Best Tool/Method for Removing Bedding Compound?

[mtncwru]

I recently acquired a Remington 700 SA from a fellow member here. The gun shoots great, and I'm planning to turn it into an tubegun repeater for XTC. The action was previously bedded, and as part of that bedding, the port for the magazine on the bottom of the action was filled in with bedding compound, with the follower bedded in place, too.

Any recommendations on the best tool or method for removing that bedding compound? At the moment I'm thinking a Dremel with a cutter bit to get the bulk of it out, then cleaning up manually with a file so as to avoid hitting the receiver itself with the Dremel head.

Thoughts?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Heat the action with an iron then tap the follower from the top and itll pop right out. Bedding compound can be chipped away pretty easily. Most will probably come with the follower

 

[kendog]

Heat the action with an iron then tap the follower from the top and itll pop right out. Bedding compound can be chipped away pretty easily. Most will probably come with the follower

This right here. I put a scope rail on the receiver, rest an old clothes iron on it and go do something else for a little while. Epoxy will soften up and let go with a little saturated heat. I found a vintage Sunbeam at a thrift store that works excellent. Newer irons have a nanny-state motion shut off feature that shuts the damn thing down if you dont constantly move it.

 

[mtncwru]

Drat, I knew that years of buying non-wrinkle shirts was going to catch up to me! Off to the thrift store I go...

 

[tmwinds]

I borrowed my wife's iron 3 years ago. She still doesn't know it's missing.

 

[Shawnba67]

A heat gun might work as well and have more uses.

 

[kendog]

A heat gun might work as well and have more uses.

Heat gun would definitely work. It also would tear the hell out of a stock finish before the receiver got hot enough to release when getting glue-ins unglued. There are NEVER enough tools!

 

[alinwa]

I borrowed my wife's iron 3 years ago. She still doesn't know it's missing.

I bought my wife a new iron and took her old one off her hands....

 

[mtncwru]

I bought my wife a new iron and took her old one off her hands....

Sadly my wife doesn't have one, either

 

[mtncwru]

Acquired an iron (even managed to find an old one without a 30-second auto-shutoff!) and chucked the action up in my vise. Sat the iron on the scope rail for 10 minutes, then carefully took the scope rail off and whacked the follower with a dead blow hammer and a Delrin rod: it popped right out.

On closer inspection, the entire thing was made from bedding compound, rather than being a metal follower bedded in place. Special thanks to @Dusty Stevens for the recommendation to hit it from above: there was a little lip of bedding compound on the bottom that would have made sure it didn't go anywhere if I hit it from the bottom.

 

[WillyTP]

Acquired an iron (even managed to find an old one without a 30-second auto-shutoff!) and chucked the action up in my vise. Sat the iron on the scope rail for 10 minutes, then carefully took the scope rail off and whacked the follower with a dead blow hammer and a Delrin rod: it popped right out.

On closer inspection, the entire thing was made from bedding compound, rather than being a metal follower bedded in place. Special thanks to @Dusty Stevens for the recommendation to hit it from above: there was a little lip of bedding compound on the bottom that would have made sure it didn't go anywhere if I hit it from the bottom.

Sir, please share your success story with @fguffey, he would love to hear old @Dusty Stevens knew what he was atalkin’ bout’.......their friendship has been a little rocky lately.