Gunsmithing A good bedding job?

[Smithcollector]

How do I tell if I have a good, effective bedding job? What are the signs (other than the POA wandering) that it's time to redo it?

A follow-up question, I have two older Surgeon actions (sequential serial numbers, so hopefully made about the same time). Both are in bedded Manners stocks. Would I be safe in switching actions between the two stocks, or is a bedding job totally action specific?

 

[Mordamer]

All the answers to your questions come from shooting the gun to see how it does. If it shoots very good then there is no need to worry about bedding needing redone. I never plan on redoing my bedding and I don't expect it to ever be a problem. Even a very ugly bedding job usually does a good job of locating the action in the same place and securely.

The second question can also really only be answered by trial and error. If both barreled actions drop into the same inlet and shoot good in the same bedding you are good to go. I have 5 manners stocks and 3 bighorn TL3 actions all made at different times. I bedded the stocks to different ones of the TL3 actions. I switch them around as I feel the urge and they never have an issue shooting well, or with shifting zero, or anything. I don't know if your Surgeon actions would work the same, but I would suspect that they would work fine in the same bedding.

 

[Big Ern]

What Mord says. Most of the time shooting results (and trial and error eliminating other issues) will let you know.

 

[Smithcollector]

Appreciate the replies. I'm still learning in this game and am trying to isolate the non-shooter problems from the mix. When I miss I want to know I blew a wind call, didn't press the trigger correctly, etc, and not worry that my equipment failed and caused the miss. However, they both shoot pretty well in either stock. I think I'll not worry about it and focus on the shooter induced problems, of which I have plenty.

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

You may have problems if the bedding extends out under the barrel. That area never matches up.

 

[want2learn]

the quality of integration/fit between stock and barreled action while beneficial and confidence inspiring is in my impression rarely the cause of an outright miss.

it's those darn fundamentals that keep sending my projectiles astray.....i say this because every once in a while i do things right and well and i shoot a nice small group which ends up right where it was supposed to be. Why for the life of me i can't do this every time is absolutely beyond me. It is however like a drug that keeps you coming back for more.

 

[EndersPrint]

How do I tell if I have a good, effective bedding job? What are the signs (other than the POA wandering) that it's time to redo it?

These pillar bedding kits (https://www.probed2000.com/?page_id=95) include a detailed presentation that have a section titled "How to Recognize the Properly Bedded Stock" that provides a few methods. What I've been doing with the tools I have on hand: Mount the rifle in a barrel vise upside down, attach a dial indicator via magnetic base to the vise, zero it out on the top/front of the stock, loosen and tighten the front action screw to spec and see how much the stock moves relative to the barrelled action. Depending on the length of the stock and the rigidity of your measuring setup, under .002" seems obtainable for everything I've bedded so far. Disclaimer: I'm just a mechanically inclined novice.

 

[...]

How do I tell if I have a good, effective bedding job? What are the signs (other than the POA wandering) that it's time to redo it?

if the gun is not giving you issues, leave it alone.

unless you have chunks of bedding cracking and falling out...or the bedding has softened from solvents..you really shouldnt have to redo it

A follow-up question, I have two older Surgeon actions (sequential serial numbers, so hopefully made about the same time). Both are in bedded Manners stocks. Would I be safe in switching actions between the two stocks, or is a bedding job totally action specific?

depends, a good bedding job you will see the machining marks in the receiver....its very unlikely those are going to line up between 2 actions.

but try it and see, they could drop in and be fine, in which case i wouldnt worry about it.

 

[Gene Poole]

These pillar bedding kits (https://www.probed2000.com/?page_id=95) include a detailed presentation that have a section titled "How to Recognize the Properly Bedded Stock" that provides a few methods. What I've been doing with the tools I have on hand: Mount the rifle in a barrel vise upside down, attach a dial indicator via magnetic base to the vise, zero it out on the top/front of the stock, loosen and tighten the front action screw to spec and see how much the stock moves relative to the barrelled action. Depending on the length of the stock and the rigidity of your measuring setup, under .002" seems obtainable for everything I've bedded so far. Disclaimer: I'm just a mechanically inclined novice.

This works well, though the mag base doesn't hold very well. I had to add a c-clamp.

 

[EndersPrint]

This works well, though the mag base doesn't hold very well. I had to add a c-clamp.

Yes thanks for clarifying. It holds poorly on the barrel so I stick it to the anvil part of my bench vise that is holding the barrel. It's all pretty rigid in my setup but YMMV.

 

[Easy_E]

This type of vise jaw works good easier to clamp just hold the rifle in one hand and tighten the vise with the other . This This puts the stock lower and closer to the vise pad .