Adding weight to the stock of precision long-range rifle

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ezmiraldo

New member
hey all! i'm trying to set up my savage 10t (in 6.5 creedmore) for success... i've heard that adding weight is a proven method of recoil reduction. so, i unscrew the recoil pad on my new rifle and inside the stock there is a big (i mean huge!) cavity. i've filled it with about 1-2 pounds of small bolt nuts and steel bb pellets. is this a good idea? the rifle feels much more hefty and balanced now (it has a very thick bull barrel that totally screwed up balance). despite of my efforts to tightly pack all nuts/bbs, i hear a bit of a rattle from them shifting a little inside the stock when i shake the rifle... any thoughts on this? good idea, bad idea? can this making recoil impulse inconsistent and inconsistently affect harmonics shot-to-shot?
 
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I have a friend who is an avid long range shooter and does the same. We often joke he needs a trailer hitch to carry his rifles to the range. You could try tightly filling small bags with lead shot to maybe eliminate some rattle.
 
ezmiraldo said:
hey all! i'm trying to set up my savage 10t (in 6.5 creedmore) for success... i've heard that adding weight is a proven method of recoil reduction. so, i unscrew the recoil pad on my new rifle and inside the stock there is a big (i mean huge!) cavity. i've filled it with about 1-2 pounds of small bolt nuts and steel bb pellets. is this a good idea? the rifle feels much more hefty and balanced now (it has a very thick bull barrel that totally screwed up balance) - although i hear a bit of a rattle from the nuts and bbs shifting a little inside the stock... any thoughts on this? good idea, bad idea? can this throw off harmonics by making recoil impulse inconsistent?
Click to expand...
Just curious...


Do you anticipate having recoil issues? The 10T is already a heavy gun and the 6.5cm has maybe a tad more recoil than a .243Win (which ain't much). I mean, my sister was shooting a 7lb rifle in .243 Win. when she was 10-years old and about 70lbs.

If you want .223-like recoil, install a muzzle-break. Otherwise, I think adding nuts and bolts to the void of your buttstock may have more negatives than benefits (like having a bunch of loose weight rattling around in your buttstock).

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Put the bits of nuts/bolts in ziplock bags. Use some packing foam to pack things in tight so that when you put the butt plate back on things don't rattle.

If you have a bunch of lead shot or bullets, you can put them into latex balloons and they pack in good and tight. as well. I use the balloon method for filling the cavity of AR-15 service rifles that don't need a full lead weight to be properly balanced.

Jimro
 
it seems some rattle will be inevitable (unless one inserts a solid object into the stock and bolts/welds it in place). i just wonder if the little bit of rattle i have from nuts/bbs will make harmonics inconsistent... rattle noise itself doesn't bother me at all.
 
I filled the hollow stock of my Ramline stock with fiberglass body filler. Took an otherwise 6.5lb rifle to about 8.5lbs. Made the recoil from a 30-06 a bit more manageable but not to where I couldn't carry it. If your rifle is only used for bench shooting one could add all the weight you desired.
 
Mercury recoil reducers ???

It's been some time now, since I addressed this problem. Excuse me if I state your problem, in another way. What you are trying to do, is reduce the effects of recoil. I had hollow stock on one of my Savages and I inserted a plastic tube down the middle and filled the area with SealTite. the limited expanding type. I had a left over "Mercury" recoil cartridge, from my archery days. I think they make them for shotguns as well. I inserted the cartridge into the cylinder and backed it up with foam washers. It's tight, no rattle and doesn't weigh a ton. It's a strange feeling whey you shake the rifle. Does it work? I feel that it does but no real to test it. Another good point, is that I can dig everything out if I want to. ....... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
Ezm I would go to some #9 shot for weight in your gun. nuts and bolts is not very good lead is best. Good luck
 
I had a bunch of old trap loads with #8 shot. A Bell and Carlson Carbolite stock on a Savage rifle had two places to add weight easily, the barrel channel had a long hollowed out groove, and the butt stock had foam in it. I dug out a bunch of the foam, mixed up some ACRA GLAS and mixed in about two pounds of that shot. I just cut the shotgun cartridges at the shot cup with an exacto knife. Then that mixture went into the butt stock and the barrel channel. Let it set up for a couple of days, put the recoil pad back on, and now that rifle weighs in at just under 13 pounds. Really makes shooting the thing pleasant. No fuss, no muss. No rattle or anything but a heavy rifle I can shoot all day without the same recoil that used to wear me down after 50 rounds.

I know a 22-250 isn't a heavy recoiler, but everybody is different in their tolerance. Personally, not having that recoil is important to me, and my manhood is stashed in the man-cave at my house where it doesn't get in the way of my enjoyment of life.
 
If you're fully committed to this, replace the nut/bb's with lead shot mixed with epoxy. Fill the cavity with this and it won't rattle or shake loose later--nor will you be able to EVER remove it.
 
i feel kinda icky about adding bunch of lead to the stock - area my face will be pressing against for hours each month... i think i'll stick with steel and add strong epoxy to it to set it in place, like some of you guys did...
 
I had a hollwo stock I wanted to fill in for weight and rigidity so I bought tons of epoxy putty and jammed it all in there. Worked very well added a nice bit of weight and was very solid and since it countoured to the stock as I packed it in there was nothing to rattle.
 
another question: when using glue to prevent the led/steel from moving inside the stock, do you guys recommend some gluing material that's flexible (resin?) or that is very rigid (like rock-hard jb weld compound)? i see benefits/downsides to both...
 
Exposure to lead--Ezmireldo, you will be more exposed to lead from shooting lead bullets than you ever will by lead shot inside a composite gunstock. You can use nontoxic bullets. However, my guess is there is 0.0009% risk of lead exposure from the lead shot in my rifle stock.

You may be overthinking this project. Use whatever you can obtain. I happened to have a couple of ACRAGLAS kits on hand, and one of those kids supplied enough material to do my project.
 
"...I hear a bit of a rattle..." Take 'em out. Put them, mixed well with epoxy or auto body filler, into a tube of the correct diameter(paper will do) and let the glue cure. An equal weight of sand in a sandwich baggie or nylon sock will work too.
Nothing in or on the stock will affect the harmonics. Harmonics is about how the barrel vibrates.
Balance with a target rifle isn't the same as it is with a hunting rifle. Weight forward is a good thing. Especially if you're using a bipod.
 
"i feel kinda icky about adding bunch of lead to the stock - area my face will be pressing against for hours each month.."

I think this is extremely misdirected concern.
When I filled one stock, I had a bunch of Brownells bedding compound that was nearing expiration. That's what I used. It also absolutely fixed the sling swivel in place and provided a solid anchor for the butt pad screws. This was a 50 cal muzzleloader I set up for a handicapped hunter and the total weight added(shot and epoxy) was close to 1.5#. This was 10 years ago and it's still working perfectly.
 
Or sand

Replaced the original wood stock on my old Marlin 60 with a new composite. Like you said, balance was totally out of whack after that. The composite stock was pretty much hollow, with the removable butt plate. I filled it to the brim with sand, got a feel for it, decided I liked it.

The aforementioned butt plate is now glued and screwed in place to prevent leaks.
 
Mine has birdshot in leftover bedding compound.

If you want to just try it out, bags and packing foam will minimize shifting.

I don't THINK the rattle will "affect the harmonics."
Heaven forbid you should shoot the gun and see.
 
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