First time bedding a rifle

[Hyler308]

After countless articles , forum post and asking alot of questions I decided to bed my first rifle . I used Marine Tex , honey wax mold
Release and play doe to fill all the places in the action i don't want epoxy to get into . Need some critique and feed back on What can i do better / have more attention to detail on ? I still need to trim the excess and clean up around chassis . Pics are just after i pulled the action out.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

1. You dont have to clay up the trigger slot or the mag cutout. Epoxy cant flow up with that pesky gravity we have.
2. Clean up as much as you can while its sitting. Youll grind less later.
3. Leave a couple of original spots unground so the action sits where its inletted for.
4. Always pull the tape off as soon as you scrape the edges like in the first 10mins. That way if you get some on the stock like from your fingers or thru a tape joint you can wipe it off. Nothing like an epoxy fingerprint or an epoxy line where you had tape.

 

[Judd]

I agree with pulling the tape when the mud is wet, then the clean up is MUCH easier.

I also don’t tape in front of the lug that close…I tape about 3-4 inches from the tip of the stock foreend. I want it to balance over a longer area and I also want that mud to flow forward as much as needed…I’ll clean that up after it’s pulled.

I do clay up my trigger hanger but I don’t the mag cutout…I also start mine upside down so mud can get in the mag cutout but I just clean it out before I flip it upside right

I also pillar everything and Al N has shown some slick tricks with inserts in the pillars to keep the action screws centered and it’s a game changer. I also went and bought 1/4-28 bolts that are slick up the shaft…then I cut off the head and all but 4 threads…those are my guides. The entire bolt gets coated with release agent.

You’re first time looks WAY better than my first time, congrats!!!

 

[Hyler308]

Sounds good ,thank you . Next question is there a way to measure if i did the bed job correct and stress free? I did not use any screws in the action , i just let gravity pull down the action , and I supported the barrel by tape on the far end of chassis and close by the lug.