What's your method in securing the action during glass bedding?

[boltfluter]

Many ways to skin this cat. I usually make my own pillars, a glove fit to action screws, and bed the pillars first. Come back and finish the bedding. Barreled wrapped with tape to center in channel. Action screws in place ,snug at first to purge excess bedding compound, then backed off to just finger tight till bedding sets up. Finally drill pillars for screw clearance. Many, many ways to do this job. Stress free is the goal. Good luck!

Paul

 

[kendog]

99% of the time, when I get a stock that has pillars already installed, I cut them out and put my own in. Can control the waterline, barrel center, and pillar to action fit much better that way. Have dedicated 1/4-28, 1/4-32, and M6 X 1 screws already made up with bushing tape to keep centered in pillar. The rest of the job is pretty much as Mike Bryant does.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Usually a 2 step process for me.
Pillars or V Block secured to action then set in the stock. Barrel aligned in forearm. After that has set up, go back and do the rest of the bedding around the action. Blue masking tape to hold the action secure till it sets up. LOTS of release agent. Usually clear shoe polish wax.

 

[DaveTooley]

I use screws to pull it down in place then back them off and let gravity take over. An O-ring on the barrel to center it in the barrel channel. If I'm installing pillars it's all done in one step. I mask off all but the rear of the lug and a 5/8" strip down the center of the action. That way the action is essentially sitting in V-blocks.

 

[teele1]

headless bolts and electrical tape Richard Franklin's video has been invaluable

 

[BoydAllen]

What ever method you use, you should check your work with a dial indicator. Bedding can look really good and not be correct. Mike Bryant was the one that I got the idea from, from a post of his a long time ago. Alex Wheeler does the same thing. An unverified job is still a question mark.

 

[Edd]

What ever method you use, you should check your work with a dial indicator. Bedding can look really good and not be correct. Mike Bryant was the one that I got the idea from, from a post of his a long time ago. Alex Wheeler does the same thing. An unverified job is still a question mark.

What is your method for verifying?

 

[BoydAllen]

It is not my method but essentially you secure an indicator base to the barrel and position the indicator to read off of the bottom of the forend tip, alternately slightly loosening the guard screws. You should have slight movement. Up to .002 being GTG and .003 being borderline. Zero might mean that something is wedged, which is not good. A friend who had been having accuracy problems had done a pillar bedding job that looked quite nice. Eventually his dad and I convinced him to check it. There was .007 movement. After that was fixed, his problems went away.

 

[AlNyhus]

Some random shots of my approach. Each style of action has it's own unique characteristics but the end result needs to be the same. -Al

 

[boltfluter]

Some random shots of my approach. Each style of action has it's own unique characteristics but the end result needs to be the same. -Al

Very nice Al! Question for you. Are you applying bedding to both the action and the stock to mitigate the possibility of any air bubbles? Whatever you are doing it is certainly working!

Thanks, Paul

 

[AlNyhus]

Very nice Al! Question for you. Are you applying bedding to both the action and the stock to mitigate the possibility of any air bubbles? Whatever you are doing it is certainly working!

Thanks, Paul

No, I just apply it to the stock. On round actions, a thicker amount down the middle of the inlet lets the bedding flow up and around the sides instead of having the bedding being pushed down to the bottom of the inlet. This really helps with air voids on round actions.

On flat bottoms, I keep a lot of clearance on each side of the action (.020) so the compound can flow up the sides. If you don't do this, it's easy for the flat bottoms to get 'high spotted'. If that happens, you can spot it right away with the dial indicator test. But only after you've relieved the parting lines, edges and radiused all the holes...any little edges will skew the results.

I've actually lightly lapped a couple of flat bottoms...not standard proceedure but it can work.

 

[AlNyhus]

I mask off all but the rear of the lug and a 5/8" strip down the center of the action. That way the action is essentially sitting in V-blocks.

Dave, the next single shot round action I do, I'm going to try your method on masking the bottom. -Al

 

[JPB3]

I agree! Lots of ways to get good results..

Like some others I use headless screws about 3'' long. If pillars are already in place I tape the screws however many wraps it takes for a snug fit..

I do apply bedding compound to both surfaces, action and stock, never have voids doing this.

Tape or tubing to hold everything together.

Also check my results with a dial indicator, have one with a narrow magnetic base. Stick it on the barrel a couple of inches in front of the forearm and put the stylus on the forearm. Mike Bryant mentioned checking with an indicator years ago, makes sense to me.

Pat

 

[gtl1946]

The day before I plan to bed the action, I put a small dab of Devcon in the barrel channel a couple of inches from the tip of the forearm. This creates a perfectly contoured mold/cradle under the barrel in its original position and is much easier to me than doing the tape wrap thing. (Be sure to apply a small amount of clear shoe polish to the barrel channel where you put that dab of Devcon and it will pop right out with a flat head screwdriver after bedding is complete) The next day, or once that spot has fully cured, I remove whatever stock material necessary for bedding from the action area leaving only the tip of the tang untouched. That give me the tang and my barrel pad as two points of contact that leave the barreled action perfectly placed in the stock. The action can then be held in place with a couple of wraps of electrical tape circling the action and stock at the scope rings. I apply this tape just barely tight enough to hold the stock to the action as it cures.

 

[Intheshop]

Surgical tube.

 

[lloydx2]

If pilars or aluminum bedding block is in place I wrap the barrel to center it in the forend and set waterline, have my action studs wrapped with tape to center them in the screwholes then drop the barreled action into the bedding compound and check the "waterline". If all is nice and even, a simple wrap of narrow electrical tape will keep everything in place till bedding sets. Pop it out the next morning and clean up the edges with a dremel tool with sheetrock cutter. Super simple and stress free. If I can do it, anyone can.

Stress Free

 

[Devin Wiggett]

I also bed the pillars and action at the same time. I use a short piece of barrel that is bushed and everything is dry fitted to make sure everything is sitting true. As far as holding the action down I use a clamp with light pressure, this enables me to clean up the excess bedding compound.
With the pillars you really can't over tighten the clamp. Check everything for level and straightness and recheck.

 

[kendog]

... As far as holding the action down I use a clamp with light pressure, this enables me to clean up the excess bedding compound....

Do you have a pic of this? It is a pain to tool the epoxy around the tape area.

 

[AlNyhus]

When using a clamp (which I sometimes do depending on the situation), here's my approach.

This was a Sako A1 22PPC which has the dovetails integral with the receiver top. That give a nice, flat surface. The block is a piece of Delrin...wood can compress during the set up time of the compound and the clamp will loosen. Harder woods like oak can work well, though. -Al

 

[AlNyhus]

Pillars and two point bedding on an Interarms Mini Mauser 223. There's precious little bedding surface to work with. The receiver sides make no contact with the sides of the stock, which is how I do the repeater 700's. Bedding is pre cleanup and the exposed wood was resealed prior to painting the stock.