Savage bedding question

[jsthntn247]

I've bedded close to 15 rifles before and can't figure out what's happening on this one. I wrapped the barrel in electrical to center and free float, but the tang is riding extremely high. Has about .150 clearance. I've dremeld out everything that could possibly cause the action to be setting up but the tang won't come down. I usually wrap the barrel and put two pieces of tape under the tang so it can have two points of contact, then remove the tape after the bedding cures and the tang is floated. Anybody else had this problem? I can tighten the rear screw and get the tang to come down but I'm worried that this will put stress in the bedding.

 

[Terry]

Get rid of the tape.

I have bedded several savage actions. Clean out the area to be bedded. Apply your release agent to the action being careful to fill all those places where you do not want glue with play dough. I use JB Weld from the recoil lug recess to the trigger. I use Turtle Wax as my release agent. Place the mixed JB Weld in the area to be bedded, Tighten down the action screws firmly to spread the JB, then back them off a little.
Leave it set in a gun rest over night. Be sure to use the release agent on the screws.

Check the tang area before bedding. The way it is before should be how it is in the end.

 

[jsthntn247]

Terry when I tighten the action screws down now (with no bedding) I can feel the action pulling down until it makes contact with the pillars. Once it does this the barrel is floated however. I was taught that if your bedding job was done properly, one way to check was if the action screw got tight very quickly and not gradually like they are now. On my previous bedding jobs I have used headless screws without tourquing the action in any way to ensure stress free. Any of you guys that bed allot of Savage rifles ever seen this, and do you torque the action screws down or not?

 

[rayjay]

Bottom of the recoil lug ?

Are you saying that you have already bedded this action or have you not applied the glue yet ?

 

[Elkbane]

Sounds like you have a tight spot somewhere between the point on the barrel where you have the tape and the tang that is serving as a pivot point. I do mine just like you are doing - tape on barrel and tape under tang and cut off guide studs in the action screw holes. One thing I have noticed is that the guide bolts almost never center in the stock holes unless you remove a little material from the front face or sides of the stock's recoil lug recess. Guide bolts are almost always a little tight front to back. I usually dress the lug recess so that taped guide bolts center in the stock/pillar holes. If your action screws have to "snug down" the action before bedding, you are getting contact somewhere.

Another place to check is the front of the trigger recess - you may have some contact there.

I'd spend a little more time trying to figure out what's binging before proceeding.....
Elkbane

 

[jsthntn247]

Sounds like you have a tight spot somewhere between the point on the barrel where you have the tape and the tang that is serving as a pivot point. I do mine just like you are doing - tape on barrel and tape under tang and cut off guide studs in the action screw holes. One thing I have noticed is that the guide bolts almost never center in the stock holes unless you remove a little material from the front face or sides of the stock's recoil lug recess. Guide bolts are almost always a little tight front to back. I usually dress the lug recess so that taped guide bolts center in the stock/pillar holes. If your action screws have to "snug down" the action before bedding, you are getting contact somewhere.

Another place to check is the front of the trigger recess - you may have some contact there.

I'd spend a little more time trying to figure out what's binging before proceeding.....
Elkbane

I think you are right. I bought the stock and it had been previousley bedded with a normal sized rear pillar in the back and a big beveled pillar in the front. I believe what is happening is the front pillar is acting like a V-Block and the action is setting up on the sides of the pillar. When I tighten the action screws, I am pulling the action down in the pillar and that's why it is getting tight gradually until it bottoms out in the pillar.

 

[gotcha]

Great input by Elkbane....... I've noticed on several Savage factory laminate stocks that the rear of the action doesn't actually make contact with the rear pillar. Instead, the receiver,at the rear, is actually bottoming out on the inletting. A little wood removal will allow pillar contact. Go slowly as removing wood will raise bbl & reduce or eliminate "float" at tang. It isn't just the factory stocks that have this problem. Hope this helps. The larger front pillar may have been installed by someone because the original screw spacing wasn't correct for his action. Several different screw spacings to be found on Savage actions.

 

[jsthntn247]

I looked a little closer when I got home and put some playdo in action area and set the action in there. I was getting contact on the front pillar but none on the rear. I added some tape to the barrel channel to get the tang a little lower and make contact with the top edge of the rear pillar. That was as good as I could get and not have the barrel floated so much it looked out of whack. It's setting in the bedding compound now so I will know shortly.

 

[rayjay]

Typically the center line of the bore should be parallel to the top line of the forend. I see a LOT of bedding jobs where the muzzle is low.

When bedding an action I have never had good results with pre-installed pillars, whether factory installed pillars or trying to bed a used stock to my action. I always just yank out the old pillars and start over using the "Stress Free...." method.

 

[jsthntn247]

Typically the center line of the bore should be parallel to the top line of the forend. I see a LOT of bedding jobs where the muzzle is low.

When bedding an action I have never had good results with pre-installed pillars, whether factory installed pillars or trying to bed a used stock to my action. I always just yank out the old pillars and start over using the "Stress Free...." method.

I put levels on the stock and the barrel to level the bore to the stock during mock up.

 

[jonbearman]

Is it possible that the previous owner got some epoxy in the pillars themselves which can cause it to bind when setting the action in with bedding screws.

 

[jsthntn247]

Popped the action out this morning and it doesn't look so good. I dremmeled out too much while trying to find why it was riding high and am not getting any contact (cradeling) on the sides of the action, just the front and rear. It has a 24" mtu barrel hanging on it, so the more surface area I had to support the action the better off I would have been.

 

[gotcha]

Not to worry. At least you got the action to break free I'm sure you'll get it right the 2nd time. It seems Savage has lots of stocks with a short rear Pillar. Then the after market guys just copy the measurements and they're ALL boogered. Good luck guy. You're about due ;D

 

[jsthntn247]

Yea, it could be allot worse, haha. I put it all back together tonight. I just mounted my indicator to it to measure deflection. With both action screws at 35in/lbs and the magnetic base on the barrel, I loosened the rear screw and the stock only moves .00025 to .0005 ( 1/4 to 1/2 of .001). Not exactly sure if you can check Savage's this way but if it was a remington, that would be a good sign.

 

[jsthntn247]

Looks like everything worked out just fine. Here's part of a OCW I shot this morning. Pretty good node in the middle with scatter nodes on either side.