which bedding compound?

[cohunt]

question for those that bed rifles professionally:

I'm looking at pillar/full length bedding a fiberglass stock--what bedding compound would you use?

I have done a Remington polymer flexy-stock before and I used acra-glass "liquid" in the forearm (to flow into the different cavities to reduce the forearm flex) and acra-glass "putty" for the receiver (as i figured the putty would "drip" less) , but it seemed like the putty required a lot of tension to get it to "push/squeeze" out of the way of the action (no I did not use an over abundance of it)

I know that different people prefer different bedding compounds --which ones do the "pro's" use? Marine-tex, acra-glass, devcon, steel bed, any others? any why do you prefer that bedding compound?

is there a better one for fiberglass stocks vs wood?


what about release agent? kiwi shoe polish, Johnson's paste wax? something else? --the blue liquid release agent that came with the acra-glass kit was a PITA to remove so I'm looking for better options this time.


last question --this will probably stir the pot a little--- on a lightweight pencil barrel do you free float or full length bed, and why? I have recently seen several "custom" light weight rifles with pencil profile barrels and they seem to be full length bedding the barrel----if you do this, do you do the barrel at the same time as the action, or in a separate procedure after the action is bed?

Thanks ahead of time for all the knowledge

 

[Mike AVM]

I use Devcon steel putty epoxy or liquid steel in limited applications. It bonds to wood and burnt or scarified plastics. The Devcon putty is perfect for receiver and front 3" or so of barrel. I use Stoner silicone mold release which is the only thing I have tried that made me happy. Shoe polish DID NOT.

 

[martinakl]

I'm not a pro but I've liked my results with Devcon.

I've always used the clear Kiwi shoe polish. The last couple of rifles I've done I've done Kiwi shoe polish and then sprayed the rifle with some Hornady One Shot spray just to make sure everything is covered.

 

[cohunt]

I'm not a pro but I've liked my results with Devcon.

I've always used the clear Kiwi shoe polish. The last couple of rifles I've done I've done Kiwi shoe polish and then sprayed the rifle with some Hornady One Shot spray just to make sure everything is covered.

do you buff the one-shot spray? or just leave the "coating" that it leaves--I'm assuming you mean the one shot gun cleaner/protectant and not the sizing lube

 

[martinakl]

Case Lube. I just spray on the One Shot Case Lube over the shoe wax. I let the clear shoe wax haze over and just do a coat of the One Shot.

It's probably overkill but I read about it on here and decided to give it a try. Thought I'd pass it one. I've read a few comments from others that just use One Shot Case Lube but I haven't tried.

 

[Remmy700]

Local to me here in Albuquerque NM a guy name Charlie that is owner of Score-High makes stuff called Pro-Bed 2000 and it is some of the easiest stuff I have used yet and is a very strong two part epoxy deal. Might be worth a shot. This is all he uses to bed the rifles he builds for customers and went commercial with the stuff few years back and several big box companies now sale his product.

 

[Wedgy]

A test from an article on Accurate Shooter showed Marinetex shrunk less than Devcon after 1 year, I use both and like them.

 

[cohunt]

A test from an article on Accurate Shooter showed Marinetex shrunk less than Devcon after 1 year, I use both and like them.

thanks, found the article-- devcon showed 3-5% shrinkage after 1 year, where the marine-tex showed only .1% --all in climate controlled storage

interesting part about the thermal expansion on aluminum pillars/blocks--wonder why no one sells titanium ones

 

[Clay Target Guy]

No pro, but I used Devcon alum. for several years and switched to Marine Tex.
Both are great products, but I could get Marine Tex a lot cheaper.

 

[ar10ar15man]

what i like i cannot get (bisonite never in stock)
so i use brownells steel bed
because titanium cost a fortune and too many sizes required

 

[therifleman556]

JB Weld is a pain, I don't use it anymore. Devcon is easier to work with.

I've used Johnson's Paste Wax as a release for years. Works great. One can will last a lifetime.

 

[Dosh]

A custom rifle builder got me using Marine-Tex years ago. I've bedded quite a few since and it has performed very well. Did a couple for my inlaw with other brands and wasn't impressed. At about $10 for the small can, it's very reasonable. Note the white Marine-Tex is said not to be as strong as the gray.

 

[cohunt]

so what about full length bedding the barrel on pencil profile barrels? seems like its pretty hit or miss

 

[Wedgy]

so what about full length bedding the barrel on pencil profile barrels? seems like its pretty hit or miss

I haven't seen it on pencil barrels, only 30"+ bull barrels that want to pull the action out of the stock, the 1st few inches are bedded for additional support.