Less Sad Face - mini chassis replaces bad bedding

[DJL2]

Looks like I'll be testing just how much bedding matters to my rifle project here over the next few outings to the range. The bedding didn't survive the first 45 rounds intact, sadly. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that the disappointing targets that comprised rounds 26-45 were the result of the bedding breaking/pinching under the action. The ARC Nuc doesn't have much of a tang. It looks like the Nuc's chunky butt just absolutely wrecked the bedding. You can see the pillar sitting underneath the bedonkadonk and with the action pulled you can see its outline. Interesting learning point there (for me, anyway). I also had to clean up the bedding around the recoil lug. It looks a little rough, but might just be functional.

 

[BurtGummer]

You could step up to like a KRG bravo

 

[chase723]

Did you bed it? Pretty easy to redo. If that was the cause, then it should settle right back in afterwards.

 

[DJL2]

You could step up to like a KRG bravo

I could, but this little dude needs the LOP provided by the CS-2. It's our gun for now and will be his someday.

Did you bed it? Pretty easy to redo. If that was the cause, then it should settle right back in afterwards.

I didn't bed it. Whatever aesthetic flaws it may have in its current form, it looks a damn sight better than my own work. It is, of course, irksome given the cost associated with not bedding it myself. However, it's hard to imagine circumstances where I will endure the ass pain of shipping this rifle/action for work. If it comes down to it, either myself or someone local will take another crack at it.

 

[6brshooter]

Looks like bedding was pretty thin in that area and cracked. Skim bedding is fine, over aluminum, as long as bedding is sandwiched between alum and action. That area should have been relieved more for a thicker bedding pad. I guess it's also possible that to much hardener was used and made it brittle.

 

[simpletoms]

Unless you're really concerned about how it looks, I wouldn't worry about it. The bedding under the tang is uniform and it's pillar bedded. As long as the recoil lug area is solid, I doubt you'll have any accuracy concerns.

 

[DJL2]

Unless you're really concerned about how it looks, I wouldn't worry about it. The bedding under the tang is uniform and it's pillar bedded. As long as the recoil lug area is solid, I doubt you'll have any accuracy concerns.

These pillars are beefy… much thicker than McMillan’s standard pillars for instance. They’re also… lapped? Machined? There’s been an effort to contour the pillar itself to match the action. I can’t say how well that’s been done.

At any rate, we shall see. I was out with my son today, didn’t really get a chance to wring things out. Did fire a couple five shot groups today after having the action out and back in - didn’t really see POI shift, so might be settled in now. There was some potential.

 

[DJL2]

FWIW, I really like the ergonomics of the CS-2. The adjustable LOP is good, of course, but I like the fore end far more than I thought I would. It seems comically large to me, but somehow carries really well in the hand. The length is super useful, too. I actually sent them (Manners) an e-mail about it - I don’t know their catalog well and I wanted to figure out which of their stocks with traditional butt has a fore end to match the CS-2.

 

[spife7980]

Call me stupid but, could you draw some arrows where the bedding is bad?

From what I can tell it looks normal?

 

[DJL2]

I'll see if I can fire up my sweet MS paint skills sometime tomorrow. It's a shame I don't have a before photo...

You can see where the texture changes and there's a big step/divot/gap. Originally, that was filled with bedding. The bedding extended to the rear of where the tang would be on a longer action.

The change in texture is more obvious here. I would guess the ass end of the Nuc acted like a 60 ksi hammer and that was that for the bedding bedding it.

 

[DJL2]

Well, here’s the “good” news: the bedding job needs tget pulled entirely, so it doesn’t matter what it looks like.

At this point, the chances I’ll ever buy another “normal” stock that requires bedding in the future are pretty low.

I’ve come to appreciate “turn key” systems; and even professional bedding isn’t that.

 

[supercorndogs]

It looks kind of like that particular bit of bedding was acting as the recoil lug.

I like the mini-chassis, but I have never had much trouble bedding stocks either.

 

[jakelly]

That broken bedding is superficial and doesn’t affect accuracy. The area should have been clearanced to allow some vibration. I’d be a little more concerned about the chatter looking marks where the bedding is broken. Looks like multiple impacts, like the action is loose. What’s the recoil lug area bedding look like? You said you had to “clean up” the bedding there. Can we see a pic?

 

[Edds]

Looks like I'll be testing just how much bedding matters to my rifle project here over the next few outings to the range. The bedding didn't survive the first 45 rounds intact, sadly. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that the disappointing targets that comprised rounds 26-45 were the result of the bedding breaking/pinching under the action. The ARC Nuc doesn't have much of a tang. It looks like the Nuc's chunky butt just absolutely wrecked the bedding. You can see the pillar sitting underneath the bedonkadonk and with the action pulled you can see its outline. Interesting learning point there (for me, anyway). I also had to clean up the bedding around the recoil lug. It looks a little rough, but might just be functional.

You can't have the bedding contacting the back end of the action. If you want to recess the tang inside the bedding, you have to leave a gap between the end of the tang and the bedding so it won't break out.

 

[DJL2]

That broken bedding is superficial and doesn’t affect accuracy. The area should have been clearanced to allow some vibration. I’d be a little more concerned about the chatter looking marks where the bedding is broken. Looks like multiple impacts, like the action is loose. What’s the recoil lug area bedding look like? You said you had to “clean up” the bedding there. Can we see a pic?

The action was only loose if 60 in-lb qualifies. The action sits primarily on the pillars if the finish wear is anything to go by.
This was a before pic. I didn't snap an after... at least not that I recall (or see uploaded).

You can't have the bedding contacting the back end of the action. If you want to recess the tang inside the bedding, you have to leave a gap between the end of the tang and the bedding so it won't break out.

Indeed, and one would assume that if you do this sort of thing professionally and command a premium for said service such a thing would be known. In this case, one (me) would be wrong.

The rifle double groups, so that's that really. Minor cosmetic shit that no one but me is likely to notice isn't a big deal. A rifle I don't trust, on the other hand...

It looks kind of like that particular bit of bedding was acting as the recoil lug.

I like the mini-chassis, but I have never had much trouble bedding stocks either.

I've bedded a few rifles now; generally functional, but ugly. I find it to be a time consuming pain in the ass. Could be that I suck. I would sooner bolt and go in the future.

 

[DJL2]

After a bit of a wait for Manners to install a mini-chassis, I’ve now got a rifle I can work with.