but thought, what the heck, accuracy should be better, dont think it'll hurt anything, Tubb says he's convinced.
Gunsmithing Wasnt going to do the oversized recoil lug thing......
- Thread starter JGorski
- Start date
How do you think a thicker recoil lug could possibly affect accuracy? As long as it's straight it doesn't really matter. Maybe shoot more and post pictures less...
I believe that the theory is that the heavier lugs are not as prone to flexing and thus odd harmonic disturbances as the barrel flexes during firing.
Chad Dixon recommends them and that's good enough for me.
Chad Dixon recommends them and that's good enough for me.
but thought, what the heck, accuracy should be better, dont think it'll hurt anything, Tubb says he's convinced.
Make sure you get your gunsmith to pin that to the action. It will better stay aligned when getting barrel work done.
your posts get more bizarre all the time and ill bet this is the hundredth time you have posted a pic of that same 6 creedmore. you need to get out and do more shooting or build a different rifle!
chuck
chuck
In my own builds, I've found that oversized recoil lugs are a good way to become intimately familiar with stock modifications. Oh, but they look cool.
FWIW, GAP installed a wimpy 0.250" lug on my 338LM. Doesn't seem to negatively affect the way that it performs.
FWIW, GAP installed a wimpy 0.250" lug on my 338LM. Doesn't seem to negatively affect the way that it performs.
How do you think a thicker recoil lug could possibly affect accuracy? As long as it's straight it doesn't really matter. Maybe shoot more and post pictures less...
I believe that the theory is that the heavier lugs are not as prone to flexing and thus odd harmonic disturbances as the barrel flexes during firing. I read the same thing somewhere.
your posts get more bizarre all the time and ill bet this is the hundredth time you have posted a pic of that same 6 creedmore. you need to get out and do more shooting or build a different rifle!
At least a hundred times. You guys from the south can talk, maybe you didnt notice what state Im from, we have this white stuff up here, they call it snow, ever hear of it? The range closes the day before deer hunting season and dont reopen til May 1st, gimme a break, ever shoot when your fingers cant feel the trigger? Its 26 fricken degrees right now!! Yeah, the recoil lug, thats for the rebarrel Im having Chad do.
I believe that the theory is that the heavier lugs are not as prone to flexing and thus odd harmonic disturbances as the barrel flexes during firing. I read the same thing somewhere.
your posts get more bizarre all the time and ill bet this is the hundredth time you have posted a pic of that same 6 creedmore. you need to get out and do more shooting or build a different rifle!
At least a hundred times. You guys from the south can talk, maybe you didnt notice what state Im from, we have this white stuff up here, they call it snow, ever hear of it? The range closes the day before deer hunting season and dont reopen til May 1st, gimme a break, ever shoot when your fingers cant feel the trigger? Its 26 fricken degrees right now!! Yeah, the recoil lug, thats for the rebarrel Im having Chad do.
Last edited:
You're not going to get out of it that easy! I went to school in South Dakota and shot all winter, every winter. Can't imagine you're snowed in for the entire time. Time to find a new place to shoot!
"I believe that the theory is that the heavier lugs are not as prone to flexing and thus odd harmonic disturbances as the barrel flexes during firing.
Chad Dixon recommends them and that's good enough for me."
Not exactly, but I appreciate the comment.
I personally have a difficult time visualizing a 3/16" thick piece of heat treated steel distorting under recoil enough to influence accuracy. Maybe it would if an action was rigidly bolted into a steel/concrete fixture that's part of a larger slab on the ground, but from a shoulder fired gun? This leads to a potentially interesting discussion/debate:
The path of least resistance seems to play a dominant theme in nature. Water rushing down a river probably being the most easily recognizable example. In this case the path of least resistance is the lug accelerating the entire rifle into the shoulder of the shooter. To examine it further I'd have to think that a very light barreled action fitted to a very heavy rifle stock poses the biggest demand on a recoil lug.
The energy generated by the cartridge and the mass of the barreled action and stock ultimately decides the amount of kinetic energy and the rate at which it accelerates/decelerates. The lug has to be able to manage this. The choice of material and its tensile strength being the most critical elements in how well it does this. If the gun doesn't exceed the material's abilities then it should work.
In the case of the factory Remington M700 lug, I would have to say that the weakest link isn't nessessarily the thickness of the lug, but the overall shape. The inside fillet/radius where it transitions from round to the lug's flat bottom half seems to me like it would create a location prone to this hyped up distortion. The path of least resistance suggests that if it is going to bend, this is where it'll do it. A broader footprint (spreading the load over a larger surface) seems to make more sense and this is where I personally feel the aftermarket lugs out perform the factory ones.
The last part of this is how it makes you feel as the shooter. We all have our little rituals and quirks. Lack of confidence behind the sights needs to be fixed 1st and if a $50 dollar recoil lug does this then its money well spent in my book.
