Bedding Compound ?

[BrentM]

I have been using acraglass gel from Brownells for a little while. Mostly it seems like a good product and does what it is intended to do. However, I have not used other products to compare it to. Is this is a good product for bedding as well filling in larger voids, such as installing internal cheek risers?

I have had a few issues with the product sticking to the composite stock material on the edges of my cheek risers. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Hired Gun]

I'm really partial to Marine Tex. It what McMillan uses as well.

 

[Dosh]

I'm really partial to Marine Tex. It what McMillan uses as well.

Brent, +1 on the Marine Tex. I like to get the 14 oz. can which is 7 times the 2 oz. at less than half the price. Use painter's tape and Kiwi Neutral where you don't want bedding to stick.

 

[BrentM]

Thanks for the replies. I think it is time to try something else and compare. I like the black dye Brownell's sells, amazing how little you have to use, but unless I am doing something wrong in my process I have had a tough time getting the finish I want for these cheek risers.

In this picture, the far edge (not real clear sorry), chips away or breaks off. Sometimes the edge is perfect, other times not.

 

[WapitiBob]

Noticeable difference on my rifle from Accra glass to devcon

 

[BrentM]

Please explain what you mean by difference.​

 

[Hired Gun]

Thanks for the replies. I think it is time to try something else and compare. I like the black dye Brownell's sells, amazing how little you have to use, but unless I am doing something wrong in my process I have had a tough time getting the finish I want for these cheek risers.

In this picture, the far edge (not real clear sorry), chips away or breaks off. Sometimes the edge is perfect, other times not.

For that I would use the McMillan color matched gel coat and make it look factory.

 

[Shooter264]

I used marine tex for a long time and then switched to Devcon steel. Devcon is way easier to to work with and I am very unlikely to go back to marine tex

 

[J E Custom]

There are many compounds that can be used for bedding a rifle.

Some are easy to use and some are hard so each person has to decide which he likes.

I started using some of the older bedding compounds and found them to be troublesome. all
of these would run and made a mess that required lots of clean up.

Next I switched to acraglas jell and found it easer to work and being thicker it did not run as bad.

Then I tried some of the compounds that were thick and had a longer pot life. they are still the ones I like the best. My favorites are in order, Steel bed because it has a 1 to 2 hour pot life, mixes 50x50, and does not heat up very much (Heat will cause shrinkage when it cools and the fit is not as tight as I like).

Next would be Devcon (For the same reasons, except it has to be mixed 9 to 1) I weigh mine.

Pro bed 2000 is very good and will bond to anything, so care has to be taken to protect any surfaces
that need to be cared for (Masking works well for this).

Some compounds are not designed for bedding and I do not recommend them even though they will work, because they can be troublesome and if they heat up to much become thin and runny. some of these can be used in other areas with good results (Like installing pillars) and the ones that come in a tube will help while mixing very small amounts.

To assure a good bond with the stock It is my preference to clean any surface that you "Want" the bedding to stick/bond to with Lacquer Thinner and rough the surface up for a better anchor surface.

I also don't like the release agents (They will fail at the worst time) but prefer a good paste wax.

Just My Likes and dislikes for what it is worth.

J E CUSTOM

 

[BrentM]

Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate the help.

The thing that attracted to me acraglass was the easy of use, clean up, and low heat. Perhaps a lot of my issue is technique and experience. Mixing the product seems straight forward and I use a metal measuring spoon. However, maybe this stuff is more sensitive then I want to believe it is and instead of 50/50 I am getting 55/45 at times and that does not work out for the end result.

I did mostly finish the logger head cheek install, this one did not turn out well in my mind due to being distracted when I set the loggerhead. I had already started the process when I got the call my mother was headed to the hospital with stroke like symptoms and I was not really paying much attention to detail. I have fought this project ever since.

Anyway, I need to do the finish work, which is mostly paint, and on the top portion I will need to remove the modeling clay and do the finish epoxy. Should be able to get that done tonight and finish this project soon.

With this advice I am planning to get the Devcon and see how it goes. I have several more rifles I want to install cheek risers in. Good test.

In these two pictures you can see the edge is better now. I redrilled the edge where the epoxy broke off and cleaned it again with thinner. Picture quality sucks, sorry, took them with my old ipod. Camera is broken.

​

 

[foreign]

Look up ballistics research and try some of Nathan's bedding compound. Works great!

 

[BrentM]

I did order Devcon and will be playing around with it on my next install. I have this one done well enough to finish and move on.