Widening The Channel On A Bell & Carlson Stock

Lots of ways to skin that cat. It’ll stay stiff, but different methods of opening the channel have different degrees of precision. Can’t beat a mill for keeping the centerline, routers on a guide as well. Hand ripping with an inletting tool sucks, as the reinforced polymers dull the tooling like a mother. Sanding wrapped around roundstock works, but is much more easily botched for centerline.

Lacking any ability (and tooling) to machine the channel i use dowls backing sand paper, or for larger straight taper barrels a length of pvc with 2 90s and stubs to use as handles.
I also agree keeping center and even isn't the easiest with sandpaper and backers.

LoonWulf said:

I also agree keeping center and even isn't the easiest with sandpaper and backers.

Click to expand...

That has been my experience. It's also hard to not 'flare' slightly at the end of each stroke, making the channel wider at the muzzle end over time. <shrug> But for my needs, it works well enough if I'm careful.

I have not found a router jig that I can buy and use for barrel channel work; does such a thing exist? I have not tried to make my own because I assume that my jig will have its own dimensional variances that will cause me sadness.

@rbernie - no such thing exists, it’s a matter of cutting the template/guide yourself, and you’re exactly right - you have to be able to produce a precise template to yield a precise result. It’s easier than it seems though, as you can use a great number of tools to finish your template. You don’t have to rip it perfectly on a bandsaw in one stroke.

Caveat: I have not done what you say before on a rifle stock but have done woodworking. How I would approach this if it were me is to do the following:

1. With the exposed riflestock I would take a piece of 1/4 hardboard that is at least the length of the area you wish to widen on the stock. I would lay it beside the riflestock and use a scribe tool (looks like a compass) to scribe the inside of the riflestock barrel channel onto the 1/4” hardboard. I would then cut the 1/4” hardboard along the long with a bandsaw or jigsaw and sand down any rough areas. This will be your template to build your router guides.

2. Now one can take 2 more 1/4” hardboard pieces that run the length of the area you wish to modify on your rifle. And using your hardboard template mark each board opposite each other to get the profile of the inside of the rifle channel. Once those are marked get your bandsaw/jigsaw and cut on the outside of the line made from the template so as to leave the line and one doesn’t have to be accurate here we are just removing the majority of the material. Once that is down you can attach your hardboard template to the pieces you cut and using a router and a patterning bit finish the two side hardboards by patterning off the hardboard pattern. This will give you two exact sides to your rifle channel.

3. Now you must find a way to secure your rifle stock so it won’t move and build some wood on each side of the channel so you can attach the two new patterned pieces, one on each side so they sit proud of the top of the rifle channel enough for a ROUTER TEMPLATE BUSHING to ride along side them. One can measure with a ruler how much barrel width you want to achieve, making sure you are measuring off the centerline and have the same width on both sides.

4. Now with everything secure you can set your depth and use a COVE BIT of the right profile to match your barrel profile to ride along the template and create the cove on each side which should follow the lines of your templates to the width you established with your measuring from centerline. You will need to make sure you set the correct depth on the router that you need to achieve in the barrel channel as well.

Article on using guide bushings
Cove router bit - you can get different radius' to match your barrel profile


Hope this helps but it’s easier to explain in person. And if you attempt this I would be using carbide cutting edges on your router bit due to the fiberglass.

I cut my templates stacked to ensure symmetry, or use one template, flipped over, for both sides. I typically turn a dowel or cut a block to act as the action at the rearward end, secured through the action screw holes, with blocks under and beside the forend tip to support the tip end. That way the template is secured to the stock, and then mounting the stock into any vise is simple. I’ve also done it with the router in a table, flipping the template and stock on its head. Takes more nerve for me to commit to doing it that way, but once I start, I go much faster than when riding the router on top of the stock/template.

Heavy varmint is a bear. Not only is the chamber tenon 5” long, it’s surprising how large the diameter is at the front of the forend due to the fact the long chamber section pushes the start of the straight taper that far forward. It always amazes me how much stock has to be relieved every time I inlet a heavy varmint barrel.

I just dropped a 30” finished heavy varmint into a boyd’s Provarmint and I thought I was going to be inletting for days!

30 cal, meant for a 300wm, a shorter range ELR rig.

SLR rig! Smile for the flash!....and any other dumb/funny camera phrases you can think of!

Yes I'm an idiot, I know......

Boyds offers a "bull barrel" inletting option for 700, tho I don't know what that means in Boyd's speak.
Richards Microfit will also provide a stock with a straight barrel channel, but those take some hours of finish work.