Recoil Bedding Attempt: Part Deux
- Thread starter General RE LEE
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Oldsteelrunner
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Take out the bolt releasing device.
Epoxy should completely fill the lug recess.
Epoxy should completely fill the lug recess.
I find that doing the chamber area of the barrel makes for a less picky rifle when it comes to ammo.
I scratch the bedding pillows and skim coat them.
Make sure bottom of the lug is not touching.
A power washer can remove buddy from holes and epoxy buggers on the barrel action.
Shoot a known load to appraise results but expect to work up new loads and resigns.
Torque bolts to 65 ft lbs and slowly back off rear bolt to see if group improves.
On some flat bottom actions you tune with front bolt torque. Definitely bed chamber on flat actions
I scratch the bedding pillows and skim coat them.
Make sure bottom of the lug is not touching.
A power washer can remove buddy from holes and epoxy buggers on the barrel action.
Shoot a known load to appraise results but expect to work up new loads and resigns.
Torque bolts to 65 ft lbs and slowly back off rear bolt to see if group improves.
On some flat bottom actions you tune with front bolt torque. Definitely bed chamber on flat actions
You have received a lot of good information and tips on bedding a stock. If you are handy at all and have some wood working tools it is an easy task to make your own wood chisels and tools for shaping and removing bedding material/s. I will rip some 1/8th inch strips out of a piece of hardwood like oak, maple or ash. From there these woods can be shaped into and configuration one would need to remove excess bedding materials both before and after the bedding has hardened. We all try to get as much bedding material off as possible, however that seems to be an impossible task. Once the action is removed from the stock I go at the task of removing any hardened bedding material from the blued parts of the barrel and the action. The plastic putty knife that you have written about is also a good idea, however I have found them to be too soft for removing hardened bedding materials.
One thing that I will "always" do is that I will totally wax the "entire" stock with a couple of coats of good car wax before I even start the job. Then I would never bed a rifle without covering the "entire" stock with masking tape. No matter how hard one tries to eliminate not spreading bedding material where one wants it, that bedding material always manages to find a place to land and stick without being noticed until it has hardened.
I always bed the recoil lug and 4 inches of the barrel channel in front of the lug and then float the rest of the barrel channel. My bedding jobs have always been on wood stocks, so I remove approximately 1/8th of an inch of wood from the barrel channel, then use two layers of Brownell's plumber's bedding tape out to the end of the barrel. Using the tape forward from 4 inches in front of the barrel will allow for a .020 thousandths of an inch clearance for the barrel to float in. I use bedding screws from Brownells and have found the extra expense to be worth the price when doing a bedding job. As for the action screws I use RIG grease on all of my rifles so that is was I use to help release the bedding screws from the action. Any grease will work, but I use RIG because it is what I have. I use either a q-tip or a small artist brush to get the grease down into the screw holes of the action, or in fact the grease can be used inside of any holes that you fear could cause a release issue.
I noticed that you put tape midway down the barrel channel, is that to keep the barrel held in place to maintain the original factory angle that it was prior to relieving the stock? When I do a bedding job I will relieve the wood from behind the recoil lug, clear back to the magazine box in the stock, and leave a 1/16th inch ledge of the original stock for the action to sit on. By doing this I maintain the original positioning of the factory barrel/action. I use a modeling clay to build a dam inside of the magazine well to help retain any bedding material from leaking out. The magazine well is also a good place to remember to put a couple of good coats of car wax (before starting the bedding job) in as well as any areas where bedding may find its way; and, believe me bedding has a way of doing that. If there's excess wax on the wood that cannot be removed I will leave it there until the bedding job is complete. Masking tape inside of the magazine well is also good to use as well. Car wax is a lot easier to remove than bedding material. I think that the electrician's tape is a great idea for keeping the action tight against the stock. One of the members following this thread wrote that he uses a syringe, again another great idea as it allows one to apply the bedding material more evenly than by using a wooden, or plastic spatula to spread the material around.
Had that happen before. Had to take the gun apart and really get after it to get the epoxy out. Sucked bad.
There is a way to make this a lot easier.
degrease all metal and screws twice with brake cleaner
Spray Brownell's Accra Release on and in the action including the chamber, and all recesses, do not worry about small crevices or screws. When the release agent gets on the screws, it will NEVER stick. The tape does add clearance, and it is not a bad idea to go hole dia.
Action and stock always come apart EASY!
Wash the release agent off action and screws with the brake cleaner, any and all bedding compound comes out of the chamber and recesses easily...NEVER a problem.
Accra Release applied to the stock's barrel channel area just in front of the recoil lug will stop all bedding from sticking in that area. I do use the modeling clay in the action area of the stock, but none on or in the action or bolt stop recesses...no need.
degrease all metal and screws twice with brake cleaner
Spray Brownell's Accra Release on and in the action including the chamber, and all recesses, do not worry about small crevices or screws. When the release agent gets on the screws, it will NEVER stick. The tape does add clearance, and it is not a bad idea to go hole dia.
Action and stock always come apart EASY!
Wash the release agent off action and screws with the brake cleaner, any and all bedding compound comes out of the chamber and recesses easily...NEVER a problem.
