On a side note, are there any precautions one needs to take on a heavy recoiling rifle to prevent the stock wood from splitting?
What caliber are you talking about?
Most African caliber rifles include:
Straight wood grain through the pistol grip area.
Thru-stock bolts behind the recoil lug and magazine box.
Plenty of clearance behind the receiver tang, and stock bolts.
Plenty of glass bedding thickness in all the critical areas.
Steel or aluminum filler added to the glass bedding compound.
Perhaps an extra recoil lug/action screw silver-soldered to the barrel in front of the action about where the old Model 70 Winchester front screw/sight base Dog-Knot was located.
Some folks even like to drill down through the pistol grip from inside the action mortise and glass bed a length of 3/8" steel all-thread in there to make it impossible for a pistol grip to break at the wrest.
Carried even further, you can make the steel rod with a flattened projection and hole that the rear receiver screw lug fits into to help absorb recoil into the stock.
BTW: On the really hard kickers, it's a good idea to mount the front sling swivel on a barrel band, or else on the front of the forend under the barrel. That will prevent hand injury from a sling swivel smacking your support hand during recoil.
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