Do you bed your rail?

[Fast88]

just curious how many of you bed your rails to the action. Do you thread lock the screws?

I usually don't bed but have recently been told it could cause some issues.

Thanks

 

[Canhunter35]

I've never bedded a rail. Just buy a decent one.
Thread lock never hurts but if your torquing to specified amount probably won't matter

 

[NoFences]

I bed them if there is any play when one end is screwed down. I just bedded one last week on a 6.5 20 moa rail. I always use thread locker.

 

[FEENIX]

just curious how many of you bed your rails to the action. Do you thread lock the screws?

I usually don't bed but have recently been told it could cause some issues.

Thanks

I too bed them as required. Maybe this video might shed some light (no pun intended) >>>

 

[Capt RB]

Bedded puts no/negligible stress in your action. It's like racing. The more things you do towards perfection the closer you get. In this instance you do it one time and can see a difference. For those that don't think so put .0001 indicators on your rail and then torque it down. Then bed it using the indicators re torque. On a good action you see 1-3% difference. On a factory action you will see more than that. Is it worth it? You have to justify the time effort and costs for % of gain which is small. However when long range is the game paper steel or game do everything you can .001in scope movement moves a bullet 1/4" at 100yds. If it is under stress it is more likely to move erratically however if it is not stress it will move consistently and predictably. Same reason we true actions and try to have chambers cut with 0 runout. It al helps it is the degree vs costs per aplication that needs to be answered

 

[Prieto9000]

I do bed when it´s needed. I found that EGW HD rails are very nice and almost never need to be bedded. I perform the following test before mounting my rail to determine if bedding is needed.
I screw in the front screw just to get it snug and check if the back part is sitting nicely on the action. If it does, I remove the front screw and crew in one in the back and check the front of the rail. If everything is fine I just use some blue loctite on the first 3-4 threads of each screw and torque it to spec. I've read that lactate also aids to get the screws to proper torque spec because you don't get resistance from friction.

 

[TexSavage]

I do bed. First rifle I ever bedded was my Savage Model 12. Most accurate gun I have ever shot, after I bedded the rail. Rails were top notch, Ken Farrell. Bedding is very easy to remove and does not hurt the finish. I had a brain fart thinking I need to redo it and after removing it realized some mysterious gas had left my brain. Went back identically and it's just as accurate. I used JB Weld.

 

[Wedgy]

If you think of trying to mate two rounded surfaces together and having complete contact it is almost impossible, and that's ignoring weather or not there is a height difference on the receiver. One of two things is likely to happen; 1) the rail will contact the receiver in the center along the screws and the outside edges will have space under them, the rail can tilt side to side. This is usually the case when you see a scope that sheared off the rail from the receiver as all the stress is on the screws. 2) the rail will contact the receiver at the outside edges of the rail and the center will float. This is much more solid that the other way. Some guys mill out the bottom center of the rail so it seats in this fashion.
If you bed it you insure that there is 100% contact and you will never have to wonder about it because you have removed that variable.

 

[J E Custom]

Bases ,like actions are not perfect so bedding may be necessary on Many installations. It can only help if done right.

I test the fit on any one piece base, and if there is any area that Is not in contact, I bed the end with the gap. On hard kicking rifles with heavy scopes, bedding is necessary in my opinion to get full (Stress Free)contact. Also I recommend a "non hardening" thread locker on all base and scope mounting screws.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I glue them on with jb. I dont want them moving, and jb lets go with a little heat if you ever need to remove it. I also install 8-40 screws and press in 1/8" pins into the rail and ream pin holes in the action so it stays put. Big magnums with aggressive brakes and heavy scopes can shear a rail right off.

 

[bigngreen]

No rifle leaves without the rail epoxied to the action at a minimum, I like to pin rails without a recoil lug, I hate locktite on small screws!!

 

[jrock]

Wow, I didn't know so many people bedded rails. I did my first one a while back since I couldn't get enough windage to zero. Worked out well enough. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and might do here on out.

 

[Hand Skills]

Bedding a rail is a lot simpler (and less destructive) than truing a receiver or lapping rings.

Every build is different, and those seeking to observe the tightest tolerances might combine all three processes. As an amateur gunsmith, and from a DIY point of view, my experience suggests the greatest gains can be found in getting the rail 'true'. With some basic tools and a dial indicator it is easily possible to achieve tolerances of +/- .001"

.0001" is a different game, and to work at this level requires much more in the way of equipment and environmental control.

Whether doing work myself, or working with others (gunsmith) I have always found value in establishing acceptable working tolerances. Generally speaking, the quality of work correlates directly with those tolerances, or more accurately the ability to quantify (measure) them.

 

[kingston]

Sometimes and usually.