Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

[C1AY7ON]

I just got a new Bell & Carlson Tactical Medalist stock from Stockys Stocks and there is a rough area around the bolt handle area. It looks like shit and is quite rough to the touch. It almost looks like someone messed up and tried to build the area up with some sort of compound. The rest of the stock looks pretty good and feels solid. Is this normal or something I should be concerned about? I'm considering doing an RMA on this thing...

 

[darrenk75b]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

Pretty normal actually. If you want, take a file to it lightly to smooth it out. Once your action is bolted in though you will never notice.

 

[jwp6114]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

agree, i have actually seen worse finnish quality from them.

 

[jasonk]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

Looks good to me. Put the rifle in there and go shoot.

 

[C1AY7ON]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

Yeah I can definitely sand the edges down a bit to make it look a little more finished. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a defect or blemish that I should consider returning the stock for. Guess I expected too much out of a $420 stock.

 

[Beef82]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

I don't recall anything like that on mine. Looks like some excess material, return it if you want, but it shouldn't harm anything.

 

[rifleman700]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

This is very typical of a B&C stock. 2 minutes with a file and you will be good to go. I have always considered B&C a step below H-S. Don't forget to skim bed it!!

 

[catronro]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

Same thing on mine... File it down and shoot

 

[C1AY7ON]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

Got her mounted up this morning. Looks and feels a million times better than the factory stock. Can't wait to see how she shoots. I didn't do any kind of bedding.

 

[Lockback]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

completely normal. B&C is a great value but they need minor work sometimes. make sure you clearance the stock. sand out any excess material that may be on the block....especially where the action makes contact make sure its sitting on the block not ontop of material that is sitting on the block. I never bedded mine and its a very accurate rifle but I took about 3 hrs of sanding to get it to fit just right. the rear tang area was almost completely covered in material, i had to trim the bottom for my floor plate to sit in flush, and the area for the bolt had to be sanded back as it wouldn't allow the bolt to fully close. make sure you torque it to 68 inch pounds. i took a magic market and coated the front of the block where the front action screw comes through, took it out shot and took it back off to ensure the contact points were where they were supposed to be, they weren't but some light sanding in the trough and it was good. great value, i'll be bedding mine soon, and would certainly buy another.

regards,
Rusty

 

[TGagnon]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

It looks like it was just a bit of mold flash. I prefer it if an item comes with that as it shows they didn't remove to much material and left enough for final fitting.

 

[leadbullet]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

that is normal, you get what you pay for. More expensive stocks require less work.

 

[KYS]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jasonk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Looks good to me. Put the rifle in there and go shoot. </div></div>

Amen, that is some picky stuff if you are worried about a little extra material! Go out and put rounds down range.

 

[Lockback]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

yeah if it looks good surely it will shoot good. you do get what you pay for, sure the b&c is a cheaper option but a great deal. patience and attention to detail saves money and frustration. afterall i thought that was the key to becoming better at anything. personally i would like to know that i shanked a shot because of me not my equipment. take the time to be "picky" and you'll reap the benefit, unless you're not picky enough to want .5 moa when 1 moa is good enough. not trying to measure anything here there are certain parts of my body that will be 6.5 inches any day of the week no matter how much the ruler costs. The rifle does look great.

Rusty

 

[WRENCHHEAD]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

Normal. But i would also check to see if the bolt handle makes contact with the bottom of the notch. Every stock i've used needed to be opened up a bit. From B&C to MCM's. And everyone in between. I just do this to insure consistent lock up in the bolt.

 

[jarhead_h]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

I bought my because there just aren't too many options available for a 98mauser.

When I got it out of the box my latent OCD kicked and I started sanding certain areas and doing a little reshaping. For instance cutout for the bolt handle is going to be refilled and then redone and I had to do a little work around the bolt release.

Does anyone know what solvents could be used to get rid of the factory paint without hurting the substrate? I hate that black drizzle it came with and I don't trust the paint not to peel eventually. Will sand if I have to.

 

[Lockback]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

I have punished more then a couple of these stocks and the outside finish has stood up to it but i'm not running my stock over with jeeps like on the mcmillan video either. I'm not a huge fan of the drizzled black on them either. I'm sure sanding would be the best option to prep it for a new paint job.

 

[C1AY7ON]

Re: Rough area on new B&C stock - is this normal?

Appreciate the advice everyone. This is my first bolt gun and first aftermarket stock...just didn't know what was normal. I'm still learning...

I sanded down a bit of the build up in the bolt handle area...the bolt locks up perfectly with good clearance and looks much better. I also did a quick once over in the bedding area and removed a bit of paint towards the rear pillar. Didn't really look like much else was needed.

I am loving this stock so far...it fits me like a glove and is very solid. I'm kind of a big guy and the factory stock just didn't fit me at all. I could never really get comfortable behind the gun and I'm sure my shooting was suffering because of it.

Hoping to get to the range this weekend.