TargetTalk

After years of attending the Ohio Gun Collectors Meetings here in southern Ohio (USA), I found the upgrade to my 1962 1413. It is an Anschutz 1611 (X serial number), manufactured in 1978 (barrel code HI). To all external appearances, the rifle looks new. I have lots of questions and have asked some of the local “gray beards” their options. After explaining that, “no, the rifle is not for sale”, I get some good advice. But I would be interested in the Forum's inputs before I get out my rasp! The action has been shimmed. There is a plastic or Teflon shim between the recoil lug and the receiver, and a small paper shim on the stock. The locals and I think this was done to improve rifle to stock clearance at the for-end, which is very tight. An interesting note – the trigger has 75 stamped on it! I have some pictures, and if there is an explanation on how to upload them, I would like to do that.

Out of interest, do you know how many grooves the barrel has?

I've heard of actions being shimmed in the past - balsa, cardboard, plastic under the action screws in an attempt to improve accuracy. I've not seen it much in the last 20 years that I've been shooting though.
FWIW, I have two Anschutz's of that vintage and both have been fully bedded and shoot very well.

Good evening,

the shim will have been placed to improve the contact between the action and the stock. Gunmakers inlet stocks very carefully, but sometimes contact isn't even. As Kenny wrote, this is intended to improve accuracy.

I'm not sure what you mean by a paper shim under the barrel. Do you mean that there is a wedge of folded paper in the gap between the barrel and the fore-end? This isn't common on target rifles, as normally the barrel is left clear of the stock, for more consistent vibration.

The 75 on the trigger is the model number (5075). This is the correct factory trigger for a 1611.

I tried to upload some picture but they did not post. I guess the file size is too big for .jpg format. I'll try to take some more at lower resolution.

What you describe here sure sounds like a "poor man's bedding job". A previous owner was probably experimenting there a bit because at his or her local range (I would bet it was a "he" but that is another discussion) someone said that they had heard that if you put tape and paper in the bedding channel of the Anschutz it will make is shoot better. Note the teller of the tale had not actually tried it.

The Match 54 action, as solid as it is, can be more sensitive than other actions to the quality of the bedding.

Your best bet, get rid of the tape, get rid of the paper and buy yourself a decent torque wrench. Shooting off the wood, most M54 actions hit their sweet spot in the 35 to 50 in-lbf of torque range. I personally don't like to go much above 50 as the front threads on the Anschutz action do strip out from time to time.

As has been discussed, the barrels and actions with serial numbers ending in X do seem to come from an era of generally better barrels.

To post pictures you need to be less than 256k in size. If you use the Microsoft Office Picture Manager (should be there in the MS Office Suite if you have the standard install) select the picture you want to post then under the file menu select export. You will get a panel on the right side of the screen. Near the bottom of that panel you can select picture size if export as an 800 X 600 jpeg, that usually gets it. If that is still a touch over then 640 X 480 always gets it.

Good Luck
'Dude

OK,

I think I've found the photos on a New Zealand forum (got to love the internet!)

The bedding does look a little amateurish. There are shims under the action, and the recess for the recoil lugs is filled with blue putty/resin/goop. I'm with 'Dude here (usually sensible), this was done by an eager shooter not a professional.

That said, it may work, so give it a try.

Tim

Also, the barrel seems to be in contact with the forend (or very close to it).

The blue tape/goop in the recoil lug slot is interesting - it might well be acting as a way of modifying the barrel vibrations by damping the action in a similar way to Jeffrey Maddison's WERKS Tuner Stock.

If it was mine I'd try adding a second shim next to the front action bolt to try to bring the barrel away from the forend and see how it shoots like that. It might be quite finicky about bedding bolt torques.

K.

The stuff under the recoil lug was a plastic. I took it out. And I removed the paper. I relieved the barrel channel with my rasp. Testing report will follow.