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Pillar Bedding Time/Cost?

I don't know any good gunsmiths who say they actually make money on a bedding job because it's always more work than they charge for. I learned early on, pay for a proper bedding job and you'll never have to worry about it down the line. I've seen plenty of people pay for a couple bedding jobs when they could've saved money getting it done right the first time (I'm included in this group in my early days).

BUT, it's worth paying for a good bedding job from a well know bedder because there are plenty of people who can make a good looking bedding job, but that doesn't mean it's a proper bedding job, and the bedding can make or break a gun in ways most people never realize.

I've seen more people chase loads, barrels and all kinds of things in pursuit of tiny groups when in fact a proper bedding job would've likely resolved a majority of the issues.
 
I’m an amateur and do my own stocks and bedding. The prep before ever mixing epoxy on a stock that is inleted and ready is about five hours: making and fitting the pillars, cleaning everything, putting release on the action if it isn’t a glue in, claying where I need to, supporting the barrel and centering the action, test fitting, then finally leveling the stock so that I can check action tip tilt and level when I get it in the epoxy. I then have a fast 20 minutes or so of mixing the Devcon, applying to stock and action, mating it all together, and cleaning up the ooze-out. It sits 24 hours and then I pop it apart (if it’s not a glue in), clean the action up, grind out any ooze into the barrel channel or trigger area, and then turn the stock over, cleanup the pillar bottoms and epoxy in the eschutcheon that finishes the bottom of the pillar and provides a seat for the screw head on the front bolt. This is about 2 hours of work. Another 24 hour sit, and then final cleanup and assembly with a check for deflection with an indicator while tightening the screws. Total labor: 8 hours spread over 3 days.

It is a lot of detailed work and messing it up takes a huge amount of time to fix before starting at square-1, again! There would be no reasonable way to make a living doing this for what people think it should cost, as many gunsmiths here have said.
 
@F Class John makes a good point. Lots of guys can bed one pretty, myself included (I bed my own factory rifles.) I have a good friend that beds in house and he will flat out tell you “there is prettier work out there, but I gurantee half a thousandth and most don’t have that much.”
 
Here's a good example. I just finished this one for myself. It's a bedding block stock so no pillars to make. It was a used stock and I spent about an hour on the mill getting the bedding block ready. Then the normal stuff and final cleanup. Then the bottom metal got bedded as the last step. I like to give the Pro Bed 24 hrs. so it was a bit more than 5 hours over a 3 day period.

Good shootin' :) -Al

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Alan W

That sounds like a VERY interesting subject.
If you care to start a new thread to elaborate on that topic would GREAT.

This forum and its generous members are a endless source of information and inspiration.

Thanks
Hal
 

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