Bedding rifle stock

I like the marine Tex, I would remove some material then skim the material in the action area and don't forget to bed the barrel lug
 
I think 40-inch pounds on a .25X 28 pitch screw/bolt would produce about 800 pounds of clamping force which would certainly squeeze epoxy in all directions but might deform (flex) certain receivers or produce uneven receiver/stock fit. I prefer exerting enough clamping force to obtain the desired fit of receiver/stock using a minimum of torque with lubricated threads - like level fit of receiver & stock. This would level epoxy to conform with precise receiver surfaces with uneven stock surfaces with variable epoxy thicknesses & receiver would fit inside stock as intended -nice & level. Upon curing a max torque of 60-inch pounds can be applied to front screw and enough torque to back screw(s) to prevent screw(s) from backing out. Enough epoxy should be applied to resist deformation of soft wood or stock material especially behind recoil lug.

I just love the independence to complete projects that perform well & save money.
 
Hugnot said:
I think pillar bedding is intended to avoid compression of the stock by action screw/bolt tension. & maintain consistent tension, like no stock shrinkage or compression. Taking a .25 X 28 thread screw & applying 60 inch pounds of torque to the screw about 1,200 pounds of compressive tension force can be generated. In addition to compressing the stock (wood, part of a big dead plant or soft plastic), receivers may also be flexed. Best to maintain pillar dimensions, allow the existing pillars to support the receiver. Various epoxy bedding compounds may be added but the receiver & stock is already "bedded" - no need to add epoxy unless the stock is damaged, don't change pillars (passive devices, no movement, no wear).

I like J-B Epoxy Steel Resin. 1 oz of resin & 1 oz of hardener will bed the receiver of most rifles for less than $10. This includes a skim coat on the sides of the magazine well. Allowing the J-B to flow between stock & bottom metal will make for a column to support the receiver after slightly enlarging the existing hole around the action screw & allow easy tightening up to final engagement. J-B tensile strength is about 3,900 psi, compressive strength much greater. Use just enough screw tension to make the liquid epoxy flow to desired fit.

Be sure to use a release agent, like on all metal surfaces, especially threaded screw holes. No problems with Kiwi shoe polish. I like brown because it makes the coating visible & most wood is brown. Make dams out of modeling clay to prevent epoxy from flowing into unwanted places. Acetone is a good solvent uncured epoxy solvent but be sure to use in a vented place & keep it off skin. Some lab guys I once knew, died splashed lots of acetone on stuff to prepare slides,& clean electronics and they died from blood cancers at ages late 30's to mid 80's - treat it like an explosive poison.
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Never thought of using JB Weld as a bedding compound but it will work I bet.
I just checked the price of Devcon 10110 and it's super high.159.00 or somewhere around that price.I have used Pro Bed 2000 and it worked great but I'm liking Hugnot's idea of JB Weld more and more.
 
Hugnot said:
I think 40-inch pounds on a .25X 28 pitch screw/bolt would produce about 800 pounds of clamping force which would certainly squeeze epoxy in all directions but might deform (flex) certain receivers or produce uneven receiver/stock fit. I prefer exerting enough clamping force to obtain the desired fit of receiver/stock using a minimum of torque with lubricated threads - like level fit of receiver & stock. This would level epoxy to conform with precise receiver surfaces with uneven stock surfaces with variable epoxy thicknesses & receiver would fit inside stock as intended -nice & level. Upon curing a max torque of 60-inch pounds can be applied to front screw and enough torque to back screw(s) to prevent screw(s) from backing out. Enough epoxy should be applied to resist deformation of soft wood or stock material especially behind recoil lug.

I just love the independence to complete projects that perform well & save money.
Click to expand...
we do this almost everyday we got almost zero flex back on release works great at 40
 
Devcon plastic steel, in the dual tube.

One tube does one rifle. Buy it at the hw stores, like $5 a tube.

No worries about shelf life after buying a bunch of devcon in bulk. Learned the hard way....

JB also has a marine Weld, a lot like marinetex.

Both are solvent proof, and work great.

You guys are over thinking it.

I've bedded a couple dozen rifles with devcon plastic steel, everything from 375hh to 218bee.

