Stock Inletting question - Mauser 98 25-06 custom in Boyd's stock

[cash_tx]

Apologies in advance if this gets a little bit long-winded, but the detail may be necessary in order for someone to properly render advice. I have this project rifle that I have been tinkering on-and-off with for a little over a year; which started with a Boyd's 95% inletted walnut stock blank for a Mauser 98 large ring action that I had sitting around, and went looking for a donor rifle. Within a couple months, I found a donor rifle at a local gunshow which was comprised of a surplus DWM Mauser 98 action paired to a 26" barrel (brand unmarked and unknown) chambered in 25-06 Remington. I initally did some inletting for the bolt handle and a slight bit of inletting in the barrel channel; but otherwise the barrel action pretty much dropped right in. Haven't messed with it much since then other than a few trips to the range, but I'm getting back on the job.

Here is the issue I'm running into: While the barreled action and the bottom metal can each be freely and easily inserted into their respective spots in the stock when done independently from each other, they somehow get bound up with each other when screwed together in the wood stock. When I put them together outside of the stock, they mate up and separate easily and smoothly; with the right amount of spacing between the mag well and the action; and also the action screws are very easy to install and remove. Also, for discussion's sake, the barreled action came in a Ramline synthetic stock when I bought it; and that too is very easy to install and remove this barreled action in. When I try to mount them in the wooden stock, the barreled action drops right in; and the bottom metal can be pushed up from the bottom "almost" flush, with the front of the bottom metal not quite going in all the way (there is about 1/16 - 1/32" still protruding out the bottom). The action screws insert freely, and the front action screw will pretty easily snug the front of the bottom metal the rest of the way in when screwed home.

So, there is something about this wooden stock that is keeping them from properly aligning with each other, and jamming the barreled action and bottom metal together; making them difficult to separate. Upon close examination, I believe I have determined that the barreled action is sitting just slightly more forward of the bottom metal; and that is causing them to get bound up when squeezed together within the wood around the recoil lug area. More specifically, I think the blind hole for the front action screw (under the recoil lug) is just slightly forward of its counterpart on the bottom metal. When screwed together, I think they are getting jammed up against the front of that hole in the wood where the front action screw passes up into the recoil lug; and that pressure is what is making them difficult to separate later on. Using my best efforts at measuring with my micrometer, I think they are mis-aligned by about .010", with the barreled action a little too far forward (or alternatively, the bottom metal a little too far back). Hence, I think the solution to my problem is to remove a little wood to allow slightly more space for them to better align.

My question is: Should I relieve wood from the bottom side of the stock to allow the bottom metal to move more forward, or should I relieve wood from the top side to allow the barreled action to go a little further back? I am including a number of pictures below to give you an idea of how things look right now. As best I can tell, if I relieve wood on the bottom; I can see about three spots that I think wood will need to be removed from the front. If inletting on the top side, I think there up to five points that I might have to relieve wood from. I am leaning more towards relieving wood on the bottom side not only because I believe there are less relief points, but I also don't want to risk getting out of alignment with the bolt handle groove. I've tried to highlight the relief points in some of the pictures below.

Thanks in advance for any guidance that any of the members can offer. I've done very little stock work myself at this point, and am very much an amateur; so I greatly appreciate any help that the resident experts can offer.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Don't be afraid to whittle liberally on the internal of stock mag well to loosen things up. Your final step will be to glass bed it and that will fill any internal voids. For cosmetic purposes you want to maintain a tight fit at the floorplate (which at present looks very good), so I would go to work on top end of stock mag well first. In that light caliber don't worry about leaving any relief at the wrist end of tang and trigger guard. Only for thumper guns do you need to worry about recoil causing stock to chip in those areas.

Is the barrel free floating?

 

[cash_tx]

Don't be afraid to whittle liberally on the internal of stock mag well to loosen things up. Your final step will be to glass bed it and that will fill any internal voids. For cosmetic purposes you want to maintain a tight fit at the floorplate (which at present looks very good), so I would go to work on top end of stock mag well first. In that light caliber don't worry about leaving any relief at the wrist end of tang and trigger guard. Only for thumper guns do you need to worry about recoil causing stock to chip in those areas.

Is the barrel free floating?

Thank you, and much appreciated. I was planning to inlet at the bottom; however, I agree with you that it looks pretty good at the moment, so maybe it makes more sense to relieve wood on the topside. I think there is a fair amount of slack for most of the internals, aside from the binding around the recoil lug action screw area. I do plan on glass bedding this action when done, using a two point skim bedding technique at the recoil lug and rear tang. At the present, the barrel is already free floating because I relieved a little wood from the barrel channel when I first installed the action on the stock.

