Bedding the recoil lug on a round receiver

[Toby Bradshaw]

For quite awhile I've wondered why some folks only bed the rear,breech side) of the recoil lug on a round-bottomed action. I always bed the back, front, and sides of the lug, with only the bottom of the lug taped during the bedding pour to provide clearance,since I figure that the bottom of the action itself is enough to keep it located against downward forces, such as produced by torquing the action screws).

My reasoning behind bedding the lug this way is that flat-bottomed actions,M70, Panda, etc.) are routinely bedded or glued in on all sides. At the very least it seems like the sides of the recoil lug on a round-bottomed action should be bedded, since it is the only surface perpendicular to the torque generated by the spinning bullet.

I've been very happy with the performance of the round actions I've bedded this way, and with the flat-bottomed actions I've bedded on all sides. But if there is some sound reason not to continue doing it this way I'd like to know what it is,and what evidence exists beyond any theoretical considerations).

Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net

 

[Travelor]

If you bed all sides of the recoil lug it will be a real bitch to get out and back in the stock without cracking some of the bedding.

Also bedding the sides and front of the recoil lug does not really provide any needed support for the action.

George

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

As long as the lug has parallel or top-to-bottom tapered sides it comes right out,but only if you pull it straight up, obviously).

Without the sides of the lug bedded, which surface/force on a round-bottomed action resists the torque produced by the bullet's travel?

I agree that bedding the front of the lug doesn't have any obvious function except fixing the action fore and aft, which shouldn't be necessary if all the forces during firing only push the action towards the shooter.

Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net

 

[Preacher]

If the lugs are not bedded with full contact except for the bottom and the front your doing a 50% bedding job is all...

 

[treeman]

It's just my opinion but as long as you can get it out I don't think it makes much difference how the lug is bedded. if the action twists in the bedding at all its not tight enough. treeman

 

[JERRYHM]

Read up on stress free bedding, it will answer why it is better to bed the lug only on the back side.

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

I've read it, but there is no explanation why the sides of the lug should not be bedded, at least for a round-bottomed action.

Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net

 

[JERRYHM]

Toby,

My Take On Stress Free Bedding A Round Action

July of 1988 I took a fiberglass stock making,NRA) class at Lassen College, the instructor was Chet Brown of Brown Precision Stocks. Chet was an ex-neighbor of mine when we both lived in San Jose, California.
Chet knew that I was a High Power shooter and talking about bedding he said all you High Power shooters bed you rifles wrong, they are bedded way to tight. The stress inducted into the action by heat changes of the dissimilar components will cause your first few sighters to move around. I will show you how to bed a rifle so you will not need sighters to warm up the rifle.

What I was taught: The action was taped on the sides, the lug was taped on the sides, bottom and front. The rear tang of the action was also cleared of bedding. I used a short action Remington 40X repeater in a 300 Winchester mag shooting the Sierra 190-grain bullet. The finished bedding that was not cleared was a small area between the rear of the lug to the front of the mag well and from the rear of the mag well to the end of the action. The width of the bedding was about half way up the side of the action. The barrel was free floated.

The stress free bedding can be measured: By placing a dial indicator to measure from the end of the stock to the barrel. Start with both bedding screw torque’s to the proper setting and by loosing and re-torque each screw the dial indicator movement should be 0.001” or less. If one screw shows too much movement some minor scraping of the bedding if you find a high spot around one of the holes or cutouts.

I did bed my rifle while at Lassen College using Chet’s stress free method.

The results: I had shot this barrel about 500 rounds prior to the new bedding job and my highest score at 1000 yards prone was 198 out of 200, the rifle was used only for NRA 1000 yard prone matches.
In the next five Long-Range matches I had five 200’s fired at Hollster, Ca., Coalinga, Ca. Reno, NV. Phoenix, AZ. and Coalinga, Ca. Three were fired with Iron sights and two were fired with a scope.
The 200 fired at Reno I think it is still a range record and at that time was two Xs greater that the National Open Record, but it was shot in an approved and not a registered match.

There was an article in the shooting sports some time in late 1999 or 2000 describing the stress free method of bedding a round action………

Jerry

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

Jerry, thanks for the detail! That's what I was looking for. Does your action really get warm in a highpower match? I generally don't shoot enough to warm the barrel, much less the action. But I can see that if the action grows in length it needs to be able to move, either at the tang end or at the lug end, or maybe both. I'd be surprised if the radial expansion is a problem.

Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net