Bedding Clean Up

[Randy Tidwell]

I use 2 layers of blue masking tape on the stock, oriented perpendicular to the direction of the barrel. I then put release agent on this.

On the barrel I use black vinyl tape, 2-3 inches wide, often sold as plumbing supply. It's not that adhesive but sticks to itself well. I wrap the barrel with enough layers that it "almost" touches the blue tape. In doing so there is minimal room for bedding material to go between. Release agent here as well.

After I'm done with the bedding I can usually trim the bedding material with an Xacto knife at the back edge of the blue tape when I'm done and it works well, giving a nice sharp edge.

That is exactly how I do it also, gives you a clean edge.

You have to be very careful the two pieces of tape do not touch, it can put pressure under the barrel. You end up with a bowed action.

The only time I bed the shank of the barrel is if the rifle has a very thin barrel or an action that has allot of flex, i.e. Mauser, Ruger. Actions like Remington, Winchester, Savage or custom actions are stiff enough you don't need any bedding under the shank.

JMHO

 

[Dr. Vette]

You have to be very careful the two pieces of tape do not touch, it can put pressure under the barrel. You end up with a bowed action.

That's also why I don't put any putty or whatever between the tape on the stock and the tape on the barrel. I don't want any undue pressure. The resultant layer of bedding material is usually so thin it's not difficult to remove.

 

[Randy Tidwell]

Years ago, I had a prominent gun smith here in SO Cal bed a Sako L579 243 varmint rifle for me. He used Micro Bed, yuck.

It shot terrible afterwards, each shot would move up left in a string?

Pulled it apart, he had bedded under the shank and laid the rifle on its side to cure. The bedding under the shank ran to one side, you guessed it, right side. It literally had a 3" void area. You couldn't see it while the barrel was in the stock, just enough bedding material remained along the barrel on the left side to hide it.

I took it back to him, he tried to tell me it would not affect the accuracy.... Yeah right.

Came home, pulled out a Dremel and removed all the bedding under the Shank. Amazing, the rifle started shooting again..... wonder why.

That's when I decided to learn how to bed rifles on my own. Found an article from Bob Pease about pillar bedding, first couple were not great. But after learning his system, they come out great every time.

 

[Alibiiv]

Ok the thread on here about release agents got me to thinking and I did not want to mess up his thread with my question so here it goes.
I have two questions:
1) how many of you bed under the chamber area of the barrel?
2) If you bed under the chamber area, how are you squaring the front edge up and making it look good.

The guy that taught me how to bed a rifle said "I always bed about 1.5-2" under the barrel channel (shank) when bedding a rifle. If the rifle does not shoot well with it bedded there, it is easier to remove it than to have to go back in later and bed that area if it needs it". That made sense to me so I have always bedded that area.
I have tried the clay dam thing and was not really pleased with the results. The bedding material would stick in any little crease or crevice in the clay and did not look great.
The way I have been doing it (with good results but it is a pain to do) is to bed the action and this area, measure from the recoil lug forward on both sides of the stock, take a plastic card bend it to match the contour and make a line. I then take a chisel and work the line very carefully cutting the bedding away. It really looks good but is a major pain to do.
I have seen pictures of guy that just leave it in whatever shape the bedding material happens to squeeze out in. This may not matter, but to me I could see where it would give uneven pressure or support to this area, plus it does not look good.

I am always looking for better way to improve my technique so how are y'all (yes I'm from the south) doing it?

Not sure what you mean, "The guy that taught me how to bed a rifle said "I always bed about 1.5-2" under the barrel channel (shank) when bedding a rifle.", what area are you writing about? I was taught to glass bed the entire recoil lug area, plus 4 inches in front of the recoil lug, and....then float the rest of the barrel to the forend. I relieve the entire area around the recoil lug and the entire length of the barrel channel. Usually I will use a "Sharpy" felt tipped marker, placing the marker against the barrel and marking the wood the entire length of the barrel. With that done I remove the barrel/action and use a Dremmel tool with a sanding drum to remove the wood to the outside edge of the black mark on the stock; usually about 3/64ths of clearance between wood and barrel. I try to give about 1/32nd of an inch wood clearance around the action/barrel. I will measure 4 inches in front of the recoil lug and mark the barrel with a felt marker. I use two strips of Brownells vinyl plumbers take, .010 thousandths thick, for .020 thousandths clearance and apply the tape from 4 inches in front of the recoil lug and run it out so that it is past the forend of the stock. With the tape in place after bedding you will have a nice .020 thousandths clearance between the barrel and the stock. I mask the entire stock off with masking tape, if I don't the glass will certainly find a place to stick where I don't want it to. I use Silly Putty as a dam in the magazine well, also on the forend of the stock to act as a dam. I smear a bunch of putty on the forend and then seat the barrel in the stock to set the putty to the same diameter of the barrel. The last stock that I glassed I used Brownell's "gel" and will never use their regular glass kit again. I use at least two coats of the green release agent, and just before setting the barrel/action into the stock I spray everything that needs to be released with Brownell's spray release agent.

