first bedding job (help)

Before all the wise men come on and tell you how to do it with glass and all, let me just say that I still have a m700 in .270 that I took the stock off of the week after I bought it in 1985 to free-float the barrel. I hadn't read that much about it, but I had read about pressure points and how they can affect accuracy. I took a couple of sheets of coarse sandpaper to the barrel groove in the fore-end of that stock and kept at it until a dollar bill would slide between the barrel and the stock all the way back to the taper shoulder off the receiver. I had to do a lot of putting the stock back on and taking it back off until I got it the way I wanted it. Then I finished it off with fine sandpaper and sealed it with a penetrating wood sealer (I used a natural wax).

Long story short, it worked like a charm. I'm not the world's best at holding a steady aim, but with that gun I am 100% sure that wherever my scope is aimed when I pull the trigger is the exact path the bullet will fly. With a bench rest I can do paper target art at 100 yards. I have never taken another gun afield to hunt with, and I doubt I ever will. Nothing like having that kind of confidence when you are bearing down on ol' mossy-horns.

I'm not trying to convince you to free-float, just wanted to share my story with you. Good luck with your barrel-floating job and hope it turns out like mine did.

I use paste floor wax as a release agent. Apply it as the last thing before the bedding is mixed..and allow it to dry a bit. Got tired of the plastic skin stuff failing to release and the plastic is more difficult to remove. Use kids modeling clay to fill the voids, all the voids, the kind that's oil based and DOES NOT DRY OUT. It is stiff when cool so roll it in your hands a bit to soften, then work it quickly. Allow it to be a bit cool/cold when poring the bedding compound. Use masking tape or plastic electricle tape on the front, bottom, and sides of the recoil lug. Only the rear of the lug needs to be bedded tight. If the sides/front are bedded it will be much more difficult to remove the barreled action from the stock becasue of the suction created. The tape will come off and allow the metal out of the stock, it is then removed from the lug recess to provide clearance for easier removal/installation of the action in the future. The piece on the botton is also removed. If the lug is allowed to touch the bottom of it's recess, you WILLl have accuracy problems!! I initially bed the recoil lug and receiver ring and about 2-3 inches of the barrel. Leave about 3/8 in of the existing inletting at the front of the magazine cutout, immediately behind the front action screw. This should carry the action until the bedding has set. Remove at least 1/8 inch or a bit more of wood over the entire area where the bedding will be. Remove about 1/2 inch behind the recoil lug and about 1/4 deeper than the bottom of the lug. No need to remove wood in the inletting to the top of the stock. Wood allowed to remain there will keep the bedding material from showing and will not affect the functionality of the bedding job. To facilitate clean up a bit of wax on the top edge of the inletting will allow the compound to be easily removed to limit it's visibility. The idea is to create a front bedding block of the bedding material. Limit the bedding material's movement with bits of clay roled into little strings to be inserted in the inletting like dams to stem the flow of the bedding material(be miserly with this clay). Coat the metal work and clay filled voids with release agent, even where you don't expect bedding compound to be!!! The bedding compound is a VERY powerful glue!! After the bedding has set to a caramel like consistancy remove overflow with a soft chisel. An old tooth brush with a single angle cutting surface ground on one end only will cut the bedding at this stage but will not damage the stock. I allow the bedding to then set until it has become quite firm and will no longer dent easily with a fingernail. It has not yet reached it's ultimate strength. Remove the metal and clear any flow that binds the easy removal of the metal from the stock. Also material that has flowed into places it's not wanted can be fairly easily cut at this point. Then replace the metal into the stock and allow the bedding to fully cure. To guide the barreled action into the stock I use stockmakers guide screws. These headless screws are cheap and easily available from Brownells. A bit of masking tape wrapped around them to fill the through hole in the stock will limit bedding compound flowing into this area. Use the bottom metal in it's inletting to maintain the alignment with the action and yes the bottom metal also has to be totally covered with release agent. You can bed stocks that are finished by totally covering them with masking tape. However if any bedding compound gets on the finish the finish will melt.. Almost forgot, to hold the barreled action/floorplate assembly in the stock, I use surgicle tubing wrapped around the action only. Don't get carried away as you mustn't warp the metal work. Be certain the barrel is not touching it's inleting before proceding with this work. Pressure points must be removed. To maintain the desired clearance I usually place a bit of tape in the barrel channel to support the barrel until the compound has set up. This will also help center the barrel in it's channel. When poring the compound I've found it best to use a pop sicle stick and coat eh metal and the wood in the area to be bedded with a very light coat of material. The remaining compound is poured into the action cut to form mound running the length of the area to be bedded. This will be squashed out and up as the action is inserted. This drives out air bubbles. It's quite late and I am sleepy so I have almost certainly forgotten something.. although I appologise for this post's length. If you have any questions please ask..good luck from the gunnut69

PS--If the rifle is a ruger, that angled lug is a pain the in posterior to keep aligned with the bottom metal!!!!!

two words that will save your bacon

RELEASE AGENT
RELEASE AGENT
RELEASE AGENT

The benchresters seem to like the "glue-ins" but they do that on purpose.

As gunnut described, there's quite a bit of "artistry" involved, but the two important words mentioned above will allow your education to progress rather than ending abruptly at the final exam

Redial

And don't scratch your ass while spreading the AcraGlass! That'll be hard to explain ....

Well you pretty well answered the question.. Pillar bedding's purpose is to avoid the collapse of the wood stock over time from the pressure of the action screws. Aluminum cylinders epoxied into the stock around the screws (front and rear screws only) are contured to fit the action and the bottom metal, the stock bored out and simply glued into place. Once I have a rifle bedded with no stresses on the action I simply bore the screw holes in the stock larger(usually as large as the action/stock will allow) and using plenty of release agent on the metal work, pour bedding material into the holes. I use inletting guide screws wrapped in masking tape to allow easier removal and masking tape over the holes in the bottom metal to keep the bedding from running out before insertion of the action, with the guide screws, into the stock. Be certain that the action, bottom metal, and the guide screws are completely covered with release agent and are fully seated in the inletting before allowing the bedding to harden.. I usually add powdered aluminum to the mix for these but really can't say it is a real advantage.. Be sure to use plenty of release agent every where as it is easy to glue things together here. I always remove trigger assemblies and block the stock relief for them with modeling clay(non-hardening oil based type). Use the same techniques as when bedding, remove the squeese out with a plastic cutter as soon as set and remove metal from stock when bedding is set a bit too hard to dent easily with a thumb nail. Working quickly clean up the overflow etc. and re-install the barreled action and bottom metal into the stock to allow the curing process to continue.. Allow a bit of extra curing time as the action screws apply a lot of compression to the pillars and we don't want to distort them. After curing you will feel the action screws 'hit bottom' as the pillars provides a definate stop when assembling the rifle. Since I've never seen a properly done accraglass bedding job fail even under recoil from a serious kicker, it should last forever as pillars. On a last note-be sure the action screws are NOT touching the insides of their holes. That can really through a hitch into the rifles groups.... Simply run a drill thru the holes to provide needed clearance. Pillar fit to the metal work will be PERFECT every time and it's easier to get a really good no stress fit. Good luck from the gunnut69