Panda/Robertson bedding

[Dimner]

The excess pushes out naturally by the weight of the barreled action and is aided by whatever is used to secure it into the stock....tape, a wide tourniquet, clamp, etc.

The type of actions make a difference in how I approach a bedding job, too. For example, a flat bottom is more susceptible to high spotting the bedding than a round action.

Hope this helps. -Al

Thanks Al I appreciate the reply.

I have a tikka t3 that I am going to try and bed in about a week. It does have a flat bottom. Of course, not as wide as your BR type flat bottom actions. What is high spotting and how does one work to avoid it?

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Thanks Al I appreciate the reply.

I have a tikka t3 that I am going to try and bed in about a week. It does have a flat bottom. Of course, not as wide as your BR type flat bottom actions. What is high spotting and how does one work to avoid it?

View attachment 1449525

That Tikka isn't really considered a flat bottom action, at least not in the context Al was referring to. A Panda is a true flat bottom action. Being totally flat and 1.5" wide, the epoxy doesn't have a good route to flow out from underneath and can, as Al called it, high spot in the middle. Your Tikka is mostly round and you shouldn't have any problem with that. The biggest challenge with bedding a Tikka is in how you choose to deal with the recoil lug. One way is to just super glue it into the notch on the action and bed it as one piece. When you remove the action from the bedding, the lug will stay in the stock. You'll want to keep release agent off of the recoil lug by this method. This is one way but there are others. Maybe Al will offer some other advice in that regard.

 

[Dimner]

That Tikka isn't really considered a flat bottom action, at least not in the context Al was referring to. A Panda is a true flat bottom action. Being totally flat and 1.5" wide, the epoxy doesn't have a good route to flow out from underneath and can, as Al called it, high spot in the middle. Your Tikka is mostly round and you shouldn't have any problem with that. The biggest challenge with bedding a Tikka is in how you choose to deal with the recoil lug. One way is to just super glue it into the notch on the action and bed it as one piece. When you remove the action from the bedding, the lug will stay in the stock. You'll want to keep release agent off of the recoil lug by this method. This is one way but there are others. Maybe Al will offer some other advice in that regard.

Excellent. Thank you very much! That's one less thing to worry about. I'm going to try my first bedding on the tikka synthetic stock that I already consider a throwaway. I'll try the method you suggest with the stock recoil lug. I will save the lumey arms extra thick lug for the real deal in my wood stock.

 

[AlNyhus]

Excellent. Thank you very much! That's one less thing to worry about. I'm going to try my first bedding on the tikka synthetic stock that I already consider a throwaway. I'll try the method you suggest with the stock recoil lug.

I sure encourage you to use a sleeve around the action screws. On the 'Teekers' I've done, the ones I've pictured have worked fine with the metric action screws. Same for the Howa's. What are you using for bedding compound? -Al

 

[Dimner]

I sure encourage you to use a sleeve around the action screws. On the 'Teekers' I've done, the ones I've pictured have worked fine with the metric action screws. Same for the Howa's. What are you using for bedding compound? -Al

For sure Al, I need to source some sleeves for my setup. I have some headless action screws on the way from Larry P. I will measure them once they arrive and see what size I need. I'm unable to turn my own pillars. Also not sure of what stock I can make them from other than threaded lamp rod. So I have some threaded lamp rod and some lumey arms made pillars specific to this Tikka action.

Once I get the action screws I will post here and show what I have and we can discuss what I should use for pillar hole size, pillar internal diameter and sleeve size. I probably could figure this part on my own, but I'm happy to document the process and discuss so people can have the info for the future.

For Bedding compound, I have Marine Tex and devcon 10112 (bought in 2018, but still unopened)

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

For sure Al, I need to source some sleeves for my setup. I have some headless action screws on the way from Larry P. I will measure them once they arrive and see what size I need. I'm unable to turn my own pillars. Also not sure of what stock I can make them from other than threaded lamp rod. So I have some threaded lamp rod and some lumey arms made pillars specific to this Tikka action.

Once I get the action screws I will post here and show what I have and we can discuss what I should use for pillar hole size, pillar internal diameter and sleeve size. I probably could figure this part on my own, but I'm happy to document the process and discuss so people can have the info for the future.

