700 SPS Varmint Stock

[planalpha]

Hi experts-
I was wondering if bedding the crappy stock that came with my 700 SPS Varmint is worth it. What does it typically cost to have it done? This youtube video shows a pretty dramatic improvement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd5YAlRHYnk
Would it be better to perhaps just get the $200 B&C? Do the B&Cs have to be bedded too?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Elxx]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

The stock sells for like $50. A bed job, would be like $150 (by a smith). If you do it yourself, then maybe its worth it. I'd just buy a better stock. Most people would agree that free floating your barrel would provide a greater improvement in accuracy over bedding.

 

[Queequeg]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

If you have a dremel tool you can remove some material in the barrel channel of the varmint stock and bed both the action and stiffen the forearm area. I have seen some photos of steel rods dropped into the forearm bedding compound to stiffen them up. I did that with the piece-o plastic stock that came with my Savage 10 FCP.

I removed enough on each side of the stock to drop in two pieces of 1/4" treaded rod which added both stiffness and some weight, then bedded them in.

The Remington Varmint stock is better than the new Savage plastic at least in the stiffness forward of the magazine box area. In the Savage that area is very flimsy as there is not much material there to prevent the "hinge" effect.

All that said, I have bought three B&C stocks and the improvement in feel, ergonomics and shooting are much better than with the factory SPS or 10f stocks they came with.

Bed it if you need to buy time to save up for a replacement. Took Midway three days to send me my most recent replacement stock.

 

[desertHK]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

FWIW, I would just save the money and spend it on a new stock. IMO, it's not worth the time or the moeny to bed that.

 

[ARCOREY]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

I went the bedding route with mine with steel bars in the forearm when I got less than desirable results and couldn't afford my B&C stock yet. It cost me about $25 to do myself and took several evenings to do. It got me by for 2 years then I bought the B&C A2 tactical medalist. Only $200 and feels much better to me than the original stock. Comes floated and has a bedding block in it ready for a drop in fit. You should probably skim bed the B&C, but I haven't done it to mine yet. Seems to do okay as is.

 

[Oddball Six]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

I think the suggestions above are on target.

Focus on saving the money you would have spent bedding it towards replacing the stock completely. Could bedding it in the existing stock help it? Maybe a little bit, if you are willing to hassle with it and intend to do some reinforcing while you are at it.

The unfortunate fact is that the OEM stock is simply a piece of garbage. Bedding it will just make it a slightly closer fitting piece of garbage.

 

[chris223]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

i wouldnt waste my time w/ the factory stock as you know or will know very quickly there is never a cheap substitute when it comes to this style of shooting as a good friend of mine says you will get what you pay for ..

 

[planalpha]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

Ya, sounds like it would be a waste then. Looks like I'll have to save up for the B&C.
Thanks for the advice!!

 

[head2h2o]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

I have recently replaced the stock on my SPS-V. Some days it would shot lights out, others it was iffy. The stock is just too flimsy and there is nothing to fully support the action. Even if you bed it, you still have a flimsy stock. I replaced mine with a B&C Tactical A3. Great stock. I would buy another without hesitation. My rifle consistently groups now and I have not skim bedded it. The aluminum bedding block seems to be able to get the job done. Mine dropped right in perfect. Spend the money. You won't regret it.

 

[planalpha]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

I did wind up bedding this stock. I know it's not the best stock out there but I wanted to try it out and see if it really made a difference and I really had nothing to loose anyway since I was planning on replacing it. I ordered the Bedrock kit from Midway and Dremeled the hell out of the stock from about two inches forward of the recoil lug all the way back to the rear tang. I also took out a ton of material around the lug and built it back up. I also removed the tabs that the barrel sat on and had to sand out a bunch of plastic to float the barrel. The result? Awesome!
My groups were pie plate sized before and after bedding they could be covered with a silver dollar at 100 yards if I did my part.
So chalk one up to bedding. It really really does wonders. BTW, I did replace the stock anyway because the comb angle was awful.

 

[planalpha]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

BTW, any ideas on what to do with this stock now that I've replaced it? I don't think any Hide people want it.

 

[doubs43]

Re: 700 SPS Varmint Stock

If I were going to bed the factory SPS-V stock, I'd begin by removing the two pressure pads at the tip of the fore end that push upward on the barrel.

I've put two of my three SPS-Varmint rifles into B&C A2 Medalist Tactical/Varmint stocks and the consistency of my groups has improved dramatically! The third rifle will get a new B&C stock as soon as I can afford it.