Minelli stock review and fitting

[ssgross]

Hello. I'm working on building a 1903a4 clone from a nice sporter rifle I bought cheap that a previous owner decided to play a game of baseball against a tree with. I got luck in that this rifle was already drilled and tapped for an original Redfield 2-hole mount. I thought I'd make a separate thread on just fitting the new stock. I've read several questions about the Minelli vs. Boyds stocks. This will be the third Minelli that I have personally fit. I have fitted two Boyds/CMP stocks that came on rifles that were just "dropped in", but not fitted. I have to say I prefer the Minelli stocks, but in all fairness I never bought a stock from Boyds...the ones I did were already on the rifle.
The very first time I fit a stock, I basically followed Doco Overboard's instructions at https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=232416, reading between the lines with my own carefully analysis and intuition. I'm not a professional, but with thoughtful attention to detail, careful planning and research, measure twice cut once...the right tools for the right job etc, I'm generally successful at most things I take up, and the stocks I've fit have produced groups that more than satisfy me.

So here we go...unboxing a Minelli stock. What do we get? A stock with a light oil based stain, and handgaurd that is inletted for clips... no hardware, no cross bolts.
If you are comparing against original wood, you will be disappointed. USGI stocks came from "heart cuts" of American walnut. Minelli is not so selective. A previous Minelli I fit had wide grain on the right side, and tight/small grain on the left. The oil stain hides grain variation. It feels like wood, and certainly isn't "fancy" or "extra fancy", but is certainly serviceable walnut, so lets move on.

I first like to drop in the action (if it goes in) and get a feel for what I may be up against before checking the bedding. Tap it back so the recoil lug is as far back as it will go (hopefully engaging the wood), and take a look around the receiver. This one will certainly need relieved for the back side of the tang, and the right side (stock) is low..but this may fix itself when it's tightened up. don't panic.
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Next, you will notice the outer profile is very FAAAAT. All previous Minelli stocks I've fit were fat, this one is the same. The barrel bands won't fit, even with the screw backed out all the way. Here is how far the lower band goes on before it's too tight. Notice the stock shape doesn't match the barrel band, which is NOS, taken out of it's original undamaged USGI package. It's not the band, the stock is very wide. Fixing the profile will happen last. Plenty of wood to work with. Notice the extra "ledge" at the step.
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On a positive note, the handgaurd has always aligned perfectly with the forend. Can't say the same for the Boyds, they have always been uneven, getting pulled and twisted into alignment by the bands. I'm 3 or 3 on the handgaurd tenon not fitting into the ring on the Minelli stocks.
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Now check the exterior inletting...bottommetal and furniture.
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rear swivel is spot on, I've never had a problem. Barrel channel is always straight and even, I've had issues with both Boyds/cmp in the past with crooked barrel channels.
bottom metal has always been perfect...but with milled floor plate, this is the second time the wood slightly presses against the front corner of the floor plate. When the screws are tightened this makes it impossible to remove the floor plate. Easy fix. better tight than loose.

Butt plates have been hit or miss, but I don't think this is Minelli's fault. There is a lot of variation in butt plates. Here are 3. In each, the top screw is spot on.
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There is a 0.02 to 0.04 variation in the bottom hole location. The thickness at the bend in the plates makes them each hang slightly different. I plan to use the first buttplate, which will require the most work. Perhaps even re-drilling the bottom hole. Plenty of time to decide.
The screw holes are always too tight, and need to be cleaned out slightly, especially the upper part where the straight top of the screw sits. Here is how far I can get a greased bottom screw in without surely buggering the slot.
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Now, this is the third time that the receiver inletting has been nice and snug. I tighten the front action screw thumb tight, then start to tighten the back..just to test the initial fit of the wood. Every Minelli I've done, I've heard the wood around the tang creak. This one is no exception. We have some work to do, but plenty of wood to work with.

Last, with receiver pressed hand tight into the action, take a look at the length of the tang bushing. this confirms the depth of the inletting is correct. I always grind an eighth inch or so off the bushing, to ensure light compression of the wood when tightening instead of tightening entirely against the bushing
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the bushing always has a loose fit in it's hole, and I've had to glue the bushing in place. This one snug, but the bushing still falls through, The last Minelli it was so wide I had to wrap aluminum tape around the bushing.

next post, we will further check the interior fit, step by step, and identify what needs to be done. This one, other than the fat outer profile, is the closest to being "drop in ready" I've seen. In my overall comparisons the worst Minelli has been closer to drop in than the best Boyds.

EDIT: Another thing to check over is the initial depth of inletting around the chamber base. Tighten the action with the handgaurd ring on. If the ring should not interfere with the bedding of the receiver. We will have to address this when the time comes to fit the handgaurd.
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you can see where the ring was pressing into the top.

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