For Bedding compound, I have Marine Tex and devcon 10112 (bought in 2018, but still unopened)

Check that devcon. It has an expiration date and it does go bad. Mix some on a scrap piece of cardboard or something before counting on it to cure properly. That's a mess you don't want.

 

[RGRobinett]

On the TIKKAs, just pitch the recoil-lug and allow the bedding compound form a,"new lug".RG

 

[AlNyhus]

On the TIKKAs, just pitch the recoil-lug and allow the bedding compound form a,"new lug".RG

It'll never work!!! Your big boomer has been hammering on that bedding compound lug for quite a while.

 

[AlNyhus]

After a few days taking care of some other business, I got back to it.

This is right out of the bedding and before any cleanup. After this picture, all the sharp edges were rounded, the guide sleeves removed, the action screw holes in the bedding given a generous radius and a general cleanup was done to eliminate any stress points. Then the barrel was screwed back on and the barrelled action put back in the stock for another 24 hours. Next, the trigger hanger area will get opened and the loading port, bolt release, ejection port and bolt notch get milled open.

It will probably be another week or so until I get to that work and the weight system.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[jackieschmidt]

This is a great thread. Many of us take some of this stuff for granted because we have been around it for decades.

We often loose sight in the fact that new shooters come along and have no clue. It’s great info like this that strips away the mystery.

 

[jimmymac]

You are right. This is another great thread. A guy like me can learn a lot.

 

[rangertim]

I say this ! I spent some time at matches with this Guy, and his Gentleman skills are top quality also, You won’t find a nicer guy !!!

 

[AlNyhus]

Time to do the weight system. Right up front, I'm coming clean and saying I stole this idea from jimmymac and Mike Ezell. I've done a bunch of weight systems in the past and the hole drilling part of it always resembled a monkey making love to a milk jug.

A piece of 2X4 is drilled with a 1 3/4" hole saw. Slots were milled to line up on various butt plate screw inserts. A 1 3/4" O.D./1" I.D. flanged drill bushing is JB Welded into the 2X4:

A long brad pointed 1" wood auger is marked for depth.:

After the JB has set up, it's attached to the butt of the stock. The piece is slid up/down to position the tube where you want it:


Tommorrow morning...properly caffeinated and with some proper tunes on...I'll get to it. Hopefully that monkey and his milk jug will find a new home.

 

[swd]

If you have a mill here’s a simple fixture I made for routing RAD recoil reducers. It would work great for weight systems too. Although yours is a lot faster than moving a mill head around..

 

[AlNyhus]

A small hiccup. A very talented local guy that does water jetting for our race stuff is making a new .250 thick butt plate. He is finishing up a CNC'd billet intake manifold for a car that going to be at the next SEMA show and is a couple days behind.

I decided to change the small brass butt plate screw inserts from the 8-32's to 1/4-20's to better support the tungsten weight that will be used. Will make some alum pillars from .375 round aluminum. Rather than chasing the butt pillars and weight bolt hole to the plate, I'll hit the Easy Button and fit all that from the holes in the butt plate once I get it.

And I had Foo Fighters with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones all queued up and ready to go....

 

[AlNyhus]

If you have a mill here’s a simple fixture I made for routing RAD recoil reducers. It would work great for weight systems too. Although yours is a lot faster than moving a mill head around..

Very nice! I hate moving the mill head....grrrr. -Al

 

[AlNyhus]

Cut in the loading port and ejector port today.

Basic doodling for a reference on the loading port and the radius:

And....we're off and runnin':

Reoriented it and went after the ejection port:

Mounted the Wilton 2 axis angle vise and adjusted it to my predetermined angle for the bolt notch:

Coming in at that approach, I didn't like how the cutter sounded when it touched the carbon mat. I reoriented and swapped out the carbide end mill for a carbide ball end mill and came down in a plunge cut. That sounded even worse. So...before I ended up tearing a hunk of carbon fiber out and taking the top shell with it, I stopped. I'll finish the bolt notch cut at home with hand tools.

It ended up okay. Not a bad day for a poor white kid from the wrong side of the tracks.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[LVLAaron]

Hey Al, one of these?

 

[AlNyhus]

Hey Al, one of these?

View attachment 1453905

Yes..the 4" version. A lifesaver!

 

[LVLAaron]

I love it. A lot better than my vice in a vice.