Works great.
 

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Kmccord said:
I have heard of using tape on barrel to center, how many wraps are you adding, just enough
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For taping barrel, watch how far out the action sets from the top of stock and that it is not tipping back onto the tang . Also tang screw has full thread engagement once set in epoxy, but no torque , i back off screw torque once action set. Usually electrical tape is .007 to .010" so about 7 wraps gets you .050" to .070" gap, most dont like more tham .100" as action tilts or too high. gotta test it out amd look at action and tang fit with no tipping. I bought the big marine tex from an online boat store for $60 and did 5 stocks with left over. make sure its fresh. I also used the cheaper gray jb epoxy in suringe tubes that cures 4 to 6 hours for setting pillars, stiffing forend, filling gaps prior to main marine tex. these were for multiple part jobs and would flow down into pockets. I used johnson wax, 2 coats and then buffed out for direct action to epoxy areas for smooth finish. i used hornady one shot and masking tape and putty dams for every i dont expect epoxy, barrel extension, tang/trigger holes, inside barrel and holes then plug with plumbers putty. wax screws and holes. think belts and suspenders for safety
 
hicountry1 said:
No worries about shelf life after buying a bunch of devcon in bulk. Learned the hard way....
Click to expand...

Please clarify, I ask because I found a deal and bought 2-3 jars of the stuff. I've actually kept track of this last can, I've done 3 full rifles and appears I've got 1/2-2/3 still left. Now you have me worried it won't last, it's kept climate controlled.

I've always used Devcon but I think when I do finally run out next I'm going to try ProBed 2000. The 50/50 mixing alone should make it much easier to get a consistent mix, without having to use a scale.
 
ProBed 2000 is the best kept secret for DIY guys. I like it better than anything else I've tried and I've tried almost everything.
 
You don't want/need to tape the barrel to center it in the stock/chassis channel when you have pre-installed pillars.
The pillars have pre-established the elevation front/back of the receiver in the stock.

Taping the barrel is done when you're doing pillar bedding as a single step, which is the usual scenario on stocks where pillars aren't installed by the factory.

In this case, you don't have set pillars to establish the elevation of the action. By taping the barrel correctly, you establish BOTH the elevation of the front of the action, and centering of the barrel in the channel. It also assures free-float of the barrel when the tape is removed.

It is also critical when pillar bedding to leave the area where the very back of the receiver tang rests, "virgin"- do NOT remove material here for epoxy. This locates the height of the rear of the action correctly; together with the correctly taped barrel, this ensures the action is sitting straight and level in the stock.
 
tobnpr said:
It is also critical when pillar bedding to leave the area where the very back of the receiver tang rests, "virgin"- do NOT remove material here for epoxy. This locates the height of the rear of the action correctly; together with the correctly taped barrel, this ensures the action is sitting straight and level in the stock.
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This is not correct, the rear pillar sets the height of the rear of the action, just as the front pillar sets the height of the front of the action.
 
I use devcon titanium putty. I use it to put in my pillars and to bed my action. I use kiwis neutral shoe polish for release agent with a super light skim of petroleum jelly on top of it. Ends up super thin and epoxy will not stick to it.
 
Many decades ago, the most common bedding material was Brownell's Accraglas that came in a red box. Included was a bag of gray-white powdery stuff that was probably asbestos. This was to be mixed in with the epoxy/hardener combo to provide a thicker & less runny consistency. A gunsmith pal of mine used this stuff. On stock bedding days 5-6 rifles were lined up, each resting in notches cut in carboard boxes with stretchy rubber surgical tubing clamping metal to rough formed stocks. Gobs of bedding material oozed out to drop onto layers from previous jobs on the bottom of each box. The hardened epoxy was removed during final stock shaping. Everything sure looked ugly at that point. Some of the wood blanks (super good grain flow & everything else) cost $100-$200 (old time $) so a complete application of release agent was needed to prevent a stuck in place disaster.

Titanium must be the primo bedding agent additive. Extremely strong, corrosion proof, light weight - much better than asbestos. I never used Vaseline over shoe polish wax fearing the Vaseline would act as solvent on the wax - it deserves a trial run.
 

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