Re: scope base bedding
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
It's amusing how one will go to the ends of the earth to fit a scope base because every sacred cow in gun land says it has to be that way. Yet not one person on this site has yet to ever talk/inquire about lappin in the bottom of a guard screw head to the floor metal to ensure peripheral contact, ensured the angle of the chamfer on the guard metal is square to the screw head, or even made sure the holes are on the same center to center location as the receiver.
Be your own judge/jury. What's going to have more influence? A base that's off by .01" over a 5-8 inch span or a guard screw binding .01-.03 and failing to obtain an even/concentric purchase on the floor metal?
Which is more likely to twist an action up in the stock?
Check it once. Fix it, and then tell me how much difference it feels when you tighten everything up.
That sort of stuff means a great deal more to me than fretting over a few theoretical .001's of base/receiver fit. If it's really that big of a deal then how in the world does the receiver successfully support a 7-9lb barrel dangling 20-30 inches off the end of it? -Yet it can't possibly shoot well if a 3/8" thick scope base (often made from AL) isn't fitted perfectly "dead" to the receiver?
Really??
Please understand this isn't a personal attack directed towards you. It's just that your question sparked a response that I've been chewing on the last several months when this sort of topic comes up.
C </div></div>
Great, now instead of do I need to? what compound do I use to? or how do I? bed my rail, its gonna be, how do I bed/lap my rail perfectly centered and inline with the bore? How do I determine if its square to the horizontal plane of the bore? Do I need to lap in the mounting screws? What's the best compound to lap the action screws? Will it work on the rail screws too? How can I be sure the BM is square to the horizontal plane of the receiver? Does lapping the action screws change what I should torque them too? I got a new stock, do I need to lap my action screws again? Is this stuff availible at Lowes? All I have is a tape measure, bubble level, ball peen, screwdriver and allen key, but they're Kobalt so they're good, do I need anything else?
Way to open a can of worms. Joking, sort of.