bedding business

[MediumMadness]

Hello Again Gentlemen.

I could use some advice on bedding my gun. I'm aware of the value of proper bedding of the action, I've successfully bedded one action myself on a light caliber bolt gun. But what I'm not educated on are the practices of pillar bedding, point bedding (forend bedding upward pressure point), and full length bedding specifically on heavy/DG rifles.

The rifle in question is my Win M70 in 375 Holland. After I can find a good riflesmith, I'm going to send it for everything, one of which will be, this bedding business. Any advice or eduction is greatly appreciated. And if you know a good riflesmith, that would be helpful too.

Thank You.

 

[BRICKBURN]

"bedding business"; So close to being tagged as a spammer.

Glad it turned out to be legit. Hope someone can help.

 

[DOC-404]

I believe in glass bedding, especially in the bigger boomers. It's quite simple if you plan it properly, have the right materials...and you are a patient person. Check these sites:

Glass Bedding a Rifle

 

[mark-hunter]

I was searching for similar subject, and came up with this thread.
So, not to start new topic, I was thinking to come along with this.

Question:
If purhcasing 2nd market - laminate stock for specific rifle model of reputable stock maker, in expert opinion, does it need to be glass bedded?
Laminate stocks are very close to be like synthetic, weatherproof, humidity resilieant etc. So, possibly laminate stocks not necessarily need to be glass bedded, or I am wrong?

 

[Ridgewalker]

Mark, it’s not the weatherproofing that you do the glass bedding to achieve. It is to get a solid interface between the stock and action reducing the chance of any possible movement.
I would recommend glass bedding the action and possibly the first couple of inches of the barrel. Free float all the rest of the barrel to allow enough space for any barrel harmonics to occur without any interference.
At this point using your primary load, you can test it for front barrel contact by putting a small strip of plastic shim stock in to see the effects. If it improves you can add some bedding there. If a rifle is for varmints where lots of rounds are fired, the testing needs to be done enough to heat up the barrel to see if the barrel expands enough to change the POI or not. If it’s a heavy cartridge, the 2-3 rounds should be sufficient.
JME Best of luck in your testing!

 

[johnnyblues]

"bedding business"; So close to being tagged as a spammer.

Glad it turned out to be legit. Hope someone can help.

Exactly what I thought when I first saw it.

 

[Opposite Pole]

There’s a Kiwi guy named Nathan Foster who published a series of books regarding long range accuracy covering the whole spectrum of issues from action bedding to reloading. I recommended his books to those interested in the topic.

 

[mark-hunter]

The confusing fact is that many rifles on market do not have glass bedding, thus the question.
If the bedding is about solid interface of stock with action, what about plastic stocks? Bedding reccomended or not?

 

[9.3x57 Freak]

I would recommend glass bedding. I glass bedded my old Sako AV Fiberclass.

 

[Ridgewalker]

what about plastic stocks?

Mark, most of the newer synthetic stocks (Bell & Carlson and Savage as examples) actually have a machined aluminum “bed” in them. Personally I think the best bedding is a combination pillar and glass even in a synthetic stock. Examples of good factory files with bedding in their synthetic stocks are MRC and Kimber. Both seem to do a pretty good job of production bedding.
I have a Bell & Carlson on my Tikka 300 WM utilizing their aluminum bedding. So far it’s holding up. The thing I don’t like is the aluminum has a recoil lug built in. I’d prefer steel. I suspect the aluminum will sooner or later compress and accuracy will degrade.

One other thing, you said “plastic” stocks. No injection molded “plastic” stock can compare to a hand layed carbon fiberglass stock. Even if it contains glass fibers which add strength. They flex a lot unless they have an aluminum bedding block. Still I’d choose a carbon fiber hand laid any day over an injection molded stock. JMO

 

[greyfox]

Ridgewalker knows of what he speaks.

EVERY time the rifle goes off, a rearward force equal to and opposite of the force to send the bullet down the barrel is exerted on the recoil lug (Newton's 3rd Law).

Where are you located? Best way to learn to bed an action is to do it under supervision of some one who has done it many times.

Most important point: (Actually 2 points!!): 1: Don't go lightly on the release agent. "Paint" it with release agent, let it dry (It'll form a film) then do it again and look under a bright light for any missed spots - just a little contact will make the job MUCH more time consuming.

2: Like so many other things, it's all in the prep. Prep the metal, Prep the stock, MAKE 100% sure you have every item within arms reach, do a few dry runs, then you're ready. Once you bed it, put your rifle in a cradle, Let it rest totally undisturbed for about 4 hours, THEN I take the action screws out and clean them thoroughly, reapply release agent, and torque it in. Put 2 strips of painters tape around the barrel to get good clearance.

As Ridgewalker stated (I prefer free floats) you can shim the forend with business cards to see the effect of pillar bedding and see where and how much - should you decide to go that route