Pillar bedding in one or two steps?

[cp255]

I need to bed my single-shot Prometheus action into a wood stock soon, and I have three aluminum pillars. The simplest approach seems to be attaching the pillars to the action, filling the inlet and pillar holes with Devcon, using tape around the barrel to support and align it, and then dropping the assembly into the stock. Since the barrel would be supported by tape at the front (and possibly near the action), I don’t think clamping would be necessary.

However, this conflicts with advice I’ve heard about letting the barrel hang freely under its own weight during bedding. One alternative would be to clamp the action down with a C-clamp while pillar bedding and allow the barrel to free-float as the epoxy cures. My concern there is that I’d end up with only a skim bed and insufficient bedding thickness.

A third option, which currently makes the most sense to me, would be to epoxy the pillars in first with the pillars attached to the action, supporting the barreled action with tape around the barrel while this sets. Then, in a second pass, I could bed the action normally with the barrel fully free-floating.

Thoughts?

 

[DaveTooley]

I attach the pillars to the action, paint pillars with bedding compound, then bed in one step. I support the barrel in the forearm and let it setup stress free.

 

[tobnpr]

Never gets old pasting this link from the archives

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[LVLAaron]

I do the pillars first.

Then with the barreled action - find the balance point, wrap tape around it until it is in the barrel channel the way you need and everything is aligned. Then when bedding, no tape/clamps/etc. Just push it in the mud and leave it alone

 

[Edd]

I must not be very good at this. Just installing two pillars in a stock is two steps for me.

 

[jghoghunter]

I do it the same way as Mr. Tooley does and it works great and simple and easy.

 

[L.Sherm]

I attach the pillars to the action, paint pillars with bedding compound, then bed in one step. I support the barrel in the forearm and let it setup stress free.

Dave im assuming doing it in one step like this that there is no bedding over the pillars? I know there's been discussion here about bedding over pillars vrs not.
I've done it both ways with what I do ive really found no difference i believe stress free is the most important. Your thoughts.. i need to try it in 1 step sometime.

 

[cp255]

Dave im assuming doing it in one step like this that there is no bedding over the pillars? I know there's been discussion here about bedding over pillars vrs not.
I've done it both ways with what I do ive really found no difference i believe stress free is the most important. Your thoughts.. i need to try it in 1 step sometime.

Even if there is a small amount of bedding over the pillars, I don’t think it makes a meaningful difference. For example, suppose there is 0.5 mm of bedding over the pillars and 2 mm of bedding between the action and the stock elsewhere. If the bedding compound shrinks by 10%, the thicker sections will shrink more in absolute terms than the thinner sections. That means you still end up with differential shrinkage between the pillar locations and the rest of the action, which is the same underlying issue people are trying to avoid.

The same problem exists even without pillars if the bedding thickness is not perfectly uniform across the inlet. Any variation in bedding thickness will result in uneven shrinkage and potential stress, regardless of whether pillars are present.

 

[Steel Mover]

If you use Acraglass gel with metal, mixed in, you can mould the pillars in place at the same time the bedding is done, as one solid piece, without all of the cutting and fitting of the pillars. They are an exact fit.
I quit putting in solid metal pillars long ago. But all of my builds are pillar bedded. The result is two fold, more accurate, better accuracy and they are easier done correctly, every single time.
I free float the barrels using two layers of duct tape at the same time I bed and create the pillars. It gets done and done right.

 

[Bob3700]

Years ago, Bob Pease described pillar bedding with Devcon. The initial bedding was installing the pillars first with F compound. Then a thick ( 1/4”) layer of F compound under the action. A final skim coat with the thinner F2 liquid for an intimate fit.
When the pillars are being set, pay attention to the action being level/ parallel to the forend.
The best method for bedding may be dependent on the cartridge and guns purpose. A SRBR 6PPC will have different requirements than a 300 WSM in an F-Open rifle. Glue-in with no traditional recoil lug, Glued n screwed, central recoil block under the action, or a traditional REM recoil lug. Metal pillars, poured pillars, sucker rod pillars, they all have their subtle differences n they all have worked.

 

[Lefty2506]

You guys are doing it better than me. I've only installed pillars on one rifle, and I didn't really have a guide to go by. As I remember, it was more like a 3 or 4 step process for me. I started off by bedding the action with just one skim coat of Devcon. The main things I wanted right at this point were the area behind the recoil lug and the area around the action screws. Then I drilled out the stock for the front pillar, reapplied release agent, attached that pillar to the action, painted it with epoxy, installed the action into the stock, installed the rear action screw, and lightly clamped near the front screw (only had 2 action screws), and put a piece of tape over the bottom side of the pillar/stock to keep epoxy from running out all over the place. I then repeated the process for the rear screw. Then I bedded the area around the action screws again to account for any shrinkage. Not the easiest, or best process, but it worked for me. It was for a Savage ML10-II muzzleloader and it was going into a laminate thumbhole stock. That rifle pushes a 300gr projectile at around 2450 fps, generating almost 4,000 ft lbs of KE, and more recoil than I care to handle. That would have been in early 2008, and the bedding job has held up much better than my shoulder has....