Accra Release applied to the stock's barrel channel area just in front of the recoil lug will stop all bedding from sticking in that area. I do use the modeling clay in the action area of the stock, but none on or in the action or bolt stop recesses...no need.
General RE LEE
Well-Known Member
I used Hornady One Shot in screw holes
Yup, that's what I use now, Accra Release spray. Ordered my first Accra Glass in early 1970 while back on Chu Lai. When I got home, I started working on my Rem 700 ADL. Didn't have all this advice at hand then so made mistakes and learned to fix 'em. These new solutions sure make things easier. They exist probably because of interest AND trial and error from guys like on this site.
Give yourselves a pat on the back boys!
I hate furniture work, but when I do, I use these to align and keep bedding screws centered. Super glue them and drill them out when you clearance the holes of any bedding material.
A couple of wraps of masking tape around the screw till there is a slip fit centers the screw. A tad bit of epoxy will get in the hole, and drill the hole out with a 5/16 drill bit on Rem 700s.
Remember to de-grease the action and screws twice, this is where a LOT of guys screw up. Do not use Pam, it will fail you over time.
Remember to de-grease the action and screws twice, this is where a LOT of guys screw up. Do not use Pam, it will fail you over time.
Used that tape wrap back in the 80s when I shot hunter benchrest. Since going back to bolt guns, another benchrest gunsmith gave me a handful of those nylon pieces, never went back to tape wrap.
I still hate furniture work. I would rather chamber barrels than mess around with stocks.
General RE LEE
Well-Known Member
Meh. Lesson learned is to put release agent on masking tape. All in all it looks like crap but functional. The tang area seemed to flow towards the trigger area. Oh well I'm sure it will shoot well enough for a hunting rifle.
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Do some Quality Control on your Bedding Job by Doing the following: Stand your rifle straight up on the butt. Jam your index finger on the end of the forearm tip, pushing up on the barrel. Now, loosen the front guard screw. If you feel any movement, with your finger, give the stock another skim coat, and allow the action to float in the bedding compound.
On stocks or bedding blocks with a lot of warpage, I have had to bed them 3 times to get zero movements. Tightening those guard screws down real tight on the first bedding often leads to failure in QC.
Guys with a magnetic base and indicator can check the amount of movement easily. .003 movement seems like a country mile
My brother came up with a very, very unconventional way to bed those Remington Plastic stocks that work well more times than not. He put the small stick-on tire weights in the forearm, as many as he could get in the hollow section without touching the barrel with nothing else added. The glue on the wheel weights is amazing. Then he bedded the action and recoil lug, drilling 1/8" holes with his Dremel tool. Next, he used some Lead Wool with some Bondo in the butt stock. I am a die-hard McMillen man, and this approach makes me want to gag, but every rifle I have seen this done to simply shoots a ragged hole. The weight added, stiffer butt stock, and forearm is magic. This method was way off the charts for me, but his small groups in many rifles are a testimony to the success of the method. Brother shoots right out of his garage and reloads on the spot. He has learned to tune loads without much fuss. Two months ago, he got a matt finish SPS Rem 700 in 30/06 back from the gunsmith after having a Gentry muzzle break installed. He did the stock work and called me over. Using 155g Berger VLD-Hunting bullets, he was shooting 2" groups at 500 with a top-end Leupold 5x35 or something like that. He has done the same with Model 7's with plastic stock...unreal accuracy after the bedding and Gentry brake...sub 1/2" groups on all, 243 Win, 7/08, and 308
Some would object to the additional weight, and none would object to the accuracy and shoot ability of the rifles.
On stocks or bedding blocks with a lot of warpage, I have had to bed them 3 times to get zero movements. Tightening those guard screws down real tight on the first bedding often leads to failure in QC.
Guys with a magnetic base and indicator can check the amount of movement easily. .003 movement seems like a country mile
My brother came up with a very, very unconventional way to bed those Remington Plastic stocks that work well more times than not. He put the small stick-on tire weights in the forearm, as many as he could get in the hollow section without touching the barrel with nothing else added. The glue on the wheel weights is amazing. Then he bedded the action and recoil lug, drilling 1/8" holes with his Dremel tool. Next, he used some Lead Wool with some Bondo in the butt stock. I am a die-hard McMillen man, and this approach makes me want to gag, but every rifle I have seen this done to simply shoots a ragged hole. The weight added, stiffer butt stock, and forearm is magic. This method was way off the charts for me, but his small groups in many rifles are a testimony to the success of the method. Brother shoots right out of his garage and reloads on the spot. He has learned to tune loads without much fuss. Two months ago, he got a matt finish SPS Rem 700 in 30/06 back from the gunsmith after having a Gentry muzzle break installed. He did the stock work and called me over. Using 155g Berger VLD-Hunting bullets, he was shooting 2" groups at 500 with a top-end Leupold 5x35 or something like that. He has done the same with Model 7's with plastic stock...unreal accuracy after the bedding and Gentry brake...sub 1/2" groups on all, 243 Win, 7/08, and 308
Some would object to the additional weight, and none would object to the accuracy and shoot ability of the rifles.
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