[Rocky7]

I have tried just about all the recommended methods at one time or another. I have a new rifle that is not performing and thought I would check with the brain trust here before going ahead with my idea. How do you bed your rifles?

If I have left something off the poll and you've had great success with it, please post instructions.

I have allowed up to 3 selections in case you have had excellent results with more than one method. If not, please only select 1 or 2 so that I/we get reliable data. If you use Devcon, pretend you use Glass. If you are tempted to post answers according to something you read, please don't. I've already read it.

Thank you.

 

[rando]

Well the one Ii do and chose was 100% it said in the survey. No one chose other variations of Glass bedding

 

[Txhillbilly]

I've always bedded the front & rear sections of the action and the recoil lug. The barrels on all of my rifles are free floated.

 

[Junction15]

I start out by free-floating the barrel full length except at the recoil lug and chamber segment. I then do an accuracy test.
If i don't see much/any improvement, I Devcon (aluminum filled) the full barrel length. Then I do an accuracy test.

I have not bedded many rifles, but the full length treatment worked best for me. If it does not work so well, then I can remove some of the Devcon progressively.

So far, my most accurate rife was an Interarms MarkX in 270 Win. It would string shots vertically but consistently. Different ammo helped but the bedding job got it to where 5 shots would touch at 100 yards. (Yeah- I know - someone else's rifle will beat that at 500 yards all day long. I don't care. I was happy with mine.)

I used it for deer and woodchuck hunting. Lost it when I had to divvy up stuff in my divorce.

 

[Big Dog]

I bed the action, and freefloat most of the barrel channel, but usually find a pressure point near the front end of the stock works best for me.

 

[Ron The Legend]

I bed the action screw area, recoil lug and chamber area. What I did to one rifle that was having a lot of stock warpage, was to hog out the barrel channel and drill holes at different angles into the stock from the chamber area to the end. I then taped the barrel ahead of the chamber and glass bedded the entire stock in the barrel area. That barrel never touched the stock ever again and it became a good shooter.

 

[Rocky7]

Thanks for the tips. It's got me thinking I might try a shim of soft copper at the forend before I get to any bedding. I used to do that years ago, sometimes to good effect.

This rifle that is not performing is a Win 70 classic and has a free floated barrel. Mind you, I haven't torn it down yet so who knows...might be no bedding around the recoil lug for all I know!

I have a new Browning, too, that isn't impressive in the accuracy department. The front 1"or so of the barrel on that one is bedded. I've had a look at that one.

The custom rifles I have built generally shoot much better than these expensy factory rifles. However, I have not yet given up on them. A tweak here, a tweak there...who knows?

 

[Big Dog]

The worst fitting stock I ever had was the Boyd's laminate stock for my Swiss K31 SchmidtRubin.
The inletting for the action was a quarter inch too short and 1/8 inch too far to one side. Barrel rubbed one side. Took a lot of hogging out, a lot of bedding compound, a lot of sanding.
Finally got 'er done, but it was a hard fought battle.
All other Boyd' s stocks I bought fit fairly well, but they really screwed the pooch on this one!

 

[animalspooker]

All the action and through the lug... just my $0.02!

Acraglas, by the way!

 

[runfiverun]

i fill in every wood pore on the rifle on most of them.
the ones i don't, i bed from the tang to just in front of the chamber, this leaves me the option of finishing it off like above.

 

[Rocky7]

The worst fitting stock I ever had was the Boyd's laminate stock for my Swiss K31 SchmidtRubin.
The inletting for the action was a quarter inch too short and 1/8 inch too far to one side. Barrel rubbed one side. Took a lot of hogging out, a lot of bedding compound, a lot of sanding.
Finally got 'er done, but it was a hard fought battle.
All other Boyd' s stocks I bought fit fairly well, but they really screwed the pooch on this one!

Funny you mention that. I just got finished fixing a Boyd's thumbhole that Bubba tried fitting to a pre-64 Model 70. I got it pretty well tidied up if I do say so. It is starting to shoot not too bad, too. Boyd's produce a pretty good product for the money, IMHO. Frankly, I don't know how they do it. But they do require some amount of work to finish up, as you say.

 

[Big Dog]

Yep, some buyers think they are "drop in" stocks, but they are actually about 90/95% inletted, but they always need finish fitting. But whoever cut that K31 stock must have had a rough night. Looks good once done. Heavy as heck though!

 

[Rocky7]

The plot thickens. I have a question and will try here for an answer before starting a new thread.

I started to remove the very sloppy looking bedding on my new M70 Supergrade. Get this - it was bedded by the factory with a hot glue gun! I shyte you not. When I tried to dremel out room for a top coat of Acraglas, it melts on the Dremel bit.

Any ideas on how to remove solidified hot glue from a recoil lug area? Maybe some kind of electric soldering gun tip????

 

[Rocky7]

Never mind. Answered my own question. Isopropyl alcohol. Who knew? Got er all cleaned out in no time, first coat of release agent is on.

 

[ACfixer]

Well I voted #3

When you say it wasn't performing Rocky, how about some numbers?

 

[Rocky7]

I've finished re-bedding both of them now - the new Browning 25.06 was shooting 2-3 in. groups. Ugly. The new Winchester 70 300WM was slightly better but struggling to get to 1.5". Neither of those are acceptable.

I will have them both to the range this week-end so will let you know if re-bedding did any good. Sure hope so. They are lookers.

 

[ACfixer]

I've finished re-bedding both of them now - the new Browning 25.06 was shooting 2-3 in. groups. Ugly. The new Winchester 70 300WM was slightly better but struggling to get to 1.5". Neither of those are acceptable.

I will have them both to the range this week-end so will let you know if re-bedding did any good. Sure hope so. They are lookers.

Yeah 2-3 is wild for sure. Let us know how it works out!

 

[big shrek]

Well, on .22's I've gone to Pillar Bedding Only...
which is really all they need.
But that wasn't put in the options

 

[FortyXDM]

How do you bed rifles?
First make sure the rifle is of the opposite sex.
I would then try some flowers after the third date....then dinner and wine.
Don't push it.....just let it happen...

 

[PaleHawkDown]

How do you bed rifles?
First make sure the rifle is of the opposite sex.
I would then try some flowers after the third date....then dinner and wine.
Don't push it.....just let it happen...

I find that that is true with older generations of rifles, but the newer ones are so aggressive they prefer to be free-floated, just letting everything hang out in public.