Bedding A Rifle By Pat Sheehy

[devildogandboy]

i really enjoyed the article and it was very informative. i have been reading many different articles on the bedding process before i attempt my own. i did like that you were using an Savage rifle and had some pics to clarify what you were doing as you went along. there are some things from this i can use and a few things i have read elsewhere that also will be used.
thank you for printing this article.

[martyj]

Good article I just finished doing mine and it works well.

[Bullet bumper]

I would like to cover a few things that I did not like.
1/ I would not hold the forstock in any vice even with slight pressure as it will distort the stock to some degree . Better to hold the butt and allow the forstock to just rest on a block for support.
2/ For a beginner I would not leave the epoxy to fully harden , because if you have made mistakes with , release agents , dams , taping etc . you could end up with a glue in . Better to monitor the left over epoxy until it is just hard enough to resist distortion but not hard enough to make it difficult to get the action out and possibly crack the stock .
The temperature and the type of epoxy will control the time it takes.
3/ I don't like using the action screws to pull the action down for bedding . If mistakes are made and epoxy gets into the screw threads it can be a nightmare.
Also uneven pressure on the two screws can create a slightly stressed bedding job. Better to get two bedding shafts that are a slightly larger diameter with the same thread as the action screws but are a long shaft that sticks out well below the stock . This way the action screw threads are protected before the action goes together and there is something sticking out to clamp onto to unscrew them if disaster strikes , which is what I do anyway as it makes it much easier to get the action out once the shafts are gone . Also once the action is pressed down by hand in this manner you just tape the action down front and back .
4/ Beginners should note that the recoil lug taping in this example in the article is correct for a Rem 700 and Mod 70 style recoil lug but not for a Mauser style lug where the screw goes into the base of the lug . Mausers should have no clearance on the bottom of the lug .
Not putting anything down just discussing the article and adding my thoughts.

[TracySes23]

Originally Posted by yobuck

good informative article. my only comment would be the use of acra glass gel from brownells. i feel its much easier to use.

I agree with you Yobuck,

I glass bedded my first & only bolt action rifle 40 years ago with Brownells Acrglas. I followed their instructions with a couple of minor changes. I just had the stock off last night and it fit as snug as it ever did. No resistance lifting it out of the stock and no play in the fit between the stock and action putting it back together. I especially like their release agent. I think it was one of the reasons it fit so good.
I used a rotary hand grinder to remove a layer of wood approximately 1/8"- 3/16" everywhere I wanted the bedding to go. I believe the layer of thicker bedding made the stock stronger in that area and also completely sealed the wood from any moisture that might get in that area.
I can understand keeping the bottom of the lug from being bedded to avoid problems from heat expansion, but it's completely beyond me why the back side of the lug should be relieved to avoid the bedding to touch it. Id the action can move rearward, it could conceivably move backwards when it's fired. Especially on hard kicking big bores. Why would anyone want to depend on the action screw to keep the action from moving rearward. Also, why would the action moving rearward be a good thing?
Maybe there's a good reason I can't think of. Anyone that knows a good logical reason, please educate me. Sometimes the answer is right in front of my nose & I can't see it.