Action Bedding At Home

Freshta

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Sep 28, 2013
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Well, I've talked to 3 gunsmiths today about bedding my rifle. Cost seems reasonable but all 3 said they can't guarantee when it would be done because they were swamped. Can someone give me some insight into bedding the rifle at home? Any info at all will help. Best epoxy, tips/tricks, difficulties, anything.

Thanks
 
I used Devcon 10110 . I used Kiwi neutral shoe polish , for the release agent . I masking taped up the stock , to keep from smearing it up . Q-tips , and WD40 works well to smooth up the devcon at the stock / action gap . don't get in a hurry to pop it apart . let it set until it's cured , I think it's 24 hours . I got a lot of good info from Ernie the gun smith .these are the two I have saved .


http://erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/i139.html

http://erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/i186.html
 
Freshta, youtube is your friend here. there are a bunch of really good videos on bedding. blue or green painters tape, q tips, some acetone, black electrical tape and I used marine tex for my last three rifles. once it cured and the action/stock was apart. I used a dremel and a hand held router for cleanup. I have used car wax/shoe polish and also topped it with some hornady one shot case lube for release agent. the first one will have you sitting on the edge..but you'll be fine.

good luck and show some photos
Idahoorion
 
ta, as stated, lots of YouTube videos on this subject. Perhaps not a good idea to bed a high end rifle on your first attempt. There are also several threads on the search here on this with lots of opinions.
 
Thanks for the info everyone. What are your thoughts on only spot bedding the recoil lug area like they show on of gunwerks' youtube vids?
 
I've done 5 or 6 rifles with Acraglass Gel. All of them turned out great except for one. Used a Dremel tool to remove material and redid it with zero problems. As the others have noted, youtube is yer friend...
 
Nothing wrong with just bedding the recoil if that's all you're comfortable to begin with but I like the bed front and rear of the action at the least. I use jb weld and kiwi shoe polish as a release agent. It's worked with great results!
If it's a wood stock, consider installing pillars. 1/8" copper pipe works very well. There's a great thread on this forum on bedding a vanguard. The guy does a great job explaining it
 
I've done 5 or 6 rifles with Acraglass Gel. All of them turned out great except for one. Used a Dremel tool to remove material and redid it one with zero problems. As the others have noted, youtube is yer friend...
If you're going through the effort of bedding do the entire area where the action seats against the stock at the front and rear action screws, and the recoil lug to about 1" in front of the lug.
It's a easy process, I would recommend using Acra Glass from Brownell's.
Very easy to use kit with release agent and instructions.
Don't be afraid of doing this on your own, just take your time and use a dremmel tool to remove small amounts of material from your stock where you want to add bedding compound.
use 200 grit sandpaper to lightly blend any extra glass that is squeezed out of the stock.
Good luck and have fun
 
I have done several, and my advice is do not skimp on the release agent. Get it everywhere, and be vigilant for mechanical locks of your rifle in the bedding. Always measure your recoil lug to make 100% sure it is not larger at the bottom than the top. You may also want to use some masking tape on the bottom and sides of the lug to get some clearance after the gel sets. As some other posters have said youtube is your friend in this case.
 
One thing that has not been mentioned is using modeling clay or plummer's putty to fill any voids where you don't want the epoxy to flow and where you don't want to tape over with masking tape. Have used Devcon 10100 & JB Weld. My next one will be with Marine Tex. For pillars, the threaded tube used in lamps does well. The threads on the outside give the epoxy a secure grip. Get some long bolts and cut the heads off or use all thread in place of the actual action bolts for lining the action with the stock. With no heads, you can screw the bolts into the action then set the action down on the stock. No way to get epoxy in the action bolt holes that way.
 
6mmbr has a good article on bedding as well. Its really easy and have the Qtips ready! I relieve my stocks with a dremel where I'm bedding. This gives a thick layer of material. Thin layers tend to break out over time. Use electrical tape or surgical tubing to hold the stock to the action. This provides a constant pressure as the material is squeezing out. I've had great success with Pro Bed 2000 kits. Devon is the gold standard and costs its weight in gold as well.
 
Use electrical tape or surgical tubing to hold the stock to the action. This provides a constant pressure as the material is squeezing out. I've had great success with Pro Bed 2000 kits.
Good tips given already! When I wrote the 'DIY Savage Rifle Bedding 101' article ~10+ years ago now (under my screen name), I too used the Pro Bed 2000 kits. Best bedding material IMHO without resorting to the expen$ive more-metal content Devcon (I use that on M1 or M1A semi-autos only).

I too favor elastic materials for the compression.

And my favorite release agent is Pam cooking spray with olive oil. Leaves an ohhhhhh so nice finish and have never had an issue with it. Remember - make sure to leave ZERO mechanical locks and do a 'dry run', stepping through each step ... and you can easily DIY!
 
I have done quite a few, I strip the action and use plumbers putty to fill voids and keep it only where I want in the stock. Buff on kiwi polish and use devcon plastic steel epoxy. Tape the outside of the lug, make sure to put release on the tape too. I use tape on the barrel near the end of the stock and tang to get the action lifted just enough to do a full bedding. I tape off everywhere I don't want it to get, and have plenty of q-tips, paper towels, and acetone near by to keep things clean. Here is what my process usually looks like and how they turn out. I spend WAY more time on prep then I do on the actual bedding. After I put it together, I use electrical tape as it has the right amout of pressure, and stretch it tight around the action and stock. This is less pressure than torquing the screws, and gives a stress free full bedding job.
 

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