B&C stock vs. AI stock...

[Amerigo]

I've got a Remington 700 with a B&C Medalist A5 stock and a Timney 510 trigger. The B&C stock hasn't been bedded... I didn't want to venture into that on my own without having done it before - so I just installed it with the screw and torque wrench.

If I were to upgrade the stock to an AI 1.5, would this rifle have any real improvement in accuracy? I know it would look and feel amazing, and I'd feel really warm and fuzzy inside, but would there actually be a drop in group size? (There is obviously the question of whether I can actually shoot as accurate as the gun can, but lets assume I'm a pro. I'm not, but I hope to get there.)

I have gotten one sub-MOA grouping out of all my trips to the range, I think it was around 0.8 MOA, so I know in its current configuration it shoots pretty straight.

Thanks!

 

[Walsh]

Well, it might a bit, but I wouldn't bet the price of a shiny new AI 1.5 on it. Your groups should shrink as your barrel life decreases from the amount of shooting you should be doing. If you don't handload, that'll be a big help, and is pretty fun to do.

Gagets are cool, but they do not make you better, and if your .8" good, then a uber custom ain't gonna make you a half MOA shooter. Heck I'll be happy when I can get consistent MOA groups!!

 

[mdmp5]

Well, you would be going from an unbedded stock to a chassis, which should give you better support of the receiver. Theoretically, it might give you better accuracy, but the only way to know is to try it. I have a little experience with this, but a different story. I have an M1a that I scoped back a few years ago. I took it to the range and without any expectations, I tried it out on 500 yd 6" steel targets. It astonished me as I was able to nail them consistently. I got all excited and decided to take it to the next level. I ordered a Sage chassis and threw the receiver in there. The difference between the chassis and the standard wood stock was night and day. But I gotta be honest; I really didn't notice much of a difference in accuracy. That being said, it didn't shoot worse. The main perk to throwing it in the chassis was that it was more ergonomic to shoot, with a better cheek weld. Make sure that if you decide to go with the ai, it fits you well, and that you love the way it feels. This in itself can tighten your groups due to comfort and better form. But don't get the chassis if it just feels "ok", with the prospect of sacrificing comfort for possible better accuracy, Bc you might be disappointed.

 

[Walsh]

The B&C stocks have an alluminum bedding block similar to an HSP. Don't know how it is compared to a chassis.

 

[mdmp5]

A bedding block is a quick fix, probably better than nothing, but not a true seamless fit to the receiver. The goal of bedding a barreled action is to have metal on metal contact, no movement in the stock, imposing little to no stress when the action screws are torqued.

 

[hewlett260]

Bed it and shoot it first to see if that improves your accuracy. If you still aren't happy then get the chassis of your choice. However, I owned a chassis and loved it. I loved it so much I ended up selling it and two of my favorite rifles to buy an AW. Just saying.

 

[flatland1]

I've built myself several rifles based on trued Rem 700s, skim bedded them into B&C Medalist stocks, and had excellent results accuracy-wise. And, when funds were available, I've taken a couple of these bbl'd actions and bedded them in McM A5 stocks with full inlet. Never seen a measurable increase in accuracy after doing this, which is no great surprise, as they were very accurate in the B&C stocks to begin with.

I doubt any metal chassis is going to be a perfect match for every action - you'd probably still have to skim bed a percentage of factory actions to get best results, and even some customs could stand to benefit from bedding. Factory actions are heat treated after machining ejection port & mag well - you just know they gotta have a tendency to warp a little during heat treat. OTOH, glue a 700 action into a tubegun, and you're adding to the action's stiffness, which could very well contribute to increased accuracy.

 

[Aimsmall55]

I've got AICSs and B&Cs. The best part about the B&C is its light and perfect for hunting plus is comfortable when shooting long range prone. The AICS .... I like it .... But I got the 1.5 and you have to dismantle shit just to clean it. But the SOLID platform and overall "feel " when shooting it prone is really nice. They are both great additions.
As far as accuracy, no discernible difference between the chassis and the B&C.

 

[BARichardson]

My HSP and my B&C stocked rifles bothe shoot better than MY 2 AI chassis guns!

to be honest it pisses me off!