.Yup,will put the word out for a wood stock for a 110, just in case, and go the marine tex on outside and an aluminum channel 'stiffener' inside route- after I've bedded the action-got me some acraglas gel yesterday.:cool:
 
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big day...

seems we missed a typhoon from the Chile earthquake,rains and wet weather, lets hope I can make it out to the range tomorrow.
I've just tricked up the stevens 200 with a bipod, sling and torqued up the action screws.Scope is on and plumbed/trued.
Lets see how it shoots tomorrow and I'll be back here with feedback and plans
 
any ideas?

SO we are still having the big wet, and I decide I'll do up the stock stiffening with a couple of 3/8" stainless threaded rods and bed the rifle.The stiffening job was uneventful and I carried on with the bedding-essentially the recoil lug and the forward guard screw area.So skimping on the acraglas gel(I'm saving it for the 9.3x62 I picked up last week and its waay pricier than USA) I broke open the 3M SS based 2 part epoxy, (have used it before on wood and gunmetal and it works great) mixed it at the recommended 1:50 and layered it on the designated area, laid the bbl on and taped it for 12 hrs. Pop it out and I get a perfect mold of the stock, with ZERO adherence !
After my eyes went back into the sockets, I set about cleaning the mess from the metal, God bless acetone,rechecked that I did roughen up the contact areas on stock and there was NO oil/wax/release agent on the stock area!
So what am I doing wrong? I admit I have never bedded a synthetic stock...should I break open the acraglas or try again with the 3M or change to JB weld?
 
I suggest that you do an internet search on bedding a plastic stock, or something similar. If I remember correctly, the plastic is "oily" and so resists bonding. JB Weld is probably the way to go, as is making the surface really rough and doing some surface drilling, at angles, to produce mechanical interlocking. I would also try something like acetone for a pre glue surface prep.
 
Yeah the plastic stock

probably will resist anything sticking to it without a real good degreaseing and roughing it up some. Also you might try Boyds for a laminate stock. They might have a 2nd for $50 or so that you finish yourself. Heavier but stiff. Max
 
Boyd Allen said:
I suggest that you do an internet search on bedding a plastic stock, or something similar. If I remember correctly, the plastic is "oily" and so resists bonding. JB Weld is probably the way to go, as is making the surface really rough and doing some surface drilling, at angles, to produce mechanical interlocking. I would also try something like acetone for a pre glue surface prep.
Click to expand...

I've messed around with a cheap stock like this and since I was going to paint it, I went ahead and drilled out holes on both sides of the stock where the pillars would be located and made sure to use enough epoxy (Devcon) so it would flow out and into the holes. The Devcon sanded down pretty well, so you can't tell it's there at all. It did a good job of physically locking the stock and epoxy together. I also had the pillars made out of 5/8" threaded steel rod, so they had a ton of grip.
 
katokoch said:
I also had the pillars made out of 5/8" threaded steel rod, so they had a ton of grip.
Click to expand...
Did the stock withstand the drilling out the old pillars and the new pillar addition?:confused:

Whoo, thanks Guys!
Second attempt, with all the aforementioned...am using up acetone by the liter! and there are 4 holes, factory made around the forward guard screw area on the stock,it was roughened with a wire brush on the dremel, acetoned everytime-ZILCH! Only the recoil lug area came out well! rest of it was a rerun of part1!!:mad:Guess I'll have to be Ol Bruce and go at it again? First time I'm going be bedding a stock in parts...:confused:
Thanks for the Boyd's suggestion,I hope they can ship to Australia.

3rd attempt-
OK, here's what did'nt work
the Permatex and 3M

so, i went searching for JB Weld, no luck.Found another permatex metal bond 2 part and tried it...
an hour later , its still holding, no peel and hard as rock.
I guess I'll give it another 24 hrs and then prep it for the 3M 2 part SS epoxy
The 3/8" rods used for stock stiffening can be seen.
Bad pics, just bought me a new digi as the old faithful went bust...
 

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I have bedded a Rem 700 SPS Varmint. The stock's fore end was very flexible. I removed the majority of the ribs with cutting pliers for safety. I cleaned up with a chisel. I went in & undercut some areas & channels for mechanical binding. Bulldog adhesion promoter was used. I went to a body shop to get it.
I fitted an aluminum C channel which extended close to the recoil lug. Synthetic stock & aluminum were both cut to promote a locking effect with the epoxy. Devcon 10110 Plastic Steel Putty (A). It has held up.

Pics here in post #25
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=474078

I since bedded a wood stock on a Marlin 60. I used some Marine Tex someone had leftover. I also used some Loctite Marine Epoxy. All work but vary on mix ratio, thickness & curing time.

As said buying is easy. DIY has its charm. People need to decide what is right for them. I take it you are not able to just buy whatever you want in your location. The learn curve on DIY can be rough.

You can get driveway markers from Home Depot real cheap. They have a fiberglass rod that is perfect for the fore ends. Not sure if you have a Home Depot near you.

I had a friend leave the ribs in a similar Remmy stock & just fill the boxes with epoxy. It helped.

Good luck,
Mike
 
Thanks Mike for the info-Checked out your post on THR.I wonder what the stock of the remi was?Polyethylene like my stevens?
No ,I cant seem to get Decon here, still searching online.I have used 2x 3/8" threaded stock from the forend, driven under the recoil lug area.That seems to have served the purpose of stiffening the stock to a fair degree.Its the bedding which is driving me nuts.I have bedded wood and metal in the past, single pass, usually with the 3M ss 2 part epoxy.Great results.Until this poly whatever stock
Today's effort was with bostic blue pvc pipe cement underlays first one, wait 30 min, 2nd layer, wait tilll its 'icky' and then TRY to bed with JB weld. Nada, zilch etc.
Looks like its going to be a long wait for a Boyd or a B&C...
 
JohninLV said:
I picked up 200' of carbon fiber tow from EBay for $9. Now all I need is to find a Stevens 200.



John
Click to expand...


TOW???


HEEpers man! you must have time to kill! 'Course you can do some wicked lashes and straps, even build up a nice Wasserman swell on the handle eh...... I shore don't envy you dragging that wicked stuff thru your fingers, warpin' and weftin'......

LOL

:)

al
 
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