Panda/Robertson bedding
- Thread starter AlNyhus
- Start date
AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
Glad I finished the bolt notch by hand. There was a void in the filler and the carbon mat was wadded up in the void...likely would have chunked out some outer shell using a whirlin' razor sharp cutter. 
There was a pack of pigment included with the stock so mixed that with a thin clear epoxy and dabbed it over the external cuts. The sky this morning is kind of greenish grey from the Canadian wildfire smoke and it gives it a bit of plum tinge and some weird shadows on the bedding. The radius at the top of the bedding where the action screws go are something to be aware of. This area can add a .003-.004 of movement when checked with a dial indicator.
I'm more of a functional guy than a polish and shine type. Pretty soon it'll have a few character marks from doing what it was meant to do.
Good shootin' -Al
There was a pack of pigment included with the stock so mixed that with a thin clear epoxy and dabbed it over the external cuts. The sky this morning is kind of greenish grey from the Canadian wildfire smoke and it gives it a bit of plum tinge and some weird shadows on the bedding. The radius at the top of the bedding where the action screws go are something to be aware of. This area can add a .003-.004 of movement when checked with a dial indicator.
I'm more of a functional guy than a polish and shine type. Pretty soon it'll have a few character marks from doing what it was meant to do.
Good shootin' -Al
AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
Not really. Guys like Alex Wheeler, Shaen Magan, Tom Meredith, Alex Sittman, Doug St. Arbor and others...now those guys are perfectionists for inletting.
While I love doing bedding work, I hate inletting with a passion. I'd rather put my finger in a vise and tighten it than inlet a stock.
And this one already came with very decent semi-inletting done...I just had to finish it. The really good guys would have that done before they refilled their first cup of coffee.But true to my German/Norwegian heritage, there's a McMillan 3" flat top on the way to my sod hut.
Good shootin' -Al
AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
I do the counterbore when making the pillars. The tool is a 9/16" piloted aircraft counter bore with a 5/16" pilot. After the counter bore is done, I chuck up my lapping tool.... a piece of round brass turned to .550 and squared flat on the face. Put a dab of lapping compound on it and lightly lap the bottom of the counter bore. The lapping is likely overkill but I like to have as much contact as possible.
On some actions, I do the counterbore with a 82 degree cutter and use flat headed cap screws with an Allen head. The 82 degree taper gives a lot of contact area.
The screws for the flat bottom counter bored pillars are button head cap screws with an Allen head. Most of the stainless button head screws have a small registering flat under the head. The alloy steel ones normally don't have that.
Good shootin'. -Al
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AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
Got back to it, specifically the weight system.
The butt stock was completely hollow so I filled it with a very thin, self leveling two part epoxy. To bulk up the epoxy, I added some plastic beads and poured the butt full. The plastic beads melt at 90 degrees and when the epoxy 'kicks over', it's right at 90 degrees. When the reaction started, the beads just melted and thickened it nicely.
I decided on a piece of 1" O.D./7/8" I.D. alum. tubing for the weight tube. From some 1" brass round stock, this plug was made with a recessed inner section. Pay no attention to the semi dried epoxy on my thumb nail. This stuff is harder than the hubs of Hell!
In the recessed part, a piece of heavy anti fatigue mat was epoxied to act as a bumper for the weight.
I gave the epoxy 72 hrs to harden and then using the drill bushing gizmo and a 1" wood auger bit, the butt was drilled to the length I wanted the tube to be.
A piece of 1" O.D./7/8" I.D. aluminum tubing was cut to length and the end cap JB'd in place. The outside of the tubing was roughed up for better adhesion and wiped down with acetone.
Since I wanted the front of the tube bedded solidly to the epoxy I'd filled the butt with, a 20 ml cath tip syringe got loaded with JB Weld and the bottom of the cavity filled. The hole was enlarged enough to provide room for the JB to flow up the sides of the tube. The hole was cleaned with an acetone soaked 10 gauge bore mop.
The outside of the tube was then buttered up with JB and pushed into the hole. When it got about
2" from the bottom, it needed a bit of encouragement for the JB to completely get displaced and the tube plug firmly seated. A scrap piece of 1/4" alum flat and my Pop's old hammer (still has the cloth electrical tape on the handle
) gave it what it needed. Periodic checking doesn't show any tendency for the tube to back up due to any trapped air.
My CNC guy that was making a new butt plate for me ended up swamped by one of his commercial customers so I'll head to the band saw and mill tomorrow and see if I can whittle something up. I hate making butt plates with a passion. I'd rather get what we called an 'East side beat down' when growing up. A blanket got tossed over the offender and a few guys with tube socks full of wood screws gave the recipient some 'encouragement' to mend his ways. A wife/girl friend/sister always seemed to be the root cause.
Providing nobody sneaks up behind me with a blanket tomorrow, I should have a butt plate.
Good shootin' -Al
The butt stock was completely hollow so I filled it with a very thin, self leveling two part epoxy. To bulk up the epoxy, I added some plastic beads and poured the butt full. The plastic beads melt at 90 degrees and when the epoxy 'kicks over', it's right at 90 degrees. When the reaction started, the beads just melted and thickened it nicely.
I decided on a piece of 1" O.D./7/8" I.D. alum. tubing for the weight tube. From some 1" brass round stock, this plug was made with a recessed inner section. Pay no attention to the semi dried epoxy on my thumb nail. This stuff is harder than the hubs of Hell!
