Bedding question

I have a savage 114 classic wood stock with accutriger and detachable magazine. I bought a pillar bedding kit for it and was going to start on it when I took the stock off I found it already had some type of insert in it. Not sure what they are. If they are factory pillars they were incredibly poorly done as they are a 1/16 inch or so recessed into the stock. Here are a few pics, and thoughts appreciated.


Thanks,
Matt

Are the inserts aluminum or plastic?

My guess is poorly done. Savage touts a lot of their rifles as pillar bedded. I have a non accustock model 16 that is pillar bedded. The stock is pretty flexible but the pillars in it are the only thing that contacts the stock. Action and barrel are floated.

See if you can get those out, and install the kit you bought. That's my thought.

That would be my approach as well

Will try to get them out tomorrow. They appear to be glued in so we will see. Thanks

Looked a little closer when I got home they are aluminum. I'm relatively new to working on guns past cleaning them but that is one hell of a sorry excuse for a factory pillar bedding. The action screws were also incredibly loose!

try to get those pit and if that doesn't work glass bed it. Pillar and glass bed go hand and hand anyway

I got the factory pillars out pretty pitiful. Drilled new holes wished I had a drill press but it will work. Need to trim down the pillars for length and I'll be ready to mix up my epoxy.

How does the gun shoot now?

I have not finished the pillars yet, I ran out of time so it is all still sitting on the work bench. I measured how long I need to cut my pillars but still need to cut them.

The gun has always shot "ok" but I expected more out of it, especially because the reputation that savages aren't pretty or expensive but they "shoot". I think its a good looking gun, but every other bolt gun I own including 4 factory stock rem 700's and a wby vanguard will out shoot it. Hope to get it stuck back together this week some time and who knows when I will get a chance to shoot it.

If you bed the action don't bed the rear tang area..
I have read that Savages need to bedded a bit different than other actions.

I have a barreled action with a custom barrel on it I need to bed in a McMillan and I haven't done it yet as I have read different takes on bedding them. But one thing that has been consistent is not bedding the rear tange area with the safety, it needs some roon for the safety to work.

Yes, I have read the same thing about the rear tang, it will be floated.

Well... a little blast from the past.

Last week I was able to finally get the pillars cut down to the right length. I flubbed one and cut it too short by a smidge but epoxyy'ed a washer on the bottom of it and trimmed down with an angle grinder and its as good as new. Got it all glued torqued down and it all came back apart like it should... whew

Took it to the range and it noticeably shot better. It apparently likes 40 grains of IMR 4350 and a 100 grain bullet. I only shot at 100 yards but 100 grain prohunters, 100 grain Partitions, and 100 grain hornady's all grouped sub inch for 3 shots. Mainly wanted to see if there was any improvement, and I definitely think there was, I would say my average group size was about 50% smaller after pillar bedding.

In the future if I was going to do it again I think I would find someone I know with a drill press, drilling the holes straight was a little trouble, and I had issues with the stock chipping some on both sides. With a savage the area you are drilling through is very thin to begin with, not much room for error!

I may do one of my remingtons or my wby vanguard next, I think they will be more friendly than the savage was by a long shot.

Usually a tad easier the second, third time plus you feel more confident in what you are doing. happy it worked out and you feel it was worth the effort....

thanks for the follow up, to me, it's nice to see results good or bad

Total cost, I spend $20 on the bedding kit and I had to buy a drill bit and a file. I used some axle grease on spots to keep from making the barreled action a permanent fixture in the stock. All in was les than $40.

Before bedding my Best groups were around an inch with the norm being 1.25-1.5. I didn't do any extensive shooting yet but it is for sure better and brought a smile to my face. I didn't wait to get my target but sure wish I had it. No doubt a few more trips to the range will have my shooting form a little better as well, I have not put in to much practice in the past few years.

Like said above it does get easier the more you do it, but the last one done around this house I paid to have it done. Gun was already getting a new barrel and some stock work so it made sense to me.

I like to do whatever I can myself. It did take me a while to complete, but I enjoyed it. My dad says the tinkering gene skips a generation and that Papa definitely passed his on to me lol.

yeah, it can be fun to do things yourself, a sense of completion.
Like hunting with a rifle and loads you worked on, processing yourself and then cooking it..

Agree, that one I had the smith do was going to require more build up than I had done and since he was channeling out the barrel channel some for a new barrel contour it made sense for him to bed the action to get it all correct for time of pickup. Made his job and mine easier.

Some things I will gladly do others I think I an better off letting a pro do the work.

Nice when a plan comes together. Congrats!