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People often tape the face of the lug to make action removal easier and the bottom to prohibit any potential bottoming out of the recoil lug before the action is seated.
Stress Free Bedding
- Thread starter Jud96
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Yup. Pretty much all tape the bottom. Many tape the sides to.
I only tape the side the lug torques toward under ignition, just to be different.
It's done in a multitude of ways, in accordance with passed down and closely guarded secrets
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ZSteinle
Well-Known Member
I've done a couple and never tapped the lug. They take a little wiggling to get them. Seems like a hot topic on the interscreen as to what is best. From what I've read the next one will get tapped on the front and bottom not the sides
Which is why I don't tape the side of the Lug that resists the torque during recoil. I asked about thoughts on the taping of the recoil lug in the Gunsmithing section of this Forum 5 yrs ago. Very little response. Top secret stuff. So I picked my flavor and ran with it. Shoot good enough for me.
ZSteinle
Well-Known Member
Probably won't matter either way for a hunting rifle.
There are many ways to achieve good results. When I bed my recoil lugs I tape the sides, bottom, and front on flat bottom actions and the bottom and front on round bottom actions like the Rem 700. I have had good results doing this.JME
Makes good sense to me.
Dr. Vette
Well-Known Member
Just don't tape the bottom if your recoil lug also has an action screw. Examples would be Weatherbys, Mausers, etc.
MagnumManiac
Well-Known Member
I have tried the method of bedding and gluing in pillars in one set-up. It doesn't work as well as doing the pillars first and then bedding the action.
I use cone washers on my pillars to ensure straightness and to make sure they are centred for the action screws.
I like 1/8"-5/32" of clearance for the bedding compound and turn grooves on the pillars to form a mechanical lock.
Once set, I then make room for the bedding of the recoil lug and action. The pillars are the datum that everything else needs to work off of.
I tape 2 layers of electrical tape on the bottom of the lug, one layer on the front and none anywhere else other than rifles with a aluminium bedding block. I tape the sides of these in these rifles.
I always swap out the factory lugs for a 1/4" thick pinned tapered lug which require no tape other than on the bottom, no lug should touch the stock underneath, no matter if round or square action type.
I go against this rule with Rugers, they get bedded tight to the lug, no clearance at all, it helps pulling up the 60 degree front screw and keeping it tight.
Cheers.
I use cone washers on my pillars to ensure straightness and to make sure they are centred for the action screws.
I like 1/8"-5/32" of clearance for the bedding compound and turn grooves on the pillars to form a mechanical lock.
Once set, I then make room for the bedding of the recoil lug and action. The pillars are the datum that everything else needs to work off of.
I tape 2 layers of electrical tape on the bottom of the lug, one layer on the front and none anywhere else other than rifles with a aluminium bedding block. I tape the sides of these in these rifles.
I always swap out the factory lugs for a 1/4" thick pinned tapered lug which require no tape other than on the bottom, no lug should touch the stock underneath, no matter if round or square action type.
I go against this rule with Rugers, they get bedded tight to the lug, no clearance at all, it helps pulling up the 60 degree front screw and keeping it tight.
Cheers.
ntsqd
Well-Known Member
Can't speak to Howa 1500's (or the various names they've been sold under like Vanguard) because it's been a couple decades since I had one apart, but the Howa 1500 Mini's front action screw threads into the bottom of the recoil lug. No tape there, my pillar is in contact with the bottom of the lug.
I tape the sides of the lugs. It was interesting to read the idea of not taping the torque resisting side, but I'll suggest that if that side of the lug is performing in that fashion that your action screws are not tight enough. Using an automotive example, it is not the Shear strength of the flywheel bolts that transmits the power from the crankshaft to the flywheel. It is the friction from the clamp load between the mating faces of the flywheel and the crankshaft generated by the flywheel bolts that does this job. That is why these two surfaces have such a high finish requirement, need as much metal to metal contact area as is possible. There is no crankshaft flange made that is large enough for the bolts to be able to do it in Shear strength alone. Same is true for the action screws, their job is to hold the action in the stock under tension. They should never see any shear loading. Part of the job of bedding an action is to improve the action to stock fit for more surface area contact.
I tape the sides of the lugs. It was interesting to read the idea of not taping the torque resisting side, but I'll suggest that if that side of the lug is performing in that fashion that your action screws are not tight enough. Using an automotive example, it is not the Shear strength of the flywheel bolts that transmits the power from the crankshaft to the flywheel. It is the friction from the clamp load between the mating faces of the flywheel and the crankshaft generated by the flywheel bolts that does this job. That is why these two surfaces have such a high finish requirement, need as much metal to metal contact area as is possible. There is no crankshaft flange made that is large enough for the bolts to be able to do it in Shear strength alone. Same is true for the action screws, their job is to hold the action in the stock under tension. They should never see any shear loading. Part of the job of bedding an action is to improve the action to stock fit for more surface area contact.
Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
I have bedded several stocks with 98 Mauser actions over the years. I allow for some over sizing for glass bedding at the time when letting the action and barrel into the wood stock. I use their release agent. Never had a problem in removing my action from the stocks. I always though the action needs to be tight to the stock. I don't see the taping of the action and setting it in. Remove the tape afterwards. That leaves the action lose in the stock. It was my understanding that your stock and action as one not two. The barrel free floating.
I hear you, and that could be correct. I went fail safe mode...
Maybe it hurts potential accuracy to tape only one side of the recoil lug. Maybe it doesn't. I've read from some accomplished gunsmiths that don't tape either side of their recoil lugs. They want the lug as solidly bedded as possible on both sides. Others tape both sides. I have read that benchrest competitors commonly used to epoxy bed their entire actions into their stocks in the pursuit of ultimate accuracy from their heavy bench rifles. And I mean without the use of any release agent. Glued in there until released by application of heat to break the epoxy bond.
I have no confirmation one way or the other if not taping the torque resisting side is a good idea, or a bad one. My education and career in engineering led me to that approach. Sometimes education and career can take you down a rabbit hole. But rifle shoots good enough for my uses, so I'm not going to mess with the way it's been bedded.
Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
That was my understanding that benchrest competitors lock there rifles in.