 

[Rflshootr]

All the top bench rest gunsmiths tape the bottom, sides and back of the lug and free float the entire barrel. My way of thinking is, if this gives top accuracy, then why bed under the barrel? After all, isn't accuracy the reason you're spending your time and dollars doing a bedding job in the first place? I've bedded more rifles than I care to remember and only on one occasion did I need to bed a pressure point near the front of the stock. That stock was a Tupperware plastic stock and was so flexible that it was the only way I could get it to shoot. Anyway, just my thoughts.

 

[ntsqd]

I thought the comment about not bedding the tapered portion of a barrel worth noting. When you bed a cylinder and it then changes length dimension when it gets hot it can grow unrestrained. When the tapered portion grows with heat any bedding acts like a V-notch and the barrel is the wedge. That can't be good for consistency.

OTOH the comment about BR rifles not being bedded under the chamber has me wondering if that is because their actions are stiff enough to not need it or if the heat induced change in barrel diameter is enough to alter the rifle's consistency?

 

[Rflshootr]

I thought the comment about not bedding the tapered portion of a barrel worth noting. When you bed a cylinder and it then changes length dimension when it gets hot it can grow unrestrained. When the tapered portion grows with heat any bedding acts like a V-notch and the barrel is the wedge. That can't be good for consistency.

OTOH the comment about BR rifles not being bedded under the chamber has me wondering if that is because their actions are stiff enough to not need it or if the heat induced change in barrel diameter is enough to alter the rifle's consistency?

Both, but don't forget that many custom bench rest actions are precision model 700 clones for the most part. Some are different but still basically a single shot bolt action. As a side note, the first 600 yard benchrest rifle I build for myself to compete with was 243 Win built on a Savage 110 long action and a laminated benchrest stock. It supports a #17 heavy varmint, 26" long barrel and has shot quite a few 2.5"-3" groups at 600 yard IBS registered matches. So my point is if a factory Savage long action will support a 6 plus lb. barrel, do you think the chamber area really needs bedding? Food for thought.
Also I might add that there is a difference between a proper stress free bedding job and some epoxy slapped an a stock and called a bedding job.

 

[Danny1788]

Clean up use a mill, don't let bedding touch barrel. Tape off around the lug. I use .250 lugs and use .250 pin stripe and wrap once around the lugs sides and bottom

 

[BoxMag1]

I've used alcohol hand wipes to take excess off the stock and receiver depending upon bedding compound used. I refuse to wait for the bedding to harden before cleanup, I just don't want to work that hard.

 

[Clay Target Guy]

"Not sure what you mean, "The guy that taught me how to bed a rifle said "I always bed about 1.5-2" under the barrel channel (shank) when bedding a rifle.", what area are you writing about? I was taught to glass bed the entire recoil lug area, plus 4 inches in front of the recoil lug, and....then float the rest of the barrel to the forend."

If you go back and look at the picture I posted, that is what I was showing (just not 4" worth) The front edge (closest to the tip of the forearm) is what I am asking about.
How does everyone make the raw edge (very front edge) nice and clean and square.

 

[Frog4aday]

Okay, I've read every variation on what people tape up in regards to the bedding block or bedding lug (front? back? sides? bottom? some of each? all of each?)

I went to Brownells.com to the Acraglas listing. Then I clicked on the "LEARN" tab and they have a 10 page PDF file there on how to glass bed a rifle.
https://www.brownells.com/guntech/acraglas-gel/detail.htm?lid=10498
This is what it says there:
"Cover the front, sides and bottom of the recoil lug with a single layer of Brownells Wide Bedding Tape or smooth, electrician's tape. The slight clearance created by the tape will make it easier to remove the barreled action from the stock for cleaning and repair. The rear lug surface transfers recoil energy to the stock so it must remain uncovered; just fill any pits with modeling clay."

This doesn't mean "your" way is wrong. If it has been working for you, then Wunderbar! (Wunderbar = a German expression used in English which means "wonderful".) But I figured I'd see what the 'gunsmith supply experts' had to say on the matter. And it looks like I'm doing it wrong (I only tape the FRONT of the lug on a Rem 700.) I would have swore that taping the BOTTOM of the lug would be 'wrong', but apparently not. Learning stuff all the time on this forum.

 

[Rflshootr]

Here is some reading for you on proper bedding jobs over at Benchrest Central. Might be of some use.
http://benchrest.com/archive/index.php/t-60740.html

 

[Clay Target Guy]

Well after reading the above link, I have tried the dial indicator trick on several of my bedding jobs and all but one showed "a proper bedding job".
The one that failed was on a very flexible stock that I could never get to pass that test. I redid it 3times.

 

[Randy Tidwell]

Also I might add that there is a difference between a proper stress free bedding job and some epoxy slapped an a stock and called a bedding job.

I've had more than one rifle brought to me after someone else "Bedded" it.

It's like painting a car, anyone can pick up a spray gun and throw paint on it. It takes experience and knowledge to do it correctly.