bedding a 98 in a B&C medalist

[Frank Frazer]

Morning, I noticed some problems with my rifle during this deer season. Erratic misses, and more cant than usual in the scope so decided to take it apart. The front of the receiver ring was making hard contact with the stock not letting it settle on the blocks flat behind the lug, also the front of the Timney housing was contacting the the recess. Removed the trigger and relieved the ring area and refitted the action with the bottom metal and tightened the screws here are some photos:




Have several questions on this action:
1. The area in the 5th photo, should it be making contact?

2. How important is it for the tenon on the bottom of the recoil lug to make full contact with the female on the bottom metal?

3. On the rear tang should the tenon touch the bottom of the recess?

When I dry fit the action to the bottom metal it rocks on the front of the box. Using .010 shim stock between the box and the receiver, when I tighten the screws down it bows. The bottom metal also rocks in the stock without the receiver. I do not have the spacer that goes with the rear action screw.

4. Is this something I should consider adding to the stock when I bed the action?

5. Can I bed the receiver and bottom metal as two different steps?

Thanks in advance, Frank

 

[riflewoman]

Have several questions on this action:
1. The area in the 5th photo, should it be making contact?
No
2. How important is it for the tenon on the bottom of the recoil lug to make full contact with the female on the bottom metal.
If you mean the little boss for the screw, that should be clear.

3. On the rear tang should the tenon touch the bottom of the recess?

When I dry fit the action to the bottom metal it rocks on the front of the box. Using .010 shim stock between the box and the receiver, when I tighten the screws down it bows. The bottom metal also rocks in the stock without the receiver. I do not have the spacer that goes with the rear action screw.
The bottom metal should only touch on the surfaces that face the bottom of the action you only need a small amount of clearance. The thickness of masking tape will do.

4. Is this something I should consider adding to the stock when I bed the action?
Yes.

5. Can I bed the receiver and bottom metal as two different steps?
It is generally easier to do that way.

Thanks in advance, Frank

You're welcome.

 

[Hntndad]

Frank. If I'm not mistaken your stock with the aluminum block has a built in rear pillar. I have not bedded a 98m in that stock but have done many in Richards microfit stocks. The 98 Mauser has a kind of "built in pillar design." Many of the 98 Mauser actions have lost their rear pillar. Also, when you assemble the action off the stock you will notice the front pillar mates. When assembled in the stock, depending on the depth of your stock, this pillar sometimes has a gap and requires a shim to properly mate.
Check out http://erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/i41.html
If you are unable to make your own.

Since many of the 98m have missing rear pillars the tang and/or bottom metal are notorious for becoming bent when mounted into a stock without it. This could certainly be the cause of your rocking.
Here is a picture of a rear pillar glued in to the rear of a walnut stock.

Like I said, your stock should already have this in place. Ink up your action. You should see contact at the rear tang inside this pillar recess. Contact behind the recoil lug and contact between the "pillar" of the recoil lug and the corresponding pillar of the bottom metal.

If you have any questions feel free to pm me and I'll be glad to help you through the process. Can even talk over the phone if necessary.

 

[Frank Frazer]

Thanks for the replies

 

[Frank Frazer]

Update:

After reading both of your post a couple more times, more reading in here and as Hntndad suggested. I inked it up and started looking. I discovered a lot of contact that I have to fix and non-contact that I want. First a little back ground. The rifle is a VZ24 with the action squared and a 24" Hart stainless match barrel fitted and chambered by a rail gun shooter that built his own rifles about 18 years ago. Probably have less than 500 rounds down the tube, mostly factory ammo and some warm handloads . I've solved my rocking bottom metal problem although it doesn't sit as proud in the stock as I would like



AS you can see the rear screw touches the back of the block. Gonna have to do some work here.



This is a shot of the front guard screw hole. It touches at the top in the composite area but not on the aluminum.





My engagement on the boss of the recoil lug. Should this be incorporated into the recoil lug area and have full contact against the aluminum along with the recoil lug?

Thanks for the help

 

[Hntndad]

Frank. How did you solve your rocking problem? Like I said earlier. mausers that have been stocked before without the rear pillar (usually end up missing) tend to bend the rear tang when the screws are tightened.
Here's my thoughts. If this were my firearm. I would glass bed the stock you have if you are happy with that stock. 98m were not designed for aluminum bedding blocks so to bed this stock as it was originally intended in a aluminum "one size fits all" bedding block is going to be tough.
The Mauser is a square bottom reciever with a integral recoil lug and built in pillar.
The bedding contact should be (as originally designed):
The bottom of the action from tang to behind recoil lug. There should be no contact on the edges of the rear tang.
Back side of recoil lug.
The rear tang should sit on a pillar. See the link on I posted earlier from Erniethegunsmith. That was the original design.
The bottom metal rear should bed to that pillar.
The front of the bottom metal and the bottom of the recoil lug mate as a pillar. If they do not mate, they become pointless. It is a pillar.
This is much easier to accomplish in a wooden stock.
Since you have a aluminum bedding block, my goal would be to have that block sandwiched between the action and the bottom metal. In that case, don't worry about a rear pillar. As long as the rear tang beds to the aluminum (which by the looks of your picture- it does)
Don't worry about the front pillar. As long as you are getting good contact along the bottom of the action behind the recoil lug. I would also like to see that the front of the bottom metal makes contact with the aluminum bedding block as well. This is all fairly difficult to do sometimes while keeping your trigger gaurd and action sitting at the level you desire. If that's the case, just glass bed it like you would a model 70. Much easier that way!

 

[Hntndad]

I also just noticed in your picture that it appears that the aluminum in the rear of the action on the b&c is through the stock. Thats good. However on the front screw it is not. Seems to stop just behind the recoil lug.

 

[Frank Frazer]

This area of the stock was higher and causing a pivot behind the magazine box. This is the only stock this action has been in other than the factory one.

 

[Frank Frazer]

Yes sir, the aluminum comes up all the way through the tang area but stops short .200 in the front. It's kind of hard to see in a photo but there is a shelf cut in the aluminum to accept the pillar to the level of the recoil lug






The total block thickness in the recoil lug area is about .600. My recoil lug measures .225 tall. The pillar on the bottom metal is .500 tall. It would add about another .250 to recoil lug area after bedding it for contact.

My plan is to repair all of the places that make contact that should not and then the areas that should. Ultimately I would like to have all of the blue areas making full contact along with the recoil lug area



Thanks again for your guidance