 

[Rich S]

Dave im assuming doing it in one step like this that there is no bedding over the pillars? I know there's been discussion here about bedding over pillars vrs not.
I've done it both ways with what I do ive really found no difference i believe stress free is the most important. Your thoughts.. i need to try it in 1 step sometime.

A small o-ring between the pillar and action will accomplish having bedding over the pillars of that is what you want.

 

[L.Sherm]

A small o-ring between the pillar and action will accomplish having bedding over the pillars of that is what you want.

No its not what I want ive done bedding over pillars and not over pillars and for what I do I haven't noticed any difference in accuracy, but I haven't pillar bedded in 1 step like Dave mentioned I need to try it sometime just curious his thoughts on the difference.

 

[bobcat93]

..whip up a big hot batch of devcon and let r have it. Hahaha
I follow Mr. Richard Franklin stress free bedding video to the word.
I have had extremely satisfying results.
Ive done all sorts of bedding jobs over the years, just to improve my skill..im embarrassed to say i have locked a rifle in a stock and had to rip it apart and dig the action out of it with a bosh mutlitool
It wasnt funny at the time believe me, it was a horrible experience..but, thats part of learning.
If you haven't made mistake, you dont know sh#t
Talking from here say, not experience.

I would suggest maybe checking out his video..if ya can find it.
Its a good watch, and i believe he will anser your question in his video.
Im not a gun smith..no sir..i just enjoy playing with my guns.

 

[DR_2297]

I have always opened the mortise to fit the action with the bottom setting action depth, opened the action screw holes to like 9/16, made 1/2” dia pillars, screwed to bottom of action and then glued them into the holes. Once cured remove action, clearance out the bottom around the pillars, etc and bed the whole thing in final form.

 

[bobcat93]

That seems to be the spot many guys stall out, and the job goes south.
Hi-score bedding has an interesting way of capturing the pillars so its all done in one step.
The absolute best bedding jobs ive ever gotten was by working with a junsmith.
When i bed an action ( and its the way i choose to do it) i get the very tip of the tang just how i want it..just enough to suport the entire endeavor.
I wrap tape around barrel to free float and center in barrel channel..then i grind all that material out of the way..
I use devcon and i want much of it as i can cram around my action and some times chamber.
Ive even drilled holes in different directions after relieving action area just so i can use more compound and it grabs the stock like dug in fingers.
I use tubing and screws to center, and hold pillars to rifle and do it all in one step.
Then wrap up with surgical tubing to hold.
There are two ways to finish..
I the best is to run pillars wild and dont worry about the bleed out of bedding material just clean it off a bit. Then send stock off to have it milled off and bottom metal inlay cut in.
All it one step..
Bottom metals work off a know measurement from the action. A mill can be set to that spicific measurement and mill out everything perfectly..it looks sooo cool to see a cnc perfect inlay outline, fresh open wood bedding compound and pillars all perfectly flush..
You have to call around and see who has the time for you before you bed ..i
ts all part of planing the process start-to completion.
That is probably the correct way.
And if your changing a factory rifle from hinged floor plate, to a drop box mag system..that measurement - distance is absolutely critical if you want the rifle to feed correctly. Its a tough job to do by hand but can be done, as ive done that also..very stressful!
The other way is to base it all off your bottom metal and work backwards
I prefer the milling service..(ive only done it this way twice) and Long Barrels inc. did the milling for me ..they made me beg, but did it. It was spot on They are amazing ..that was many many years back. Not sure if they still do it but a phone call and you will know.
This process works best for changing to a PTG Stealth Bottom metal or similar my rifles have loaded very silky

 

[kelbro]

I have always opened the mortise to fit the action with the bottom setting action depth, opened the action screw holes to like 9/16, made 1/2” dia pillars, screwed to bottom of action and then glued them into the holes. Once cured remove action, clearance out the bottom around the pillars, etc and bed the whole thing in final form.

Same here.

 

[AckleymanII]

I attach the pillars to the action, paint pillars with bedding compound, then bed in one step. I support the barrel in the forearm and let it setup stress free.

Most will completely miss just how good this works!

 

[Killroy]

How important is to let it cure with the rifle upside down?