Is this normal for a bedding job?

[Adam0321/0306]

So I dropped my rifle off, a Rem 700 Sendero, a while ago to have the muzzle re-crowned and a bedding job completed. I knew the HS stock already had the aluminum blocks, but I wanted to squeeze as much accuracy as I could out of this gun.

Well I get it back and I notice that the action seems stiffer than normal. Like the lugs have been tightened. Which I know is not a thing. I asked the shop if they touched the action because it felt tighter, and they just said it feels that way because now it is torqued properly.
They talked me into threading the muzzle as I may put a can on it one day. Because of this, they said they repainted the barrel and action at no charge. I thought maybe some of the paint or bedding material got in the action.

Then once I get home I find that I cannot chamber some of the previous hand loads I made for it. Some now feel as if they are seated far too far into the lands.
I pull the stock and this is what it looks like. Does this look normal? It looks to my novice eye, that the action was not bedded, but only the portion forward of the recoil lug. Any advice would be great.

 

[Big_Daddy]

That is not the way I bed an action/rifle.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

That is not the way I bed an action/rifle.

In what manner if you do not mind my asking?

 

[Twdmar]

It looks like there is bedding front to back, though it may need a little work.
Do you have a borescope? Check the chamber and make sure it's clean. Check the bolt lugs and ensure they is not paint on them and there is none inside the receiver.
Was there barrel spun during the threading? Seems like if there is no debris or paint or bedding compound, then I vote for the headspace having been changed.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

It looks like there is bedding front to back, though it may need a little work.
Do you have a borescope? Check the chamber and make sure it's clean. Check the bolt lugs and ensure they is not paint on them and there is none inside the receiver.
Was there barrel spun during the threading? Seems like if there is no debris or paint or bedding compound, then I vote for the headspace having been changed.

I will ask tomorrow. Just so that I can be a bit more informed, how would he headspace have been changed if the barrel was not removed from the action?

Does that also mean that A but more shoulder bump will be in order?

 

[Twdmar]

The headspace shouldn't have changed if the barrel was not moved. a little piece of something in the chamber or something pushing the bolt face forward could be a problem so look for crap in the action and chamber.
Does the ejector push all the way in? Rule out the easy stuff first, before you go bumping your shoulder more. Check out the action screws too. I suppose maybe the base of the case has grown and gotten too big since your last firing, maybe try a small base die.

 

[Big_Daddy]

In what manner if you do not mind my asking?

Unless I just can't see it, I don't see any bedding material around the action.

Now if I missed it, I apologize.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

Unless I just can't see it, I don't see any bedding material around the action.

Now if I missed it, I apologize.

That’s what it looks like to me.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Theres bedding there, its not much, but its there. They had to remove the barrel to crown it. Ive never seen anybody do paint like that and ive never seen a pro bed one that thin. Id say you have some krylon goofing up the works somewhere. You may want to send that to a professional to check out. Your action may be binding due to twisting it during barrel removal or the poor bedding job

 

[swd]

It might have got a little bedding material up through the front action screw hole. ive seen it happen.

 

[Clous]

How does the action “feel” out of the stock?

 

[maxscm]

An over tightened front action screw may protrude into the Action and the Bolt/Lugs will Bind.
* Send it to "Dusty" he'll fix it Right the First Time.!!

 

[AlNyhus]

You can't judge the quality of a bedding job by pictures. Much of what makes up a good bedding job is subtle, hard to explain and doesn't lend itself to photography. I've seen bedding jobs so beautiful they should be hanging in the Chicago Art Institute...and they were absolute garbage for performance. And some of the most scabby looking jobs can be very, very good. Without the rifle in front of me, it's impossible to tell.

The best test of the quality of a bedding job is with a dial indicator. But even that can be misleading if the recoil lug area is too tight.

So the answer is: It depends.

As to the chambering issue, take the rifle back to who did the job and let them take a look at it. Starting at the start is always the best route to take.

Good shootin'. -Al

 

[GenePoole]

The bedding looks mostly normal for a v-block style stock like an HS Precision. I have to wonder a bit about all the metal cut out around the trigger and mag box though. It may just be a canned CAM routine they use for cleaning up a bedded stock though. At any rate, I don't see that as the root cause of your problem though.

 

[clowdis]

If he painted the barrelled action check to be sure there is no paint in the chamber or on the bolt. That would cause your issue when closing on a loaded round. If ok there, back the front action screw out a half turn. If the bolt closes better then the screw is too long and you need to cut a thread off of it.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

Thank you to everyone for the replies. I do not have a bore scope, but I took areal good look in it last night and can see that some paint did indeed get into the action. There was also a residue that was blue and flaky that looked as if it came from the front mount screw for the scope base. When I installed the base, I did not use loc-tite, but that is sure what it looks like. Perhaps the shop pulled the base and did it without me asking?

Anyway, i cleaned that out and swabbed the chamber and the action closes much better than it did. So it would appear the grinding of the bolt closure was caused by foreign debris in the chamber area and where the lugs close.

As for the round that will not chamber without great force, that seems to be isolated to the round. I tried several other rounds, and once I cleaned the action up, they all chambered better. The one round that would not chamber is odd.

It will go into my Wilson case gauge just fine. And will go into the Chamber, but as soon as I go to rotate the bolt, it binds. So I took this cartridge and measured it against one that will chamber and they have the same:

CBTO-measured with the same calipers and kits.
COAL
Web
Shoulder
Trim length.

Everything I could think to measure was the same. Clearly I am missing something, but I cannot find the difference in the two rounds.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

Theres bedding there, its not much, but its there. They had to remove the barrel to crown it. Ive never seen anybody do paint like that and ive never seen a pro bed one that thin. Id say you have some krylon goofing up the works somewhere. You may want to send that to a professional to check out. Your action may be binding due to twisting it during barrel removal or the poor bedding job

I am tracking that they would of had to remove the action and the barrel to thread and crown the muzzle. But are you saying that the barrel would have to be removed from the action for this?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I am tracking that they would of had to remove the action and the barrel to thread and crown the muzzle. But are you saying that the barrel would have to be removed from the action for this?

Yes they would have taken the barrel off along with your scope mounts

 

[Bill Score]

Well, now I really want to see how this thing shoots.

 

[Adam0321/0306]

Hopefully better than it did. Or I just spent $550 on nothing and ruined my favorite rifle.