Nervous to try Bedding a Tikka

[Rat Rifle]

Half way cured... like 12 hours? I'm doing this in my basement... 70*.

The longer You can wait, the better… J M O

 

[Twdmar]

The longer You can wait, the better… J M O

Yeah, walk away from it. I find it easier to do the day before I go to work for 24hr shift or leaving somewhere for the weekend.

 

[Dimner]

I'm only turning the screws a half turn per Al's suggestion.

 

[AlNyhus]

Half way cured... like 12 hours? I'm doing this in my basement... 70*.

Doesn't have to be exactly at half way....just after it sets up a bit. It's not like Moses brought any of this down from the mountain top.

 

[Dimner]

Excellent. Before bed it is... which will be after 10hrs of setup.

 

[SKWERLZ]

Taking notes
Want to bed a chassis.

 

[LVLAaron]

Taking notes
Want to bed a chassis.

super duper easy. You can do it.

 

[209jones]

It's not real rocket science to do it, main thing is do not forget the release agent, make sure you coat more area than you "need" to coat, so it doesn't sneak into some area you thought it would not go into.

 

[Dimner]

Well it's been 26hr so I popped it apart and took some quick pics before I ran out for an evening appointment. @AlNyhus your method for coming apart is idiot proof. Like you said, I rubber malleted the inletting pins, removed then, cleaned reinsert and then hit the underside of the of the barrel right in front of the stock. Popped right out. Easy peas.

These pics are raw and it looks like there is alot of Clean-up to be done.

Does the tang look right? I did not expect the tang to be lower than the bedding after it was done. I was trying to do the stress free method where the only two points touching prior to bedding was the very last bit of the tang (the area behind the putty plugged hole) and the barrel tape wrap.

Also I'm confused as to why the front pillar is a bit proud but the area around it looks like it is supporting the action. Maybe it's just the way the pic looks.

The bolt release/catch area is all weird. Like I forgot to put bedding in that spot? But I don't think that's the case. And just to note, I did bed the recoil lug permanently in this stock as a test of that mmethod.

Please let me know if you see any trouble areas or places I should re-bed before I start the final cleanup

 

[RabbitSlayer]

I bed all my rifles. I did my plastic stock T3 im 223. I didn't see any change at all on target. Some guns i have seen big improvement but not the t3. A lot of people said it is due to the flexible plastic stock.

I put a drop of super glue on the lug and then set it in the epoxy.

It doesn't look terrible. Dremel clean up the problem areas and epoxy again, but i bet it won't matter as long as the tang and lug are done well.

 

[LVLAaron]

I was trying to do the stress free method where the only two points touching

The last few I've done, I have only one point touching... the tape at the balance point.

 

[LVLAaron]

Clean it up and see how it shoots!

 

[Dimner]

I did a pretty decent cleanup job, functional wise, not looks wise. I'm not very good at maintaining straight lines with a rotary tool. However, keep in mind this is a throwaway stock that I was never going to use. I figure sinking 20 bucks for lumley pillars, 25 bucks on bedding compound, and sacrificing a spare recoil lug is worth the price to learn how to do this and be fine if it fails.

I wouldn't call this a success yet. Well, it's been a success at learning, but as of now I'm measuring 0.0065" of movement. I am using the well liked (and with reason) 3d printed bedding gauge fixture that can be found on ebay. That is when I fully untighten the front screw. And the screws are flat not tapered on the bottom. I need to find the factory screws that I put somewhere and see if tapered screws make any difference.

I'm cursing myself for not checking the movement prior to bedding. All in all, I still have some work to do with the bedding on the bottom metal. This is my first time doing anything with bedding compound and I neglected to think about gravity when I installed the pillars. So there are some places to fill in around the pillars at the bottom metal and some bedding that needs to be done between the fit of that bottom metal and the inletting.

Another, non bedding wise, area I am struggling with is a vise for the stock. Most all my shop tools, including my vise, are oriented towards woodworking. So I have a wonderful woodworking vise, flush to the bench. That makes a terrible gun stock vise. So I need to come up with some sort of solution for a good solid gunstock vise insert for my woodworking vise. I have been on the lookout for a really good machinist vise for years, but they are all just junk brand new unless you want to spend an arm and a leg. I have to start going to more estate sales.

 

[SKWERLZ]

Is the marine tex 2 ounce kit enough for one job?

 

[Dimner]

Is the marine tex 2 ounce kit enough for one job?

Absolutely. If I were more skilled, I might have been able to get 2 jobs (including pillars) out of it. But I wanted to make sure I did not need to mix more.

After the pillars and the bedding job (mixing more than I should) I just did, I have 1/3 of the 2 oz kit remaining

 

[Dimner]

Well... I was wrong about 0.006, it's actually around 0.030". If I start with a somewhat loose front screw and torque it to around 35lbs. Then it stops moving.

I tested my other tikka in a B&C stock with the aluminum bedding block. Only 0.0015 movement!

So on my marine tex bedded stock, I'm going to do some more work on the bottom metal bedding.

Do you guys think I should skim bed the top? Or dremel the bedding out and start over? If I skim the top should I reinstall the tape wrap on the barrel at the balance point?

 

[LVLAaron]

Are you sure the stock isn't just flexing?

 

[Dimner]

Are you sure the stock isn't just flexing?

Honestly I'm so new to this, I'm not sure if I could tell one way or the other. Is there an easy way to identify flex vs a bedding problem?

I'm using that 3d printed gauge holder that many people have. Clamped to the barrel and the indicator is right on the end of the stock forearm.

If its not a flexing stock, I'm trying to visualize in my minds eye what part of of the bedding would be causing the problems. Are there some rules of thumb on which action screw to tighten or loosen that can give a clue where the problem area is?

I know there is an obvious answer here...and thats to go see how it shoots. However, this is throw away test stock to learn bedding. I want to see if I can get it right and proper before I try bedding the nice wood stock and muck that up

 

[LVLAaron]

I wish I could explain it. There's a feeling you get when you tighten the action screws. If the bedding is right... the screws just cinch down and you're done. If the bedding is off... You feel like you're pulling two parts together... because you're bending the action. (On an action like a bat, it's easy to tell, because if there's any bend at all, the bolt wont slide freely.


If nothing else. Cut it out and re-do it. It's good practice. Balance it. Relieve the tang area...

 

[Dimner]

I wish I could explain it. There's a feeling you get when you tighten the action screws. If the bedding is right... the screws just cinch down and you're done. If the bedding is off... You feel like you're pulling two parts together... because you're bending the action. (On an action like a bat, it's easy to tell, because if there's any bend at all, the bolt wont slide freely.


If nothing else. Cut it out and re-do it. It's good practice. Balance it. Relieve the tang area...

Relieve tang area? I thought that was supposed to be left high? Maybe thats my problem?