Gunsmithing Is full Bedding of the Action Necessary?

[Viper1]

Hi All,

I've got three rifles to bed for best extreme long range accuracy. An experienced gunsmith buddy of mine recently told me that he strongly feels that only the recoil lug area of the action needs bedding on modern, aluminum chassis stocks like the Bell & Carlson Medalist line. I've seen no videos on YouTube that show that but it makes some sense to me, particularly if your bedding scheme is to stop any possible movement of the action within the stock by filling any pesky voids while retaining the original dimensions once torqued up.

I know I'm screwed up somewhere but can't see exactly where. Enlighten me please.

Viper1

 

[hdbiker1]

I've done the full action before, but to me just doing the front including the recoil lug and the rear worked just as well and easier. I've a couple of AICS that I had to do the rear tang only to cut down on vertical stringing. Maybe I'm lazy, but it worked for me.

Btw, these are Remingtons that I'm referring to. I feel that the rear tang needs more support then it gets from some stocks and some chassis.

 

[jonaddis84]

Well on a remington 700 if you dont bed the rear tang you are going to be putting quite a bit of stress on the action when you torque the rear screw down.

Im sure youd be fine just bedding the lug area, skipping the magwell, and bedding the rear tang as there is not much material to bed around the magwell anyway (just make sure its floating in that area).

Savages you can float the rear tang as the rear action screw is just behind the magwell. Savages suck to bed anyway because of their retarded trigger design.

 

[Viper1]

I've done the full action before, but to me just doing the front including the recoil lug and the rear worked just as well and easier. I've a couple of AICS that I had to do the rear tang only to cut down on vertical stringing. Maybe I'm lazy, but it worked for me.

Btw, these are Remingtons that I'm referring to. I feel that the rear tang needs more support then it gets from some stocks and some chassis.

Very good comments Biker. Yes, the bedding points for a Rem 700 action are the recoil lug and the area around it and the support area around the rear "tang" screw. I've seen videos that describe a quite long procedure for filling the entire action area with bedding compound so much so that the squeeze-out is almost equal to the retained compound. While I'm pretty sure this results in a well bedded action, my "Over-Kill Meter" is pegged. I can't see why bedding only the contact points, the point being to eliminate any voids where the action meets the bedding frame or chassis. I'm a trained engineer and I cannot intuitively see any need for more.

Anybody's call differ?

Viper1

 

[jonaddis84]

I guess the question then becomes, if youre doing it, why not do it all? It doesnt take any more time to do the entire surface of the action below the stockline than it does to only do the contact points. Youre still going to have to clean up what squeezes into those areas anyway.

 

[Viper1]

I guess the question then becomes, if youre doing it, why not do it all? It doesnt take any more time to do the entire surface of the action below the stockline than it does to only do the contact points. Youre still going to have to clean up what squeezes into those areas anyway.

I see your point, however it seems a waist of materials and time to do the whole thing if it carries no benefit. Also, why do many smiths feel it is necessary to tape the recoil lug prior to joining the two parts together? I would imagine that it could introduce a tiny bit of movement when the tape is removed and the glass has set. I have only bedded three rifles in my time, which is considerable, and have not missed taping the lug.

I'm quite sure that, if there is any minute movement under recoil, even an un-measurably small movement, then accuracy will suffer.

Viper1

 

[hdbiker1]

I guess the question then becomes, if youre doing it, why not do it all? It doesnt take any more time to do the entire surface of the action below the stockline than it does to only do the contact points. Youre still going to have to clean up what squeezes into those areas anyway.

But it does take more time. A lot of builders feel that in order to have a bedding job that won't chip out too easily, .015" or more clearance is necessary. In order to get that, some stock material needs to be removed from the area from the recoil lug all the way back. Then heaven forbid any chipping or errant grinding or cuts, which would mean a new finish job.

Eta, have you ever taken a barreled action out of a stock that doesn't have any clearance on the sides and front of the lug? It's a bitch, and you also run the risk of chipping out the lug area.

 

[x ring accuracy]

Bed the entire action, float the barrel.