Should I remove stock material from below the recoil lug prior to bedding? I know I should remove some behind it, and make a chamfer. Remington700 if you need to know.
Gunsmithing Bedding recoil lug.
- Thread starter goodgorilla
- Start date
It's generally accepted that you shouldn't bed to the bottom or front of the recoil lug. If your recoil lug is already making contact in those areas, then yes, remove material.
then tape off the front and bottom with a few layers of electrical or "pipe tape" (the thick black vinyl stuff, not the white teflon sealing tape).
Views differ on whether the sides of the recoil lug should be bedded or not but the rear definitely should. If you have an aluminum action block in your stock then just make sure its clean of grease and any plastic stock materials so the bedding will adhere.
If you bed to the bottom of the recoil lug, as the barrel/action heats up, the lug will push on the bottom of the stock creating stress (focused between the front action screw and lug) This often causes a degradation of accuracy. I bed my rifles by taping the side portion of the lug that extends below the barrel. this provides some resistance to the round bottomed Remington action from rotating in the bedding as it's subject to recoil twist
If you use a strong bedding compound like Devcon or Marine Tex then it only has to form a fairly thin film, filling voids thus leveling out "humps".
then tape off the front and bottom with a few layers of electrical or "pipe tape" (the thick black vinyl stuff, not the white teflon sealing tape).
Views differ on whether the sides of the recoil lug should be bedded or not but the rear definitely should. If you have an aluminum action block in your stock then just make sure its clean of grease and any plastic stock materials so the bedding will adhere.
If you bed to the bottom of the recoil lug, as the barrel/action heats up, the lug will push on the bottom of the stock creating stress (focused between the front action screw and lug) This often causes a degradation of accuracy. I bed my rifles by taping the side portion of the lug that extends below the barrel. this provides some resistance to the round bottomed Remington action from rotating in the bedding as it's subject to recoil twist
If you use a strong bedding compound like Devcon or Marine Tex then it only has to form a fairly thin film, filling voids thus leveling out "humps".
What is the stock material around the lug? Is it wood, fiberglass, plastic, or does your stock have an aluminum bedding block installed?
The main issue is to make sure that you have enough clearance for a decent layer of bedding material. Whether or not you need to remove material just depends on how much clearance you already have. You could also just rough up the area around the recoil lug to let a thinner layer of bedding compound stick to it (like sanding it with coarse sandpaper or a dremel).
Keep in mind most people add a layer of some kind of tape to the sides and sometime the front of the recoil lug during bedding. This gives it a little space for heat expansion. I have actually had good success bedding all sides of the recoil lug without any spacers, but that depends on your rifle and how brittle your bedding compound is, so YMMV. You can always sand or chissle some out and rebed that area if you want to experiment.
The main issue is to make sure that you have enough clearance for a decent layer of bedding material. Whether or not you need to remove material just depends on how much clearance you already have. You could also just rough up the area around the recoil lug to let a thinner layer of bedding compound stick to it (like sanding it with coarse sandpaper or a dremel).
Keep in mind most people add a layer of some kind of tape to the sides and sometime the front of the recoil lug during bedding. This gives it a little space for heat expansion. I have actually had good success bedding all sides of the recoil lug without any spacers, but that depends on your rifle and how brittle your bedding compound is, so YMMV. You can always sand or chissle some out and rebed that area if you want to experiment.
I will be bedding a McMillan a5 fiberglass stock with the Remington 700 action using devcon titanium putty, and for the tape I was planning on using the blue painter's tape if there aren't any objections. But the info about not removing material under the recoil lug make me feel a little better, I couldn't find the answer anywhere. For the overall depth for removing stock material is going to be approximately 2mm, with that in mind I should make sure that the sides and bottom have around 2mm space?
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I will have all the components and tools to do the bedding job once the barrel + stock come in the mail. It'll be a few months before the parts come in, during which I will be continue the educational part. One crazy question that just popped into my mind is how does the bedding job interfere with getting new barrels?
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Pinning the lug?
How do I get that pin installed properly? Well, after talking to Krieger they told me as long as I don't change my contour I shouldn't need the pin.
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Devcon Titanium is definitely overkill. The plain Steep Putty version in a 1# package is expensive enough (P/N 10110). Unless one plans on bedding several rifles on a regular basis, just use the Marine Tex Gray. It's as strong, comes in smaller containers, and is a whooooole lot less expensive. If you want, just tell everyone it was bedded using the "titanium".
Devcon Titanium is definitely overkill. The plain Steep Putty version in a 1# package is expensive enough (P/N 10110). Unless one plans on bedding several rifles on a regular basis, just use the Marine Tex Gray. It's as strong, comes in smaller containers, and is a whooooole lot less expensive. If you want, just tell everyone it was bedded using the "titanium".
I thought the titanium was the only kind that will not rust? I just looked up the description of the Marine tex grey, "Marine Tex epoxy is impervious to oil, fuel, grease, brine and detergents. Commonly used for minor fiberglass gelcoat repairs, tt is unaffected by temperatures from -60 F to 300 F. It can be sanded, drilled, sawed, threaded and painted. Non-magnetic, non-rusting and non-corrosive".
Dang. Seriously, what is the titanium better for? Hardness? Durability?
