Doc Holliday
WKR
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2016
- Messages
- 3,002
OK, here's the situation. I have a big hunt coming up in 3 weeks so Im a bit flustered. This rifle is light, I have a great load worked up for it, and have proven it out to 600 yards with confirmed DOPE, etc. Ive put a good bit of time into getting to this point and was feeling very good about it.
I went to install the Spartan Bipod base on my rifle stock using the sling swivel stud threads, and as I tried to tighten it, it started spinning with no resistance and wouldn't tighten. I tried to reinstall the swivel stud and yep, it spins too. Clearly the T-nut is spinning.
So I take the stock off, and again try to tighten the screw from below and I can see the T-nut spinning. It was basically secured at the factory using a glob of epoxy. I use a screwdriver and remove the epoxy and T-nut. Upon inspection the inside of the T-nut is also corroded, and the teeth that are supposed ot bite and hold it in place are bent and not reusable. I go the hardware store and looked at all their metric, standard, etc. T-nuts, and nothing they had was long enough or the correct size or threads to fit my spartan screw or a sling swivel stud.
So I say to hell with it, I'll just use the shooting V on my tripod or shoot off a pack, so I go back home, go to reinstall my stock and action, which requires 65# torque. As Im doing the final tightening, one of the action screws strips! A hex head. I tried using a rubber band, a latex glove around the bit to give some bite, but niether worked. So now I don't even know if the action screws are tightened properly. Going from bad to worse.
The action screw that stripped was the long one going through the trigger guard. I put a tab of blue loc tite on top and let it settle around the end of the screw body.
Now I want to go to the range just to make sure the action screws will hold under fire, and that accuracy has not suffered, but I have no bipod, so not confident that whatever I see at the range will truly reflect the rifles consistency vs my imperfection. So, Im thinking, get a 2-3 inch piece of pic rail and install on forearm, simply using wood screws from the outside of the pic rail and into the stock....no t-nuts from the other side. Will the screws bite into the carbon and hold, or will the carbon splinter, etc.?
(know this is not a long term solution, but right now trying to decide if I can either get this fixed or if I should take another rifle without these issues that weighs 2 more pounds and is 400 fps slower. I don't have a drill press and vise)
I went to install the Spartan Bipod base on my rifle stock using the sling swivel stud threads, and as I tried to tighten it, it started spinning with no resistance and wouldn't tighten. I tried to reinstall the swivel stud and yep, it spins too. Clearly the T-nut is spinning.
So I take the stock off, and again try to tighten the screw from below and I can see the T-nut spinning. It was basically secured at the factory using a glob of epoxy. I use a screwdriver and remove the epoxy and T-nut. Upon inspection the inside of the T-nut is also corroded, and the teeth that are supposed ot bite and hold it in place are bent and not reusable. I go the hardware store and looked at all their metric, standard, etc. T-nuts, and nothing they had was long enough or the correct size or threads to fit my spartan screw or a sling swivel stud.
So I say to hell with it, I'll just use the shooting V on my tripod or shoot off a pack, so I go back home, go to reinstall my stock and action, which requires 65# torque. As Im doing the final tightening, one of the action screws strips! A hex head. I tried using a rubber band, a latex glove around the bit to give some bite, but niether worked. So now I don't even know if the action screws are tightened properly. Going from bad to worse.
The action screw that stripped was the long one going through the trigger guard. I put a tab of blue loc tite on top and let it settle around the end of the screw body.
Now I want to go to the range just to make sure the action screws will hold under fire, and that accuracy has not suffered, but I have no bipod, so not confident that whatever I see at the range will truly reflect the rifles consistency vs my imperfection. So, Im thinking, get a 2-3 inch piece of pic rail and install on forearm, simply using wood screws from the outside of the pic rail and into the stock....no t-nuts from the other side. Will the screws bite into the carbon and hold, or will the carbon splinter, etc.?
(know this is not a long term solution, but right now trying to decide if I can either get this fixed or if I should take another rifle without these issues that weighs 2 more pounds and is 400 fps slower. I don't have a drill press and vise)