Bedding a Savage aluminum bedding block

[bluedog69]

So I am about to bed a Savage Desert Tactical. It has an aluminum bedding block.

My theory is to bed from the recoil lug to the back screw. Have the rear tang and barrel completely free floated.
I also think I should torque it down to maybe 10 in lbs or maybe even 20 in lbs to get it to contact the aluminum bar while the glue is drying? If it isn't torqued down I may end up with full glass between the barrel and the aluminum block?(would be like glassing over pillars? Is my thinkling correct? Or will torqueing it possibly induce torque into the bedding job?

Any help, tips, or thoughts?

 

[bluedog69]

Here is the stock…

 

[bluedog69]

Well I set it up in Marine Tex last night. Jerked it out this morning before leaving for work. I got lucky that some pushed up into bolt lug area through the screw hole but it didn't bond to anything.

I torqued it down to 12 in lbs over night. I also discovered that I only had a thread or two on the front screw engaged. So I ran the screw through to force out glue in the screw thread. (I used plenty of release agent)
Now as I have thought about it today I may have not used enough torque to pull action down in deep enough. In other words I may only get about 2 threads in contact as I try to torque it down. Probably have an 1/8" of marine Tex on top of aluminum block.

Worst problem is that I may have to find a 1/8" longer screw get enough threads to torque it down now. Marine Tex is not going to compress.

Is this front screw a 1/4 x 20 thread?

 

[brant89]

I always torque the action screws to full torque spec when I have bedded them in the past and I only bed the recoil lug and front of the action. The action screws are 1/4-28 thread. you will likely have to buy a screw that is 1/4" longer and cut it down to the correct size.

 

[bluedog69]

I always torque the action screws to full torque spec when I have bedded them in the past and I only bed the recoil lug and front of the action. The action screws are 1/4-28 thread. you will likely have to buy a screw that is 1/4" longer and cut it down to the correct size.

Thanks! Lesson learned. Many threads I had read said no torque during bedding. So that is why I went with 12 in lbs roughly. Definitely should have went more to squeeze all of the glue out that needed to be. This stock seems to want to keep the action from setting down in though.(aluminum sides on the block I assume) So if I do another I will know.
I bedded from just in front of the recoil lug back along the sides and around the back screw and aluminum block.

I just picked up a 1 1/2" bolt from Ace hardware. I hope that is long enough because they didn't have a longer one.

 

[tobnpr]

I don't believe in using action screws to tighten a stock down to pillars (or a bedding block). I subscribe to more or less even pressure along the length of the action. Headless studs to locate the action properly, and surgical tubing wrapped tightly the length of the receiver (some use electrical tape stretched around instead) This avoids point loads on the receiver.

BROWNELLS SURGICAL TUBING | Brownells

Check out the BROWNELLS available Online at Brownells Today and many more Stock Bedding products are available in our Tools & Cleaning Department.

www.brownells.com

 

[bluedog69]

I always torque the action screws to full torque spec when I have bedded them in the past and I only bed the recoil lug and front of the action. The action screws are 1/4-28 thread. you will likely have to buy a screw that is 1/4" longer and cut it down to the correct size.

Well it turned out after I cleaned everything up last night that I didn't need the screw after all.
There is maybe a 32nd of an inch of epoxy above the aluminum block. But boy does it fit like
glove! Turned out pretty nice.

 

[bluedog69]

I don't believe in using action screws to tighten a stock down to pillars (or a bedding block). I subscribe to more or less even pressure along the length of the action. Headless studs to locate the action properly, and surgical tubing wrapped tightly the length of the receiver (some use electrical tape stretched around instead) This avoids point loads on the receiver.

BROWNELLS SURGICAL TUBING | Brownells

Check out the BROWNELLS available Online at Brownells Today and many more Stock Bedding products are available in our Tools & Cleaning Department.

www.brownells.com

I have used the elastic method twice before this one. I guess I just figured I might need a little torque. So I think I did about the exact same thing as elastic. 12 in lbs wasn't enough to squeeze all the glue out and get the action to touch the aluminum blocks at the bottom. It was just enough to get it close. So when I run it up to 50" lbs that will all be supported by glass.

 

[bluedog69]

The entire down side to this is that it is still shooting 3.5" to 10" groups at 137 yards.
A new barrel is probably the only answer left.

 

[bluedog69]

Yes it is a sad deal. One guy said after 350 rounds his started shooting 1 hole groups with 143 eldxs. We have about 200 shots to go to hit 350 shots, but I don't know if his was that bad or not.
If you wait 5 to 10 minutes between shots it seems to do a lot better. The best is a 4 shot 1.25" group at 137.

Anyone have a bunch of cheap 6.5 prc ammo around?LOL

 

[LoneTraveler]

May want to make a lap and run it through the barrel.
The lap will tell if there is any problem at the crown, Or if there is any burrs in the throat where the case neck and free bore meets the rifling. Burrs in either place can cause problems.

 

[Barrelnut]

The entire down side to this is that it is still shooting 3.5" to 10" groups at 137 yards.
A new barrel is probably the only answer left.

That's crazy. You may have a bad barrel. Savage replaced one for me one time because it had a loose spot in the barrel that could be felt with a patch. I would at least give them a call. Though a lot of the firearms companies take long breaks around the holidays. I believe Savage does.