Bedding- stop at recoil lug or bed some of the barrel with heavy barrels?

[ratbuster]

Most of my varmint guns are small caliber (20/22) with 1" bull barrels. I bed them just past the recoil lug but nothing supporting any of the barrel. They shoot very well. Not long ago I put together a 6BR rifle with bull barrel that shoots ok but not on par with the smaller caliber rifles.

All the barrels are Criterion and I'm inclined to think the barrel is ok; it sure looks good with the borescope. Could the less than stellar accuracy possibly be the extra powder and bullet weight of the 6BR creating additional harmonics that would be better suited if I bed a few inches of barrel past the action? Obviously it would be easy enough to do but I would like to hear from those that have some experience on the two different bedding techniques.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Phil Schmidt

 

[LHSmith]

This has been a popular topic on this forum. The majority seem to favor stopping the bedding at the recoil lug. I believe bedding anywhere under the barrel potentially causes influences by heat ( barrel expansion) and barrel harmonics (movement) otherwise not seen when full floating.
Also, adding bedding under the barrel becomes a problem when rebarreling.

 

[hogpatrol]

If you have a 6BR that doesn't shoot, something else is going on besides bedding. You can almost load that round blindfolded and shoot small groups. As far as borescope evidence, I use it primarily for cleaning inspection and don't rely on it to determine accuracy. Have you checked for a carbon ring? If that's not an issue, chamber job or barrel is suspect.

 

[pacificman]

I agree with LHSmith ...I never bed any of my rifles in front of the recoil lug. But what you can do
is go ahead and put some bedding in front then shoot to see if any improvement....if no improvement then
remove the temporary bedding back out for full free float. Just another idea for ya.

 

[Canadian bushman]

I agree with LHSmith ...I never bed any of my rifles in front of the recoil lug. But what you can do
is go ahead and put some bedding in front then shoot to see if any improvement....if no improvement then
remove the temporary bedding back out for full free float. Just another idea for ya.

This was pretty common practice for a while.

Some smiths even used this as a means to tune. They would bed about an inch in front of the lug and then dremel away about and 1/8” at a time looking for some improvement. Too cumbersome for my taste.

I have done both. I cant tell the difference.

 

[ratbuster]

I appreciate the inputs guys

 

[msinc]

You hear so many different things to do with bedding these days that I don't know anymore how to separate what's real from what's schidtt. I have tried both ways with full free barrel float and some under the barrel...cannot see any detectable difference at all, so why waste the epoxy?? I keep hearing about removing the glass under the lug. I have asked several times why this needs to now be done after 75 years or so of "glass bedding" rifles...I get no response. Generally, when no one wants to answer...it's because the answer is bull shatt.
Adjustable glass bedding??? Why not go back to the days before epoxy was invented and install metal shims between the stock and action??? Like they did with the NM Springfields.

 

[gunnermhr]

If you have a 6BR that doesn't shoot, something else is going on besides bedding. You can almost load that round blindfolded and shoot small groups. As far as borescope evidence, I use it primarily for cleaning inspection and don't rely on it to determine accuracy. Have you checked for a carbon ring? If that's not an issue, chamber job or barrel is suspect.

Try a different bullet, or try the same bullet from a different lot

 

[XTR]

Early on in my shooting I had my rifles bedded about an inch or so forward of the lug. I don't think it hurt, and it may help relieve the stress from the long heavy barrel on the action; however, it wasn't long before I had more than one barrel for that action, and that trend continues, so I don't have any bedding forward of the lug now.

 

[pacificman]

You hear so many different things to do with bedding these days that I don't know anymore how to separate what's real from what's schidtt. I have tried both ways with full free barrel float and some under the barrel...cannot see any detectable difference at all, so why waste the epoxy?? I keep hearing about removing the glass under the lug. I have asked several times why this needs to now be done after 75 years or so of "glass bedding" rifles...I get no response. Generally, when no one wants to answer...it's because the answer is bull shatt.
Adjustable glass bedding??? Why not go back to the days before epoxy was invented and install metal shims between the stock and action??? Like they did with the NM Springfields.

I'm sure you know the answer but was making a point....However there may be those that would like to know why
you don't put bedding material under the recoil lug. You want your action sitting in the bedding material and not on the bottom of the recoil lug...when the action is rock solid in the bedding material with clearance under the lug it will be consistent
without any change when shooting or taking apart to clean etc. I like the bedding material rock solid on the back of the lug only. I keep the bottom,sides and front of the lug clear of bedding material....that way the action is always in the same place
if the barrel is changed and will always be consistent. It's always hard to explain how to bed a rifle as there are those who bed in front of the lug and those who do not which will work either way ...but for me and many others I don't bed in front of the lug at all no matter what barrel I use. Now I have a friend who bought a Savage Axis where it looks like ya have to bed the lug into the stock as it's not attached to the action....whole nuther can of worms to me... Guess there is more to learn.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Yes, this does come up often. I have tested this with a Benchrest rifle. There is no difference in accuracy. However there are some potential issues with bedding in front of the lug so I dont do it. Also part of that test I did was pillars. Pillars also made no difference in accuracy. The stock was a Shehane laminate. And to Bill's credit, he told me the pillars were not needed. Which is why I did the test to begin with.

 

[Macropod]

I relieve under and in front of the lug so if any shrinkage or distortion of the bedding epoxy occurs, then there is positive pressure upon the main bearing surfaces when the take-down screws are torqued.

I use layers of vinyl tape under and in front of the lug to achieve the necessary clearances. If the lug is tapered on the sides, then I relieve that area too. Many ways to skin the cat and no doubt good results can be obtained with other techniques.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

I always bedded my rifles just up against the lug and not past the lug under the barrel, with my last rifle I let the GS do his thing with n real heavy barrel. Pillerd it and bedded past the lug about a inch maybe a tad more under the barrel. Up to now its shooting real good so ill leave it be