Fitting a Rem 700 in a McMillan A-5

[thrusty]

Hi All,

Background on the rifle: Rem 700 AAC-SD .308, Timney trigger, Badger M5 bottom metal, Badger Bolt knob...everything else is factory. Mcmillan Adj. A-5 is pillar bedded and ordered direct from McM custom made for this gun.

I just got a new McMillan adjustable A-5...first off, the fit and feel of it is fantastic and exactly what I was looking for. This was my first McMillan so forgive me for my question...

The cheap hogue stock that came with the rifle shot great - sub-moa and, in most cases, even better with my handloads.

Once I dropped the action into the A-5 I noticed it looked like it didn't want to line up dead-center...mainly because the Badger bottom metal screw holes wouldn't allow it. The barrel was close to one side of the forearm inlet than the other...but I centered it the best I could by holding the barrel to one side and torquing the screws...I stood the stock up on it's butt, let the recoil lug go all the way back and tightened the front screw up first.

I torqued the bottom metal to Badger's specs (65 in/lbs) and shot a 3-inch, 5-shot group (horrible)....long story short, 45 in/lbs was the magic number on the bottom metal to get the groups to start touching again.

Finally my main question:
McMillan suggests that you shouldn't need to bed their stocks...I'm thinking that the way my action fits that I'm not doing something right or this thing needs some serious bedding. I've spent hours and lots of ammo just to get it to shoot (almost) as good as the hogue stock would. I thought that the A-5 would be custom to a remington action and it should litterly fit without having to fiddle with it?

If I just lay the barreled-action in the stock with the Badger bottom metal screw holes lined up and torque....I may or may not be able to the broad-side of a barn.

Question two....On the adjustable cheek piece there is an inlet cut to help you remove the bolt....Is it supposed to be off-center and kind-of crooked? See photo below...

Question three...It's a marble color, and I realize it's "field-grade", but I'm starting to see little patches of missing fiberglass...like it's been scrached and dented from lots of hard field use. Is this normal? The stock is not more than a week old and hasn't left the range bench.

 

[SpinDrift338]

Re: Fitting a Rem 700 in a McMillan A-5

I've got McM A5's on both my Remington 700's and have helped order about 4 more for my buddy's 700's. They all have a remington bolt sized cutout in the cheek piece. The Howa 1500 we put an A5 on had the same bolt cutout your rifle has; I'd get that checked, never had a McMillan not drop in.

 

[thrusty]

Re: Fitting a Rem 700 in a McMillan A-5

I figured the cheek piece cutout was standard...just wondered if it was supposed to be so offset that it misses the parts that hang from the bottom of the bolt.

I'm also wondering if your A-5s on the Remington's had a lot of extra room where the tang sits? Photo is kinda blurry but it looks like my action could sit a good bit further back and turned more to the left (I can't due to the holes for the bottom metal)

FYI...Kelly McMillian has asked me to send the stock and barreled action back directly to him.

 

[BradfromND]

Re: Fitting a Rem 700 in a McMillan A-5

My A3 I ordered this winter was the same way. Off to one side just a little bit. I ordered mine up with pillars not installed so I could bed them in with the action. I changed the inlet on the action a little bit so everything sat straight and then bedded it. Problem solved. I'm sure that's what McM will do with yours.

 

[SpinDrift338]

Re: Fitting a Rem 700 in a McMillan A-5

Thrusty, my 700 cheek pieces have bolt cut outs are almost cubes, 1" wide,deep, and long. The action fits much more closely to the sides of the stock, that looks like it's not the right stock for your action. I'd send it back and let McM make it right, I have full faith that they will.

-SD

 

[powell]

Re: Fitting a Rem 700 in a McMillan A-5

Sounds like the stock blank was just a little tweaked in the vise when they inlet it. Who knows just a couple of milling chips in the wrong place could do that. McM is a upstanding company and I'm sure they will take care of it and make it right. If they have said send it to them, it sounds like they are headed in that direction.

Keep us posted as to the fix.

 

[thrusty]

Guess I never really gave an update as to the fix...

McMillan gladly took the stock back with my barreled action and re-inletted at no charge. They did not fix the off-set bolt stop inlet or the other cosmetic blemishes (tool marks that looked like someone just didn't care)...oh well.

Got the stock back and went to the range. I shot about 100 rounds of various loads - they all grouped great, MOA and better at 100yrds. WAY better than previously.

Next week, I go to the range, put about 100 more down the tube and the groups start to open back up to 2MOA and more...with the same loads I used before.

I about through the damn gun away.....


Long story short, I sent everything off to Mark at SAC. He cleaned everything up, squared everything, took the factory McM pillars out, installed the Badger pillars, bedded the bottom metal and the action.
Everything sits dead-nut level in the stock now and the groups have remained consistent ever since. I have used it in several matches already and have successfully killed 10" steel at 903yrds with my short barrel.


Moral of the story: McM's claim that the stock does not need bedded, is, in my opinion, a farce. You really need to bed your stocks.

What I was most unhappy with:
The stock to me appeared as if it was rushed out of production and didn't have the tender-loving care that $1000 should have bought me.

I'm sure it was just a lemon, as there have been more folks have good luck than bad with McM....but, I am giving Manners an opportunity to win my business for my next build.

 

[phreakmode]

I agree with you on the Manners comment, I have 6 McMillans and have noticed a decline in attention to detail in the past 3 or 4 years. They are an Az based company and I do what I can to keep money in the state, while their CS is excellent, I beleive a person should never have to use CS...produce a product that does not require attention and be done with it. That cheek peice is embarrassing being non symetrical like that, let alone the inletting issue, the shop production manager should never let something like that leave the floor.

The Manners mini chassis truely does not require bedding, I would suggest you look in to that option for your next build.