To Bed or Not to Bed, that is the question.

[snert]

Try the cereal box shim idea before you chop out the foreend.

I had an ADL 3006 from 1981. It shot 1 moa. I took out the pressure nub and it shot 2.5 MOA.

It eventually became a 7mag in a synthetic stock.

There is nothing wrong with a 1 MOA rifle, and had I not wanted a 7mag, I would have, should have nbeen satisfied with the 06, as it shot.

 

[Albany Mountain]

Yes, sorry. brain fog on a Sunday morning!

Crap and I just got done with the impact wrench.

 

[46and2]

Crap and I just got done with the impact wrench.

You can borrow my Hytorc machine

 

[searcher]

As we know, the wood stocks are temperamental to humidity changes (and it does get below the finish). On glass stocks, a nice bedding and free-float work great. On a wood stock, I use an aircraft counterbore drill bit which chases the guard screw holes and opens them up to the size of aluminum pillars which I have cut to be epoxied in the holes. After fitting and epoxying them, I open the barrel channel if needed, and do a full glass bed with about 1" of the barrel supported. Bedding my 700's, and other hunting rifles in this manner GREATLY improved accuracy in each rifle. The problem with torquing the guard screws is that humidity still changes the wood you are torquing to. The pillars eliminate vertical torque change. shrinking and expanding of the stock longitudinally can still put tension on your pillars - but the affect is significantly minimized. Me, I'd definitely bed that sucker. A few hours of work and maybe $75.00 - $100.00 for a counterbore bit, epoxy, a bit of clay, releasing compound and pillars is cheap compared to continuously testing the rifle and running different loads - especially at the cost of components now.

 

[natdscott]

Why do you have a level mounted on your scope?

 

[TheCZKid]

To verify while shooting that the rifle is level, not canted, as that would cause the shot to go left or right, depending on the lean. More important at distance, but worth watching. Initially saw this demonstrated on a YouTube video from Long Distance Shooting of Utah.

 

[AlNyhus]

Getting the pillars in straight with adequate clearance provided around the action screws is the first step.

When doing a wood stocked ADL, a 5/8" dia. pillar on the rear works out well. On the front, I do another 5/8" pillar down to the top of the metal action screw escutcheon if looking original is important. My preference is eliminate it and make the pillar flush with the bottom of the stock with a recess for the action screw. If you're going to knock the escutcheon out...be careful when you remove it. Use an end mill to get down to the top of the escutcheon push it out from the top. They are pressed in and those older stocks like to split. If that gun is as original as it looks, it should still have the clear varnish stock coating on the escutcheon. For the front trigger guard screw, eliminate the long small factory screw and inlet a small threaded pillar into the stock and use a short screw. I free float the barrels. Make sure and remove the front sight from the barrel...that weight out there does change how the barrel acts. Plug the screw holes.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[DGP4]

I'll be interested in what difference the changes you decide to do make in terms of accuracy!

 

[searcher]

Why do you have a level mounted on your scope?

Those are nice to have when afield as it is so easy to otherwise cant your rifle, resulting in off-center hits at distance. Leveled scope is a happy scope.

 

[natdscott]

Those are nice to have when afield as it is so easy to otherwise cant your rifle, resulting in off-center hits at distance. Leveled scope is a happy scope.

It was a leading question to the OP.

 

[ebb]

Make sure after you float the barrel to seal the raw wood several times to make sure it is sealed good. I had one the moved every year and soon it was a big gap on one side and thin wood on the other . Most will settle down if they are sealed. Bedding never hurt a gun as far as I know, some may not have been helped, but I don't know any that were hurt if the bedding was done right.

 

[K22]

If I had a 1 moa 30 06 and used as a big game rifle, I would just leave it alone. That is more than enough accuracy for this purpose. In other words, "if ain't broke, don't fix it."

However, with that said, almost all rifles I ever owned benefited from bedding the action and free floating the barrel. The simplest is pillar bedding then free floating the barrel.

Free floating the barrel without a bedding job usually results in the rifle shooting erratic. Those pressure points Remington placed in their stocks was a cheap way to stabilize the rifle rather bedding the action like Browning does. Don't ask me why Tikka's shoot so well without any special bedding, I have no clue but for some inexplicable reason, all my shoot sub 1 moa to 1/2 moa with factory stocks.

Another option is to purchase a B&C aftermarket stock with a bedding block. These normally works quite well in my experience, but nothing is absolute. You still may have to glass bed the lug if you are seeking 1/2 moa.

The question I would ask myself, what practical benefit do I hope to achieve by messing with rifle that already is hunting qualified? The other issue I would consider, once you mess with this rifle, you may end up in a protracted series of modifications and costs to get to shoot again. I've seen this happen before.