Upgrades to the Savage Mark II FVT

[weilers]

After several requests from my writings in other posts, I am presenting some information about some work I've done to upgrade a Savage Mark II FVT into a better competition gun for several different disciplines. For a little bit over $100, you can do some simple things that will make the gun legal for a variety of events.

First and foremost: get rid of that cheap plastic stock! It might be good on a squirrel gun, but it won't get you far if you want to do anything worth while. You can sell it on Ebay, Gunbroker, etc. and probably fetch around $30 to $40.

When choosing a new stock, there are several things you need to know. First, the Savage Mark II and 93 series are virtually the same gun, but in different calibers. The 93 series is .17 caliber; the Mark II is a .22 LR. Stocks are interchangable, especially if you're using an Accutrigger model. Also, the FVT is equipped with a Williams side-mount receiver sight. You WILL have to cut part of the stock away in order to accomodate the sight-there is no way around this. Since the factory plastic stock had a moulded trigger guard and stock-specific magazine plate, you'll also have to replace both. These parts are sold as a kit you can order online, complete with screws. They usually run anywhere from $20 to $30, plus shipping.

When choosing a replacement stock, you have many options. Most of the wood stock manufacturers make a replacement for the Savage Mark II/93. With laminate, the color combinations are infinite. I chose a thumbhole model made by Boyd's Gunstock Industries. It was referred to as a stock second, which basically means that it has some slight imperfection. Mine had a common imperfection, referred to as 'proud metal.' This simply means that the receiver and barrel will sit slightly higher inside the stock. Because of the side receiver mount rear sight, this actually becomes desirable. On the whole, a stock second should run you around $35-$50, plus shipping.

Once you have the stock and barrelled action together, you need to pair them. Take off the rear sight and remove the bolt. Leave on the side sight mount. Insert the barrelled action into the stock to see how they fit together. Take note (and a pencil) and mark off the amount of stock to be cut off to accomodate the stock. Carefully remove the receiver mount and finish fitting the stock. Once the barrelled action is in as far as it can go, don't force it. Examine every part of the relationship. Look for the high points. Remove the barrelled action and start fitting. Use a fine hand saw and start by cutting away the portion around the receiver for the rear sight. Use a rougher grit (60-80) sandpaper for interior fitting. 3M sanding sponges are perfect. Start with the forend and work your way back. The goal is to get the receiver to fit perfectly. A perfect fit is when you can get the screws into the receiver without any issue.

Once you've accomplished a good fit with the receiver, go back to work on the foreend. No part of the forend should touch the barrel. Since you're going to bed the foreend, the goal is to be able to slide a playing card from the tip of the foreend to the front of the receiver without any difficulty.

As one can tell from the pictures below, I've equipped mine with an Anschutz rail. This is totally your choice. If you're going to add a rail, you're better off doing it before you bed the stock. You can buy a rail for around $15 from just about any of the usual suppliers. They typically come in a 15" length. You're only going to use around 11" of that. There are two ways to do get this rail attached to the foreend: you can either cut it by hand or use a router table. Anschutz rails have width of 7/8" and a thickness of a touch over 1/4." I fitted the rail by hand. Clamp the rail to the foreend in the way you want it to fit. Mine runs from the tip of the foreend to about 1/4" away from the magazine well. I used the hand saw from earlier to cut into the foreend, then I used an X-Acto wood carving knife to dig out the interior. I didn't want it to sit perfectly flush, so I left a couple ridges in the channel. I also broke through on a couple places in the foreend channel. The goal is for the rail to sit tightly in its place.

By now, the only thing left to do is to bed and stain the stock. You have several options: pillar bedding, epoxies, etc. Depending on what you're going to do with it, you're going to have to increase the weight some to get it up to get it within regulation standards. For this, I used Devcon's Plastic Steel epoxy putty. This costs about $30, and is available from larger shooting suppliers such as Midway and Brownell's, as well as from industrial houses such as Fastenal. It comes in a 1lb kit, with parts A and B. All total, you'll end up using around 12 to 14oz. It's also good for using on parts where you'd normally use an adhesive such as Loctite. Use gloves to apply the Plastic Steel. Start by smearing some in the rail channel, then set the rail in place. Use the rest inside a clean foreend channel. There should be no more than a 1/8" coverage of the support pillars. Make sure to fill in the entire channel. Work out any bubbles and let it set for at least 24 hours. Do all of this in a well-ventilated area.

After the 24 hours have passed, check to make sure the resin is dry to the touch. Refit the barrelled action to the stock, making sure that the foreend has the clearance of a dollar bill from the tip to the receicer. Touch up any rough or high spots with a dremel or sandpaper. Color stain the stock as desired.