Is it worth bedding the full action or just do the recoil lug. I'm new to precision long range rifle building and am doing my first build now. I'm trying to learn as much as possible so any advice is aappreciated. Im building a rem 700 7mm mag so any advice about pros and cons on the caliber and how to make the rifle better would be great.
bedding full action question
- Thread starter harleybug
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gohring3006
Well-Known Member
What stock are you using?
Is it pillar bedded?
Is it already free floated?
Is it pillar bedded?
Is it already free floated?
Bedding the full length of the action is not needed. Here is what we found has worked, start by just floating the barrel and the action. Make sure the sides of the action do not touch the stock. Use a piece of paper and make sure it freely moves under the barrel and along the sides of the action. Then you can either go all the way and form your own pillars with Devcon, which we use and is one of the best, or just surface bedding. Pouring your own pillars allows for perfect molding of the stock contours where the action screws go through. Once the pillars set up, the next step is to bed the tang, recoil lug, and 1.5-2 inches of the barrel channel. Once finished, the barrel will be floated and so will the action and the bedding will make everything fit perfectly and uniform and the pillars will allow the action screws to be torqued down. The action screws should be torqued to 60-65 inch pounds. This is what has worked with 10+ of our Remingtons, Mausers, Springfields, and everything else including all the rifles we have bedded for friends and other guys.
gohring3006
Well-Known Member
when you say you form your own pillars. What do you use for the action screw holes to keep the screws from touching the pillars?
We coat them thoroughly in release agent.
7magcreedmoor
Well-Known Member
Do you then drill the holes out with a bit one size larger than the screws?
Yes this is exactly what we do.
gohring3006
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a slick technique. I was confused at first because the screws making contact with pillars is bad. I might have to give it a try on a Boyds thumbhole... you should make a short video showing how its done it would be very popular I'm sure..
7magcreedmoor
Well-Known Member
Just recently finished building (my first DIY) Savage, and instead of pouring pillars with epoxy, I pulled the steel sleeves from the original stock to set the clearance for the bottom metal of the new style centerfeed magazine. If it had been the older style mag I'd have done it the way you described, but I couldn't figure any other way to keep the right clearance, since the magazine box is attached to the bottom metal rather than the action. Just one of the little details that make savages "fun" to work with....
Also, to keep the screws in the right position, we simply place a piece of masking tape over the head of the screw. We scoop the bedding in with something as simple as toothpick or Q-Tip, with the cotton removed, then just work it up and down to break up any air bubbles to eliminate any possible voids. Once done, the pillar should be 100% perfectly moulded to the stock and look like it is part of the stock, other than the color. It should also be free of any pockets, craters, or imperfections and look smooth throughout. My Dad has done it this way for 30+ years and with the addition of Devcon Plastic Steel it has made this a phenomenal bedding technique. We have discovered full length bedding of the action is not needed and the way we do it, as I described in my previous post, yields fantastic results and makes factory Model 700s and Savage 110s look like purpose built target rifles!
If the action is torqued at both screws and is sitting on bedding at the front and rear screws, then the middle is free to do whatever because it isn't doing much when the rifle goes off. All tension is on the barrel, recoil lug, and action screws. Reinforcing the whole action works but just isn't needed.
gohring3006
Well-Known Member
Jud96 has some good points but don't confuse tension of action screws being from recoil. They should have only tension from torquing them to spec. They should never take any load from recoil they should essentially float in the pillars or action screw holes and never touch the sides.
