Glass Bedding a rifle
- Thread starter Ike1371
- Start date
To provide a firm, level foundation for the action to rest into, and prevent excess movement after recoil. It needs to be done in addition to free floating the barrel to optomize accuracy. Full-length bedding includes the front and rear guard screw surfaces, the recoil lug recess, and the front 1-2" or so of the barrel mating surface. Pillar bedding uses polymer, steel, or (usually) aluminum inserts in the guard screw locations to accomplish the same thing. Some epoxy compound is often used in the recoil lug well when pillar bedding is done. I prefer the former, due to its rigidity. Hope this helps. -7-
In addition to what a7mmnut said:
* Bedding provides a consistent surface for the action to recoil against. Consistent recoil, consistent accuracy.
* Full length bedding goes the full length of the stock. Bedding just the action is just bedding the action.
* Free-floating is removing material around the barrel to keep the barrel from touching anything when the shot is fired and the barrel whips.
* Pillar bedding is gluing a hard insert in around the action screws to keep the bedding from being crushed by the screws tightening.
* Bedding provides a consistent surface for the action to recoil against. Consistent recoil, consistent accuracy.
* Full length bedding goes the full length of the stock. Bedding just the action is just bedding the action.
* Free-floating is removing material around the barrel to keep the barrel from touching anything when the shot is fired and the barrel whips.
* Pillar bedding is gluing a hard insert in around the action screws to keep the bedding from being crushed by the screws tightening.
Some rifles benefit, accuracy-wise, from an upward pressure point in the bedding, near the forend tip - usually ones with thinner barrels, like Featherweights - ILO "floating" the barrel.
For sure, at the very least, the rear face of the recoil lug, the bottom of the front receiver ring and rear tang, and under the chamber section of the barrel should be done.
I wouldn't try to glas-bed a synthetic stock.
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For sure, at the very least, the rear face of the recoil lug, the bottom of the front receiver ring and rear tang, and under the chamber section of the barrel should be done.
I wouldn't try to glas-bed a synthetic stock.
.
longrifles Inc
New member
I'll be happy to explain it Bedding, regardless if it's a skin bedding job or the more involved pillar bedding does this and only this:
Properly done, bedding provides a tension free environment for the barreled action that is inert to both temperature and humidity so that the rifle will perform reliably and predictably in a broader range of conditions.
That's it.
Now, there is one application that is a little different and that is rimfire rifles. Smallbore guns do typically gain significant accuracy when they are bedded properly. I don't know why exactly and I don't really care. I know I've bedded a mess of them for Olympic athletes and when they get snugged up in the test stand they shoot better test groups after bedding. I've sat around with engineers and gunmakers with over half a century of experience and none of us really came up with an answer. I know the process works and that is all that really matters to me.
Adding pillars to a stock is so that the guard screws never compress the wood fibers or snythetic filler material. Some argue (Mid Tompkins) that its better to leave the pillars out. Mid and I are long time friends and he's forgotten more about winning highpower/Palma events than I'll ever know so I don't argue. But I do still use pillars. (although mine are very different from anything you'll ever see out there in gun land.)
If you dare ask what resin to use you'll get 20 different answers from folks. I use Devcon HVAC epoxy. It has good shore hardness, chemical resistance, compression/shear strength and it is easy to work with. I've bedded over a thousand guns with it and it's never screwed me once. I offer lifetime warranties on bedding jobs and I've only had one returned in 9 years of gunmaking.
You can bed wood stocks, synthetic stocks, or even metal stocks. If the resin system is properly mixed and the surfaces are prepared well, it should last a lifetime.
Here's what bedding doesn't do. It won't polish turds. If your gun sucks, it's just going to suck more consistently after it's bedded.
Properly done, it should look something like this:
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