Gunsmithing Bedding rail question

[Freediver111]

I bedded a rail on my gun a while back and everything went fine.
When I did mine, I lightly tightened the back end and found the front end was tight (no gap), but when I tightened the front end down and left the back loose the rear part of the rail had a gap. So with that I just bedded the back portion and left the front alone. Seemed to work well.

Last week a buddy got a new set-up and asked me to bed his rail. I checked the back and the front contact the same way by lightly tightening each end one at a time. The back had more gap, but the front wasn't perfect.

I decided to bed the back end. After it was finished and I lightly tightened the rear portion, the front had a small gap. I decided to bed that as well, but after the rear was done.

That should work right? I guess I'm a little worried that I should have just done both at the same time, but I doubt it would matter?

If anyone is already confused about what I'm talking about, this is the video I used to do the job:



Only difference is that after the rear was done, I noticed he still had a small gap on the front end, so I did it as well.

Hope I'm making sense.

 

[natdscott]

Should be fine, as it doesn't sound like you FLEXED the rail either way.

Granted, would'a been easier just to do both at the same time, but I think it will be fine, all else being correct.

-Nate

 

[GH41]

Looks like the first thing you would do is confirm the rail is flat with a straight edge. I'll bet you the cheap weaver rail in the video wasn't close flat.

 

[vitalemj]

Doing both sides separately probably caused even less of a chance of any distortion. As mentioned above, the point of bedding the rail is to match fit the manufacturing inconsistencies and tolerances of the rail to the manufacturing inconsistencies and tolerances of the action without inducing any flex or distortion in the rail by torquing it down before the bedding compound cures. Sounds like you accomplished the goal with a better fit than the guy in the video managed to achieve because you filled the inconsistencies in both sides.

 

[Freediver111]

Doing both sides separately probably caused even less of a chance of any distortion. As mentioned above, the point of bedding the rail is to match fit the manufacturing inconsistencies and tolerances of the rail to the manufacturing inconsistencies and tolerances of the action without inducing any flex or distortion in the rail by torquing it down before the bedding compound cures. Sounds like you accomplished the goal with a better fit than the guy in the video managed to achieve because you filled the inconsistencies in both sides.

Makes sense. I guess if I was just doing one side and not the other, it would have still left a slight gap and made a slight bend in the rail. Hope it works for him!