Richards, Field Trekker arrived!

Yes it arrived early! Order date 8/2/21 Estimated Due Date 10/16/21 Woo Hoo!!!

The stock was ordered for a Savage Model 11 build and honestly it is not quite what I pictured in my mind from their stock pictures but I am very pleased with it.
When I asked about these stocks I was constantly reminded that these are Not finished stocks and that they are actually quite rough and need a lot of finishing work. A number of the finished stocks that people posted pictures of were actually very beautiful and all I can do is hope mine turns out so well.

Now for some pictures of this stock just as it arrived. Next I am debating if I should post a running update as I proceed or just do a single write up once finished.

Richards Microfit Field Trekker stock;

Blue68f100 said:

Some fitting required ....

Take your time and do it right.

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Yes there is still a lot of fitting to be done for both the action fitting and for ergonomic fitting to me. The cheek rise feels great, the grip and palm swell are much too large for my smaller hand. Right now I am stretching to reach the trigger. There is no set time frame to try and get this done.

This is what I have found so far. First couple pictures show I need to inlet around the barrel nut on both sides to get it to sit flush. Next couple pictures show the bottom metal and that it will insert from either end but not both. Looks like working from the rear will require less stock removal. Next couple are of the trigger guard with and w/o the bottom metal. Last picture is of the two wood defects that are present.

By removing a minor amount of material it should drop right in. If I put the front in first it will almost fit but is more than a snap fit. Believe I just need to round the corners where the tang is.

Those two minor blemishes do not concern me one bit. Will actually add character in my view. Now to find some uninterrupted time. Small steps. I know, can't put it back once it's gone!

Really took very little work to finish inletting this stock. Now to figure out the length needed for the pillars. This stock is really going to need them.

commygun said:

I'd love to see a write-up of this project. Just finished my first fitting of a reproduction stock and it was way more complex than I would have imagined. Nice to see how the more skilled do it.

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More here; https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/pillar-posts-for-savage.896214/

Spent some time today working on this stock. Some of the inletting on this I am finding is a bit out of spec which is making this much more difficult. Decided against some advice about adding pillars only because the inletting is just that far out.

When assembled for a dry fit the action screws will not enter the receiver because the holes are slightly off and the cut out for the bottom metal is really way off in the opposite direction. After much light sanding and drum sanding with a Dremel and check fitting I am finally at a point that the receiver with the pillars in place will screw together. Only now I find the magazine will not fully seat and lock into place. Yet when assembled outside of the stock it all fits together even with the pillars in place. More inletting to the mag well area.

Spent this afternoon with the Dremel and sander and have now gotten it to where everything dry fits together rather nicely though maybe a bit looser than Id like. In the picture you will be able to see the gap from having to move the Bottom metal more forward so that the action screws would line up. They were originally off by about a 1/4 hole. So here are the pictures I have for today with everything fitted together and the mag in place. Next I will be bedding the pillars.

Blue68f100 said:

If they were off that much it would have been easier to set epoxy pillars and re-drill the holes in the correct position..

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Somehow you lost me with this. Redrill the holes into what? The stock, the bottom metal, the pillars? Set the pillars in the wrong position and epoxy them in place there? Sorry can't picture what you mean.

Blue68f100 said:

What I was trying to say if every thing else aligns up, just fill the holes with epoxy and redrill. I prefer to have epoxy all the way around the screw at least 1/4' thick if possible.

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Now that is clear. The way I did it may not have been the easiest, quickest or best way but it seems to work.

This afternoon I was able to get the pillars bedded. Sorry no pictures yet but it is still curing.

Blue68f100 said:

Good to hear your getting close to finishing it up. It's been a long adventure.

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I just wish it was getting close. Still a lot of sanding and forming around the trigger guard and magazine bottom metal. Then to add a recoil pad, then finish. Lastly there will still be work to do for the new barrel as this is channeled for a factory Sporter barrel and I will be putting a fat heavy target barrel once I determine which caliber and which barrel maker.

Making progress a little at a time.. Spent the morning prepping the stock for epoxy bedding and now have it on the table barrel side down strapped together curing. By this time tomorrow I should know how well I did.

Have it now broken apart and to me it looks fantastic. Out of the three I have done recently this one has turned out the best! Much cleaner and no big mess anywhere. The barreled action popped right out, the modeling clay this time stayed in place and didn't get displaced by the epoxy and up into the receiver.

After a good cleaning I check fitted everything again into the stock and with the bottom metal in place the action screws dropped right in with no struggle to align them at all.

Well I see folks are still following this but no feedback.

Yes I am now ready to concentrate on sanding, shaping and finishing this stock. Or at least finishing this for use with this factory barrel. Still undecided on which way I am going to move with the barrel or which maker.