Base shim instead of bedding; Pro's & Con's?

[JEStone629]

I haven't attempted either of these yet, but I was curious to everyone's thoughts on this.

I attempted a search, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

My thinking is to use an old set of feeler gauges to make up the difference on the rear of my one piece base as an alternative to bedding. That way, if I ever decide to swap the base onto another savage, all I have to do is remove the shim. The difference is approximately .012" and the leaf of the gauge is still quite flexible and should form to the action quite nicely.

Please, "learn" me on the Pro's and Con's of this method.

 

[bone collector]

Re: Base shim instead of bedding; Pro's & Con's?


Some years ago I had a situation where one of my options was to shim one end of a one peace scope base. At first I thought a metal shim would work, but found that the metal shim is to slick. Ended up using hard gasket material with very good results. The rifle that I applied this to is a Weatherby MKV in 30x378, never have had any problems with POI shift.
The use of gasket material was recommended to me by the owner of Near manufacturing.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Base shim instead of bedding; Pro's & Con's?

guys use aluminum cans to make shims. but bedding and shimming arent used for the same thing really. you can accomplish with bedding what shims will do, but shims will never duplicate what bedding does. if that makes sense? why not buy a 20 moa base and bed it or a zero moa base and bed it?

what difference are you trying to make up? any quality base should conform to the receiver pretty good to start with. what problem are you trying to invent, i meant correct? if you bed a base and you want to take it off, you heat it up and knock it off. or if you get another savage, you just buy another base maybe? im just not sure why you are comparing the two or why you are considering either. are you just trying to fill a gap? if its tightened down its gonna stay put. you can bed it to give it 100% contact. shims are for raising stuff or adding thickness, not filling gaps really

 

[JEStone629]

Re: Base shim instead of bedding; Pro's & Con's?

I've got a 10 MOA base, by Ken Farrell. I guess I'm looking for an alternative to bedding the slight gap at the rear of the base; a gap of about .012" or 3 sheets of standard copier paper. I don't mind bedding the base, just thinking out loud about alternatives.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Base shim instead of bedding; Pro's & Con's?

like i said to fill that gap, bed it. once the bedding cures it will tighten down to a bed of epoxy and have 100% contact with the top of the receiver. sticking a shim in there will just exaserbate the issue of a gap. metal will not fill a gap, it will not compress and by putting it in there you are just making it more of a fulcrum or wedge and it will just cause a gap somewhere else. like if you have a cabinet on a floor. you shove a shim in there to raise it and make it level. you dont care about the gap, you just want the cabinet raised to level. if you want the gap filled you cut a firring strip or something that will fill the gap 100% along its length. otherwise sticking a shim in there just makes the gap run further along the length of the contact area. if that makes sense. i have a ferrel too and cant even recall if there was a gap. i bedded it while i was doing the action bedding

 

[JEStone629]

Re: Base shim instead of bedding; Pro's & Con's?

Thank you, AXEMAN. I do believe I will bed it when time permits.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Base shim instead of bedding; Pro's & Con's?

i used JBWeld. jb quick may set too quick. let it sit for an hour to get stiffer or it will run.

http://www.murphyprecision.com/Page/Scope_Base_Bedding