Edit after reading, the Devcon is more resistant to chemicals, and is more robust. It is recommended for hard kicking rifles. My rifle is going to be a 7mm, so it's like the middle ground.
Here are some figures:
Devcon figures
Marine Tex
I think I'll be happy with the Titanium, but the price difference hurts.
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In regards to Devcon Steel Putty and rust, take a look at this previous thread:
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...ng/94854-devcon-plastic-steel-putty-rust.html
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...ng/94854-devcon-plastic-steel-putty-rust.html
Barrel contour has nothing to do with a pinned lug!
the devcon titanium is the best epoxy for bedding ever
All those numbers do prove that Devcon Titanium is the best. The issue is more a case of whether or not you need "those numbers".
In a rifle, even a hard kicking one, the actual forces you will see at the bedding will be far less. Remember, the old 30-06 springfields were only bedded in WOOD and did OK. You will never exceed the material capabilities of either Marine Tex or Devcon Plastic Steel with any rifle you plan on firing from your shoulder. The choice is yours but once you got into the Marine Tex or Devcon product your good to go. Think of it like buying a Carbide Drill to drill holes in a piece of aluminum.
I know that but the barrel smith said that I don't need to worry about the lug, and the only thing that I would have to worry about is barrel contour. Perhaps if you write me up a question I can call them again, I wonder why they would say the lug isn't a problem for repeated barrel installations that would fit the bedding.
I don't know what I need, but it's to late to change my mind because I already have the devcon. I would just need some experience to know if the devcon is overkill, but seems like everyone here says that it is. I would have done the Marine tex if I had done this research first, but I'm not disappointed.
Here's a dumb question. Does duracoat stick well to the hardened epoxy? I don't want to rough up the bedding material just for paint.
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What if the lug moves or isn't aligned with the recoil lug mortise in the stock perfectly when your new tube is installed and torqued to specs? if your planning future rebarrel jobs on the same action then I reccomend getting the lug pinned , otherwise you will more than likely have to rebed the lug depending on how it is bedded!
I don't know why Krieger would tell me I wouldn't need the recoil lug pinned. I'm going to have to ask them why.
Edit: Someone at Krieger told me the reason why I don't need the pin is they use a fixture that makes sure the recoil lug and barrel match up the same way after each barrel install. He said that if they didn't use the fixture, the pin would be necessary. He was a bit more technical than that, but that's what I remember.
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I would still pin it, what happens if you use another smith or decide to go with a different barrel maker and they use a different alignment tool there is a very good chance the lug will not line up to the original bedding, but do what you think is best,......mine get pinned!
No need to be getting the coating on the bedding. You seem to be wanting to do a good job. You got a great stock, barrel, bedding material and then you going to top it off with Duracoat? That's just paint. If you want the best even the smallest amount of research will always point to the only ceramic based epoxy coating. This little video may help.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ksj-XJzVQik" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
I might do that some day, I read somewhere you need an big oven for that stuff.
I might get screwed in the future, but I'm not that worried. I'll do something like, this is the last Krieger I'm going to buy so I'll need to get a pin installed. But right now, I don't think I'm going to go to another barrel maker yet.
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I'd agree if one's getting a new barrel or replacing a recoil lug but if the rifle's already assembled, don't loose any sleep over pinned or not. Get it done the next time the rifle's done. All that's necessary if it's not perfectly aligned is to dremel out some material on either side and just rebed that area.
I was watching a few bedding videos and noticed that they were not using painters tape on the lug. You guys said pipe tape is what to use there? How about Gorilla tape?
I've used Electrical Tape, Pipe Tape, and Duck Tape or Gorilla Tape (Duck Tape with a thicker glue layer).
I prefer the pipe tape because it's thicker vinyl than the electrical tape so I don't have to layer as much. One layer of pipe tape replaces several of electrical tape. Gorilla tape would work fine too but has a rougher surface. The Pipe tape leaves behind a really nice, smooth, surface on the bedding material when parted.
All you are looking for is a material that will stick to the lug and not stick to the epoxy bedding. Painters tape is "creped" so it can follow curves. That same "creping", along with the fact it's flimsy, can make it a real bitch to remove when the epoxy has cured. If you don't mind the mess it's OK.
I was in Home depot yesterday looking at the pipe tape. Is it like really flimsy and white? Holding the stuff in my hands, I couldn't imagine it being good to use because it was only like a half inch wide and the stuff wrinkled/folded really easily. Was the right tape? I don't think it was labeled pipe tape, but that's what they called it in the store.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Plumbers-...471?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b962abe7This is what it looked like
Can you provide me a link to some tape? There are so many different kinds, like pipe corrosive protection tape and pipe repair tape.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Plumbers-...471?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51b962abe7This is what it looked like
Can you provide me a link to some tape? There are so many different kinds, like pipe corrosive protection tape and pipe repair tape.
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What you had in your hand is Pipe Thread Tape or often just called Teflon Tape. No, this isn't what you use.
The stuff you want looks like this:
It's called "Pipe Wrap Tape". It's used to protect copper pipe where it passes through concrete foundations and floors.
Based on my experience at Home Depot's all over the country, don't expect their store people to help you find it (unless you're real lucky). It will be in the plumbing department as a rule, close the copper pipe and fittings. I use the 2" wide stuff.