ME's, feel free to correct anything I've misrepresented. Your education and experience far exceeds mine.
Chad Dixon recommends them and that's good enough for me."
Not exactly, but I appreciate the comment.
I personally have a difficult time visualizing a 3/16" thick piece of heat treated steel distorting under recoil enough to influence accuracy. Maybe it would if an action was rigidly bolted into a steel/concrete fixture that's part of a larger slab on the ground, but from a shoulder fired gun? This leads to a potentially interesting discussion/debate:
The path of least resistance seems to play a dominant theme in nature. Water rushing down a river probably being the most easily recognizable example. In this case the path of least resistance is the lug accelerating the entire rifle into the shoulder of the shooter. To examine it further I'd have to think that a very light barreled action fitted to a very heavy rifle stock poses the biggest demand on a recoil lug.
The energy generated by the cartridge and the mass of the barreled action and stock ultimately decides the amount of kinetic energy and the rate at which it accelerates/decelerates. The lug has to be able to manage this. The choice of material and its tensile strength being the most critical elements in how well it does this. If the gun doesn't exceed the material's abilities then it should work.
In the case of the factory Remington M700 lug, I would have to say that the weakest link isn't nessessarily the thickness of the lug, but the overall shape. The inside fillet/radius where it transitions from round to the lug's flat bottom half seems to me like it would create a location prone to this hyped up distortion. The path of least resistance suggests that if it is going to bend, this is where it'll do it. A broader footprint (spreading the load over a larger surface) seems to make more sense and this is where I personally feel the aftermarket lugs out perform the factory ones.
The last part of this is how it makes you feel as the shooter. We all have our little rituals and quirks. Lack of confidence behind the sights needs to be fixed 1st and if a $50 dollar recoil lug does this then its money well spent in my book.
ME's, feel free to correct anything I've misrepresented. Your education and experience far exceeds mine.
Last edited:
This is our range, they dont get much better than this around here, I dont like the fact I have to wait til May to shoot, I like shooting in warm weather, I cant feel my fingers when its cold, its a circulation problem you see, my hands are freezing right now and its 62F in the house. Id have so many premature firings in these temps it wouldnt be funny, though the CG trigger might help.
http://www.co.marathon.wi.us/Depart...ry/RecreationOpportunities/ShootingRange.aspx
Yep.... makes me think a 1" thick lug would be even better.
I admit that for a full custom rifle, I use the thick one because the chick's dig it.
I got an old 1963 Rem 700 7mmRM with Hart Stainless painted black barrel. I think the dissimilar metal wrecked the recoil lug over the next 39 years.
I made my own recoil lug, but when I lapped it, the part with the hole in it lapped faster, and was thinner.
I bailed and got a Holland lug, and wound up drilling a pin hole in the end of the receiver to fix the lug so it does not rotate when the barrel is being screwed in.
If I was to do it again, I would make the lug out of pre ground flat stock, as I do not have a surface grinder.
I made my own recoil lug, but when I lapped it, the part with the hole in it lapped faster, and was thinner.
I bailed and got a Holland lug, and wound up drilling a pin hole in the end of the receiver to fix the lug so it does not rotate when the barrel is being screwed in.
If I was to do it again, I would make the lug out of pre ground flat stock, as I do not have a surface grinder.
Attachments
This is something I've wondered about. I'd like to know more about this. From the pictures it looks like the actions with integral recoil lugs have a smaller lug contact surface. Does this make a difference in the longevity of the recoil surface on the stock or the performance of the rifle?
on the idea of "the path of least resistance", what is going to happen first, the recoil lug flexing or the bedding material it is up against compressing/moving?
i prefer a thicker lug because it gives a bit more "breathing room" when threading up to the shoulder, not because chicks dig it or because i feel it makes the rifle any more accurate.
i prefer a thicker lug because it gives a bit more "breathing room" when threading up to the shoulder, not because chicks dig it or because i feel it makes the rifle any more accurate.
There is a critical contact stress level that the stocks will sustain and this is determined by the filler, resin content, fiber content, or the wood involved.
The easy answer is "yes" and to substantiate that, look at the old Mauser stocks. They had a steel crossbolt in them the contacted the recoil lug and interfaced with the stocks so that they would not crush the wood over time. The rear action screws also had a bolt-in pillar to reduce/remove the tendency for the small footprint at the rear tang to crush and then crack the stocks over use.
Chad has pretty much hit the nail on the head. Look at the first picture that Clark posted. The flex point is driven at the minimum material region. Beefing up that area and adding a little thickness is going to give you the large increase in bending properties. The overall "best thing" that I feel can be done for a recoil lug is to balance the size and shape with a nice medium thickness, high surface hardness and a medium hardness core. AKA, case hardenend, flat ground lugs. Then pin it in place the way that BigHorn does so that a broken pin will fall out instead of being frozen in the action.
Similar threads
Suppressors Help Me Choose My Next Can.
