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Round vs Flat Bottom Receiver

Phil3

I see that both some factory and custom actions come as both round bottom and flat bottom designs? A benefit of one vs the other? Just curious.

Phil
 
The flat gives the action resistance to torquing in the stock. I prefer to glue in round actions. If I am not gluing a round action I bed the sides of the recoil lug.
 
With proper bedding pillars etc I think they are really close. Might give slight edge to flat.
Either way not enough that makes difference in my shooting
 
A flat bottom action doesn't address the bedding as evenly as a flat bottomed one. Just look at one that has been bedded for some time (or prep it with graphite) & you'll see that it touches down hard along the screw line & progressively lighter as you go wider - it's just the vector force effect. I avoid that by:

  • Running a ¼" or so wide strip of masking tape along the screw line and
  • Clearing the sides with masking tape strips

so that I end up with two bearing pads where a relatively even constant force can be supplied, sort of like the V bedding blocks that Barnard supply with their actions. I have been known to shorten the bedding so it's touching the same distance each side of the bedding screws.

Ultimately, the best thing about round actions is that it's hard to chisel bedding off the sides when putting the action back in the stock like can happen with flat bottomed actions with parallel flat sides.
 
JohnKielly said:
A flat bottom action doesn't address the bedding as evenly as a flat bottomed one. Just look at one that has been bedded for some time (or prep it with graphite) & you'll see that it touches down hard along the screw line & progressively lighter as you go wider - it's just the vector force effect. I avoid that by:

  • Running a ¼" or so wide strip of masking tape along the screw line and
  • Clearing the sides with masking tape strips

so that I end up with two bearing pads where a relatively even constant force can be supplied, sort of like the V bedding blocks that Barnard supply with their actions. I have been known to shorten the bedding so it's touching the same distance each side of the bedding screws.

Ultimately, the best thing about round actions is that it's hard to chisel bedding off the sides when putting the action back in the stock like can happen with flat bottomed actions with parallel flat sides.
Click to expand...
One of the reasons those in the know cut a draft on the sides of the action.
 
I have one Winchester match rifle and one Barnard. Both Palma rifles in .308. Same barrel manufacture, barrel length and weight. The Barnard rests on a skim of epoxy over a bedding block, the Winny pillar and glass bedded more or less conventionally. The Barnard is a stouter short action by far with closed top and thick action walls and has three lugs. the Winchester is a LA, has a single shot adapter glued in place and a long picatinney rail screwed in place and two lugs. Either one is equally accurate with my Palma load at all ranges. Either one is equally capable of accurate fire at 1000 yards. I am not a great shot but both rifles are!
Seems to me good bedding and action tuning can work regardless of type.
 
There are a couple good Stock men that make V-blocks for every job they do.
Like the Barnard Block they just work.
I have 3 Barnard with V-Blocks Not skim bedded, No trouble .
2 are Master Class Stocks by Alex the man Sitman,
 
Don said:
There are a couple good Stock men that make V-blocks for every job they do.
Like the Barnard Block they just work.
I have 3 Barnard with V-Blocks Not skim bedded, No trouble .
2 are Master Class Stocks by Alex the man Sitman,
Click to expand...

I also have Barnard actions that are mounted with V-blocks and I have been very impressed with the performance. I have not heard of other round actions utilizing a V-block mounting system such as a Borden, Bat, Savage, ect.

Has anyone heard of V-blocks being implemented with any of these other round actions?

-Trevor
 
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Reactions: Don
Hengehold said:
I also have Barnard actions that are mounted with V-blocks and I have been very impressed with the performance. I have not heard of other round actions utilizing a V-block mounting system such as a Borden, Bat, Savage, ect.

Has anyone heard of V-blocks being implemented with any of these other round actions?

-Trevor
Click to expand...
There is a Custom Rifle Builder Doan Trever he makes Blocks for most all HIS Jobs.
I have him making a stock at this time.............
 
Last edited:
IMO if bedded properly they are equal or the difference so small we cant see it. Just in the last couple years I have seen some extremely impressive (and consistent) shooting by pillar bedded round actions. I have also seen a flat bottom improve its grouping by gluing it in. So hard to know for sure. Either way I prefer to glue and screw them.
 
Alex Wheeler said:
IMO if bedded properly they are equal or the difference so small we cant see it. Just in the last couple years I have seen some extremely impressive (and consistent) shooting by pillar bedded round actions. I have also seen a flat bottom improve its grouping by gluing it in. So hard to know for sure. Either way I prefer to glue and screw them.
Click to expand...

Interesting info. I saw that my Howa actions are flat bottom and just wondered about the pros and cons of the design. - Phil
 
USMCDOC said:
What trigger options do you have now with that action?
Click to expand...

I have stock triggers. One was the old design and the second was changed to the 2 stage model (HACT). Timney makes a trigger. There might be others. I have not built the 2 stage trigger Howa action yet, so cannot comment on what I think of it. For me, the original single stage is adequate. There are a lot of links on adjusting the trigger and improving it for virtually no cost, and may do that. Some Howa enthusiasts indicate they like the original trigger vs the new HACT design. Found this link, but not read it yet. But will. Might offer some info that is useful.

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=439334

Phil
 
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