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Bedding questions.

Pinarelloman

Private
Minuteman
Jul 13, 2008
30
6
Sydney, Australia
I have 2 x HSPs, one is a varmint and the other an STR. Both have the aluminium bedding block and no further bedding. You can see where the recoil lug on the STR bears more on one side than the other. Also the contact points are not even under the action, more just a couple either side of the forward action screw.
I am thinking about giving it a bedding job. The questions is, do i run some bedding compound forward of the recoil lug as some seem to do?
Is bedding compound forward of the lug, a personal choice?

I just bought a Cooper model 52 and it has bedding forward of the lug. So i am not sure which way to go.

Also, the Cooper has this red colour in the rifling as per the photo. I have run Sweets solvent through the barrel and it patches out clean, any ideas on what it may be? It looks more red than it does on the picture. I admit the photo makes it look like copper fouling.
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The action is plenty strong enough to handle any barrel contour you're going to put on it. I have a 37" MTU hanging off of my L/A Nucleus free floating the entire way. The bedding compound is relatively soft, and on the wrong end of the fulcrum to do any real "support" anyway.

It's personal preference. I prefer to leave them free floating so I don't have to worry about future barrel shank diameters being too big or slightly off center to fit.
 
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On heavy barrels that are longer lengths such as 26-30", it's more common. Most shooters here are using less-than 24" so it's not really used.

As for the red, if it's not copper reacting with cleaning chemicals, could it be rust?
I cant see it being rust, its very red. Unfortunately the camera doesnt show the true colour. Thanks for your reply.
 
I have 2 x HSPs, one is a varmint and the other an STR. Both have the aluminium bedding block and no further bedding. You can see where the recoil lug on the STR bears more on one side than the other. Also the contact points are not even under the action, more just a couple either side of the forward action screw.
I am thinking about giving it a bedding job. The questions is, do i run some bedding compound forward of the recoil lug as some seem to do?
Is bedding compound forward of the lug, a personal choice?

I just bought a Cooper model 52 and it has bedding forward of the lug. So i am not sure which way to go.

Also, the Cooper has this red colour in the rifling as per the photo. I have run Sweets solvent through the barrel and it patches out clean, any ideas on what it may be? It looks more red than it does on the picture. I admit the photo makes it look like copper fouling.View attachment 7538408
I had my Rem 700 5R SS Gen 2 (frakin idiotic long names! haha) in an HS stock bedded. The only prior contact with the action was some small areas around the action screws. IMO, it def tightened the gun up.

Can't answer your question about the lug....I'm a disaster with tools in my hand....so, I had a gunsmith skim bed it for me! haha

But, again IMO, it was well worth it.
 
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I am not a professional by any means. I've bedded probably around 15 actions with very good results so far. I know that I've skim bedded five HS stocks for sure.

I always go an inch to an inch and a half forward of the lug. On a rifle like my last Bergara, I had to go a solid 1.5" forward of the lug because the stock had a lot of flex to it in the fore end.

I bedded two of my FN SPR rifles myself, and the place I bought my third from did their own job on that one. They went just to the recoil lug, while I did my usual 1-1.5" past. There is really no difference in accuracy between the three rifles.
 
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Definitely looks like copper fouling to me. Maybe it turned red by whatever solvents or cleaners you have used. I don't bed forward of the lug just because it doesn't make sense in my mind. the stock can flex and if there is more pressure on the stock then it will be changing the way it puts pressure on 1 inch of your barrel, maybe it won't make any difference down range, but that's my logic at least.
 
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