should i glass bed my guns?

I would. I've never known a good bedding job to hurt a rifles accuracy.

If properly done a bedding job gives you a perfect footprint for your action to sit in. It will eliminate any stress points in the action area, and for wood it will reduce/eliminate any changes in the action area due to wood swelling or shrinking due to humidity changes.

Chris
 
yzm,
I have heard it said, even on this forum, that every rifle would benifit from a bedding job. Even the rifles with HS Precision stocks (aluminum bedding block) benefit from skim bedding. I have only ever had one rifle bedded, a Ruger M77/.270 Win, and it definately helped me get getter groups and made the rifle more consistent.
As for the Sendero's and Varmint Synthetics (VS) that I have owned, I usually ensure the action bolts are snugged to 65in/lbs. On the Varmint Specials (BDL Walnut stock) that I have owned I just floated the barrel. JohnnyK.
 
Can a first timer do it or does it need to be taken in to a professional?
 
Can a first timer do it or does it need to be taken in to a professional?



My 270 WSM Featherweight was an average shooter. Then I glass bedded it using Acraglas, and now it shoots like a target rifle. Seriously. Targets to brag about. Targets to wow my shooting buddies.

Yes the kit will do two rifles. Following the easy instructions, I built a clay **** where ever I wanted the 'glass' to stop. I bedded the first 2 inches of barrel back to the start of the magazine and wrapped tape around the barrel to assure a free floating barrel result.

(I'm hearing the naysayers)
Yes it will probably loosen up if I get it too hot like 10 rounds rapid fire, five times on a 100 degree day. But I don't shoot this rifle like that. So Acraglas has worked just fine for me.


Your mileage may differ.
just my .02
 
I bed the recoil lug area on all my rifles and always note an improvement. It is second nature now and I do a lot of them for friends. Here are some pics of a rebedding of a rebarrel to a barrel with a heavier contour on an HS Precision stock.

Previous bedding
DSCN0861.jpg


remove it and leave enough room for some bedding compound
DSCN0862.jpg

DSCN0863.jpg


set the new barrel in the stock and see where it hits
DSCN0858.jpg


remove any material on the inside of the stock that hits the barrel
DSCN0864.jpg


make sure you get an even gap around the barrel
DSCN0865.jpg


will continue in next post since there is a limit on the number of pics in any one post
 
Normally I use Acraglas and use Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Wax for the release agent, but on this one I decided to try MarineTex. I will be going back to Acraglas, easier to work with and it is impossible to put enough coloring agent in the MarineTex to get it to black. The release agent that comes with the kit it a thin liquid and it worries me when I can't see where I've coated
DSCN0739.jpg


I put a couple of layers of masking tape on the front surface of the recoil lug. It will help with installing and removing the action from the stock to have a slight gap
DSCN0871.jpg


next coat every surface of the gun that you do not want the bedding compound to stick to, don't forget the action screws and the outside edges of the stock where the compound may ooze out, be very thorough. You can use the putty provided to fill any holes
DSCN0872.jpg


blob the appropriate amount of mix in (better a little too much than too little) and get it down to the bottom of the recoil lug recess, you want the recoil lug to bottom out on the compound and be trapped on either side so that it can not move down or twist sideways
DSCN0873.jpg


insert the action into the stock and torque down to specs, with the HS since it has pillar bedding that would be 60 to 65 inch pounds. Wait 24 hours and remove the stock. The best way I have found to do this is to set the gun upside down with support under the butt stock and the vise bearing on the front stock on either side of the barrel. Insert the bolt and take out the magazine well and insert the plastic grip of a screwdriver down to the bottom of the bolt and give the end of the screwdriver a sharp rap with a hammer. Make a soft landing area under the scope with some towels.

It should come out looking like this
DSCN0876.jpg


Clean it up and make sure the compound has a clean edge at the forward end where the barrel becomes unsupported. Install the stock and just before torquing it down, bump the gun on the floor on the recoil pad to set the action against the recoil lug, torque the front action screw down first.

The first one or two is a little skeery when you think about gluing your gun together but it gets better with time :grin:
 
  1. The older I get the more I realize that if it ain't broke I probably shouldn't be fixing it.
  2. In the usual course of affairs I usually end up fixing it anyway. It's more fun that way.
Here's a pic of an H-S Precision stock glass bedded:


fullength70.jpg


This was taken right after it was cracked open, it is the only way this rifle would shoot, but I suspect is was due to the barrel dampening not the receiver bedding. As you can see however there are still spots available to fill even on a CNC block.

I've done it on several others and rarely see much 'real world' improvement however.
 
I have several HS stocks and skim beaded them all. If you notice on Woods picture, after the bedding had cured, that the bedding had filled in on the front pillar of the block. If the pillar bolck and action were a solid fit, then that area would be devoid of bedding material.

Typically, the action and bedding block do not make good contact and leave excessive gaps, which in theory can cause stress on the action when torqued. This is why I skim bed. It's easy, although messy, and can be removed if you mess up. The single most important tip is to put ample release agent on everything and to remove the excess that presses out between the stock and action (to prevent a mechanical lock, ie. not being able to get the action out).

All that being said, I have noticed little if any accuracy benefit from the process in those particular rifles. But at least I feel better and gave me something to do.
 
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