In the recessed part, a piece of heavy anti fatigue mat was epoxied to act as a bumper for the weight.
I gave the epoxy 72 hrs to harden and then using the drill bushing gizmo and a 1" wood auger bit, the butt was drilled to the length I wanted the tube to be.
A piece of 1" O.D./7/8" I.D. aluminum tubing was cut to length and the end cap JB'd in place. The outside of the tubing was roughed up for better adhesion and wiped down with acetone.
Since I wanted the front of the tube bedded solidly to the epoxy I'd filled the butt with, a 20 ml cath tip syringe got loaded with JB Weld and the bottom of the cavity filled. The hole was enlarged enough to provide room for the JB to flow up the sides of the tube. The hole was cleaned with an acetone soaked 10 gauge bore mop.
The outside of the tube was then buttered up with JB and pushed into the hole. When it got about
2" from the bottom, it needed a bit of encouragement for the JB to completely get displaced and the tube plug firmly seated. A scrap piece of 1/4" alum flat and my Pop's old hammer (still has the cloth electrical tape on the handle
) gave it what it needed. Periodic checking doesn't show any tendency for the tube to back up due to any trapped air.
My CNC guy that was making a new butt plate for me ended up swamped by one of his commercial customers so I'll head to the band saw and mill tomorrow and see if I can whittle something up. I hate making butt plates with a passion. I'd rather get what we called an 'East side beat down' when growing up. A blanket got tossed over the offender and a few guys with tube socks full of wood screws gave the recipient some 'encouragement' to mend his ways. A wife/girl friend/sister always seemed to be the root cause.
Providing nobody sneaks up behind me with a blanket tomorrow
, I should have a butt plate.Good shootin' -Al
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AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
With a pattern traced out on a piece of .250 aluminum, I stood in front of the nasty, evil, digit destroying vertical band saw...looked at my 10 relatively still intact fingers...and chickened out.
On the mill, I nibbled away most of the excess. An hour or so of file work and it should be good to go.
On the mill, I nibbled away most of the excess. An hour or so of file work and it should be good to go.
Yes, a butt plate is not a 5 minute job, by a long stretch. Like you, I don't enjoy working that aluminum into a nicely fitted, contoured and polished butt plate. $100 is a steal on one. It should be more than double that for a well done one, IMO. But I'm sure when you're done, it'll be very nice.With a pattern traced out on a piece of .250 aluminum, I stood in front of the nasty, evil, digit destroying vertical band saw...looked at my 10 relatively still intact fingers...and chickened out.
On the mill, I nibbled away most of the excess. An hour or so of file work and it should be good to go.
FWIW, I like to go ahead and locate and drill any holes that go into it about now in the process, including, or especially, the one that holds the weight system in place. I put that hole in the plate before drilling the stock out for the weight. It just makes it easier for me, to locate and center it up best at this point. Different strokes...
Great write up Al! We need more threads like this. Personally I hate bedding jobs, but with all these great tips maybe my next job will be somewhat more pleasant. Thanks to all for sharing their hard earned tips! Much appreciated.
Paul
Paul
AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
Thanks, Paul.
Closing in on it. Bedded the new .250 thick but plate to the back of the stock:
These are .750 tungsten copper. I drilled/tapped the ends 1/4-20 to bolt to the butt plate and be removable from each other in case I need to juggle some weight:
Screwed together via a stud with a dab of Loctite 242 on the threads and sealer between the two pieces:
All together. The plate needs a bit of final profiling and then some finishing. The rug makers in ancient Persia always left one thread wonky to show that the universe isn't perfect. Maybe I'll do that...it would be a good excuse to not have to finish this stinkin' butt plate!
Closing in on it. Bedded the new .250 thick but plate to the back of the stock:
These are .750 tungsten copper. I drilled/tapped the ends 1/4-20 to bolt to the butt plate and be removable from each other in case I need to juggle some weight:
Screwed together via a stud with a dab of Loctite 242 on the threads and sealer between the two pieces:
All together. The plate needs a bit of final profiling and then some finishing. The rug makers in ancient Persia always left one thread wonky to show that the universe isn't perfect. Maybe I'll do that...it would be a good excuse to not have to finish this stinkin' butt plate!
Dimner
I do believe in Captain Crunch.
Just for documentations sake....
The lumley arms pillars are
OD 0.3963
ID 0.3183
Thickness 0.0390
Length front 0.855
Length rear 1.300
Lumley screws
OD 0.2366
OD Head 0.350
Length front 1.290
Length rear 1.686
Forster sako/tikka inletting guide screws
OD 0.2335
AlNyhus
Silver $$ Contributor
The new stock had it's first outing today. After a bit of piddling around to find out what it liked for a hold, bag tension, etc., I'm happy that it likes being handled the way I like to shoot.
I removed the tuner for todays outing so I was just testing the stock handling and bedding. Next time out, the tuner will get screwed on, rebaselined and then see if something that's been rolling around in my brain holds true or not.
Good shootin'- Al
I removed the tuner for todays outing so I was just testing the stock handling and bedding. Next time out, the tuner will get screwed on, rebaselined and then see if something that's been rolling around in my brain holds true or not.
Good shootin'- Al
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Me three!
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