taping recoil lug for bedding

[Willoughby]

when taping recoil lug for bedding does anyone not tape front and sides of lug and why not ?

 

[urbanrifleman]

when taping recoil lug for bedding does anyone not tape front of lug and why not ?

Good question.

MPA now has a recoil lug front face lock. Works great.

 

[Judd]

Everyone I know tapes the front. Good question but I didn’t know there were folks who didn’t.

 

[CJ6]

Front and sides and bottom. 1 layer of "foiled tape"

 

[alf]

Front and sides and bottom. 1 layer of "foiled tape"

I use 2 layers of black electrician's tape in the same places.....

 

[swd]

I tape the front, sides and bottom. I know of at least one well known gunsmith that doesn’t like to tape the sides to control torque. On a flat bottom action it wouldn’t make any difference either way.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I'm one of those few that typically only clearances the bottom of the lug. Most often, I create that clearance after pulling the bbld action from the bedding, in a mill, by taking about .010-.015 off the bottom of the lug. I then deburr it good and put it back together. I see no down side to this method and it beats picking tape out of bedding. Why? I believe it controls torque better and any movement and tranfers vibration better. I clearance the bottom so there's room in case it shaves a tiny bit of bedding under there going back together, mostly. It's MY preferred method but both ways clearly work.

 

[Steve morgan]

when taping recoil lug for bedding does anyone not tape front and sides of lug and why not ?

I always tape the front and sides.

 

[Murray Brook]

I always tape the bottom and front of the lug, and the sides depend on whether the action is flat bottom or not. JMW

 

[SSL]

I'm one of those few that typically only clearances the bottom of the lug. Most often, I create that clearance after pulling the bbld action from the bedding, in a mill, by taking about .010-.015 off the bottom of the lug. I then deburr it good and put it back together. I see no down side to this method and it beats picking tape out of bedding. Why? I believe it controls torque better and any movement and tranfers vibration better. I clearance the bottom so there's room in case it shaves a tiny bit of bedding under there going back together, mostly. It's MY preferred method but both ways clearly work.

I've always done it the same way. It's the way I was taught and really never saw a reason to change.

 

[1911nut]

Front, sides and bottom with two layers of blue masking taped. Light coat of kiwi neutral shoe polish over the tape.

 

[Bronsin]

I only tape the bottom.

 

[AlNyhus]

I tape the front, sides and bottom.

The only time I bed the lug tight on the bottom is on actions where the front action screw goes into the bottom of the lug (some Sako's, etc.). Obviously, you don't want any clearance in that situation.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[DaveTooley]

I do it the same as Al. As fas as handling torque I know on the rear edge of the lug, no matter how I trim it, there is a little flow by that forms a very shallow pocket for the lug to sit in. One layer of electrical tape around the lug then a piece of thicker tape covering the bottom and the front of the lug. Followed by a wrap of 1" electrical tape around the barrel blending in the barrel to the lug. I then put a piece of 2" masking tape in the stock to catch the flow of Marine Tex from the lug area in the stock. Makes for easy clean up.

 

[AlNyhus]

Like Dave mentioned, there's always a bit of flow at the edges. A round needle file to radius the edges after the bedding is cured works well.

Mike's approach of taking a light cut off the bottom of the lug for clearance is a good one, too. On my Panda I just bedded in a new stock, I used a piece of .025 thick hard plastic, trimmed it to fit the bottom of the lug and Super Glued it on. After it came out of the bedding, an Xacto knife peeled it right off the lug. It gave a nice, clean bottom in the lug mortise.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[JEFFPPC]

I tape the entire lug except for the rear. It's how I was taught over 60 years ago. Still works. I bedded my first 700 as a teen with Black Magic body filler. I think that was the easiest material I ever used.

 

[Rat Rifle]

I tape the entire lug except for the rear. It's how I was taught over 60 years ago. Still works. I bedded my first 700 as a teen with Black Magic body filler. I think that was the easiest material I ever used.

I remember “Black Magic“ That stuff put bondo to shame

 

[AlNyhus]

Some of the stuff people use for 'bedding compound' really makes you shake your head.

If it's cheap, in a bubble pack at the checkout lane at WalMart and they can use the left over to fix their kitchen sink that's been leaking for two years, it must be good. If those companies added 'Match Grade' to the labeling, they could triple their sales.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Some of the stuff people use for 'bedding compound' really makes you shake your head.

If it's cheap, in a bubble pack at the checkout lane at WalMart and they can use the left over to fix their kitchen sink that's been leaking for two years, it must be good. If those companies added 'Match Grade' to the labeling, they could triple their sales.

Browning and Winchester used something very similar, maybe it was...hot glue, for a long time.

 

[AlNyhus]

Browning and Winchester used something very similar, maybe it was...hot glue, for a long time.

It was indeed a type of hot glue. It actually didn't work too bad for a production line deal. When it hardened up over the years...not so much. I've torn a lot of it out. -Al