 

[cash_tx]

Follow-up question regarding the best tools to use (as an amateur). While I do have a Dremel tool and several bits, I am thinking it might just be better and safer for me to use a small round woodfile or sandpaper wrapped around a pencil for relieving this tiny amount of wood.

 

[cash_tx]

Here are a couple more pics that help show the clearance around the magazine well.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

You've got plenty of gap around the mag box at top side. It does look tight around the forward action screw. A small gap between the top of mag box and receiver is okay. That ensures the action is pulled down tight to the wood. Actually, fit doesn't look too bad to me. Loosen up the front action screw hole top to bottom and see if it fits looser. No problems opening that area liberally. It's hidden from view. Glass bedding should fill that zone anyway. Buy a thin rattail file at hardware store. A chainsaw file might even work.

The glass bedded actions on both my Mauser 98 and Springfield 03A3 are snug enough that I have to push out the bottom metal (trigger guard/mag box) when I disassemble the guns.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Hmm. Forward action ring is definitely seated too high. Remove some wood forward and aft of that ring. See the red lines in attached. Don't take that much wood off (poor graphic editing). Dremel tool will do the job. Drum sander and carving bit. Again, if you take a bit too much, don't worry. Glass bedding fills it in as needed.

 

[cash_tx]

Hmm. Forward action ring is definitely seated too high. Remove some wood forward and aft of that ring. See the red lines in attached. Don't take that much wood off (poor graphic editing). Dremel tool will do the job. Drum sander and carving bit. Again, if you take a bit too much, don't worry. Glass bedding fills it in as needed.View attachment 577909

Thank you, that is extremely helpful! What would be my point of reference to know when the forward action ring is sitting deep enough?

I think I will also need to relieve some of the wood directly behind the recoil lug so it will slide back just a bit.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Thank you, that is extremely helpful! What would be my point of reference to know when the forward action ring is sitting deep enough?

I think I will also need to relieve some of the wood directly behind the recoil lug so it will slide back just a bit.

Yes. Try removing wood from the lower edge of recoil lug seat first. You can dust the action with chalk (hardware store sells powdered colored chalk for chalk line tools) and see where the contact is.

The action screws should pull the receiver down into the stock so the front ring seats into the stock. Ideally there would be no gap between the sides of ring and stock. However, a bit of a gap is no big deal. Bedding will fill it. Looks to me like there is too much gap. Also, the bolt release lever seems to be seated too high. I'm thinking the whole action is tipped up back to front. Let me take some photos of my Mauser.

 

[cash_tx]

Yes. Try removing wood from the lower edge of recoil lug seat first. You can dust the action with chalk (hardware store sells powdered colored chalk for chalk line tools) and see where the contact is.

The action screws should pull the receiver down into the stock so the front ring seats into the stock. Ideally there would be no gap between the sides of ring and stock. However, a bit of a gap is no big deal. Bedding will fill it. Looks to me like there is too much gap. Also, the bolt release lever seems to be seated too high. I'm thinking the whole action is tipped up back to front. Let me take some photos of my Mauser.
View attachment 577924
View attachment 577925View attachment 577927View attachment 577928
View attachment 577931

Excellent, thank you! Comparing your photos to mine, I can definitely see what you're talking about. Much appreciated!

 

[steve white]

You are too far along to even think of pulling out a Dremel tool. Use Prussian blue to TELL you where to remove wood. Don't guess. Even if you are glass bedding later, it takes your workmanship to a higher level to get as close as you can. And if you can do it well enough not to need glass bedding, then your stock really goes up! Don't let the mag well get squeezed too tight. You don't want things binding--that introduces inaccuracies as well.

 

[John Telford]

Carbon deposit from a candle or lamp also work as a guide as to where to remove wood.

 

[supergrizzly]

All great advice here but just to add to Steve and John's comment. Light a candle with a long wick that makes some smoke. Hold the floor plate edges along where the smoke comes off. It will leave a sooty coating on the metal. Lightly tap it into place and wherever there is black soot on the wood, carefully scrape or file it away and repeat process. Only take a shaving off, not too much and eventually it will fit together nicely. One thing I noticed from your 6th picture is that the front screw hole does appear to be a little off register with the wood. Make sure you blacken that part of metal and look closely for it on the wood. If that front screw binds even a little it will do what you are saying. Prussian blue wood work the same way.