I am putting together a long range shooting/beginner PRS setup with a Tikka T3 using a Murphy Precision Socpe Rail & ARC M10 Rings and have read about scope base bedding and understand the idea behind it and during the checking out of the base I found there is a TINY bit of gap when I snug only one side of the base. I can just barely see light &/or get the corner of a piece of paper started under it if I get it angled just right, so less than .002”, and if I barely snug down the other end it easily goes away and then when checking the flatness on top of the rail I think I can just barely start to see some light between a straight edge and only the forward two rungs/lugs of the picatinny rail. With this small of a difference is bedding the base still needed? I just worry that with my luck I would make things worse if I don’t get the screws snugged evenly or something during the bedding process. Thoughts?
Rifle Scopes Scope base bedding?
- Thread starter blaserman33
- Start date
Even though it’s a full length flat rail? It’s not like a Rem 700 where there is a notch/cutout in the center, it’s completely flat and even height along its whole length.
I would personally bed the rail. I want as much surface area touching as possible and if it's not needed then the bases will just push out the bonding compound. Here is a video that I use and work from. He's a super informational guy.
http://www.longrangeonly.com/bed-rail-scope-base-jeff-brozovich/
http://www.longrangeonly.com/bed-rail-scope-base-jeff-brozovich/
Yes, if you don’t, you will lose elevation travel in your scope.
I guess I forgot to mention it is a 20MOA base. Would you still only bed the rear in that case?
Yes, if not you will lose most of that 20 Moa.
Why would I lose it? I’ve never heard that before.
The gap is revealing machining flaws in either the base or the action. For a 20 Moa base to be effective, it has to have angle. The gap you see, will negate any angle that’s built into the base.
Only way you'd lose elevation is if you built up more bedding in the front than the rear. If your base is straight (check it with a straight edge) and you bed it correctly, front or back, you won't lose any elevation.
Bedding a base is only done when there is a gap due to flaws in the action. If the base has flaws, you return it.
Bedding a base is only done when there is a gap due to flaws in the action. If the base has flaws, you return it.
I just got what you were saying about the base being a solid run with no cut out above the breech. In that case I would bed the whole thing. There would be no way to control the bedding from being uneven. That could be more trouble.
Ok that’s what was confusing me. I didn’t see how it could work to only do one side with this type of base. Thanks for the input everyone, I guess I’ll just go ahead and do it. As long as I don’t screw up the release agent the worst I would do is ruin the base.
Good luck!
Painters tape and a good release agent is your friend.
Less than .002. I would be shooting and seeing if it effects it before I waste any time bedding it. Make sure there isn't something small under the base anywhere .
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I wouldn't worry about it. A few drops of red loctite between the screw holes along with even torque of the base screws, working from the inside-out should be fine. Don't waste your time bedding a flat surface.
If your base is bent, straighten it out or return it.
If your base is bent, straighten it out or return it.
The base is straight, I checked it before and during the test fit. I am pretty sure there isn’t anything small under the base cause when I took the stock base off it had a bunch of Loctite or epoxy or something under it so I spent a lot of time scraping off and brushing off the top of the receiver before trying to test fit it. I am not too worried about the base moving without bedding cause it has a really tight fitting dowel pin as a recoil lug that fits into the top of the receiver and the bottom of the base, I just know that uneven base/rings can cause problems or worse damage the scope, but with how little it is off I wasn’t sure. But like soneobody else said, anywhere that didn’t need the bedding will just push the epoxy out, so as long as I do good with the release agent I don’t think I’ll hurt anything. I’ve heard of Kiwi shoe polish and Hornady One Shot Case Lube as release agent and was thinking about a combination of both, maybe using the spray on the screws and stuff where it would be a little harder to get the shoe polish into the tight spots.
Since my scope base uses a dowel pin as a recoil lug, if I do bed the base should I just leave that out and then fill the hole with epoxy and then wax the inside of the receiver hole and fill it with epoxy too so the epoxy acts as a recoil lug? I read one place that with the Tikka it can’t be a removable rail/bedding because the receiver has the large hole for the recoil lug, two small holes Tikka uses for a kind of plastic bedding/lug the stock rail with, and then a bunch of longitudinal grooves. But if a cover all those areas with the shoe polish shouldn’t it still be removable. Sorry for all the questions but I can’t find much info on bedding a rail on a Tikka, it’s all on Rem700 and clone types.
Just finished bedding the EGW 20 MOA rail I bought for an older Rem 700. I mounted the rail with just the front screw and could flex the back portion down. It took a whole 20mins it to do it with 6min JB weld and some Kiwi for a release...
cleaned it up and mounted the rail..
good to go...
cleaned it up and mounted the rail..
good to go...
I've never had to bed a Badger Ordnance rail.
That will help your confidence in your rig.
What I don’t quite get is that if I only snug the rear screw I get a tiny bit of light coming through up front, if I only snug the front screw I get a tiny bit of light coming through in the rear, if a barely snug both then there is no light, but the bedding instructions say to put the screws in and tighten until you just feel resistance, but if I do that there is no gap anymore so isn’t that going to just squeeze out all the epoxy anyway? Should I only snug the front screw?
Your overthinking it.... put in both screws just enough until you get resistance... you want to squeeze out the epoxy, so you get a nice even layer that fills in all the gaps underneath the surface... wait a few minutes and clean up all the epoxy ooze from the sides.
later on when you torque down the screws, the base will be flat and not want to twist or torque in any way.
later on when you torque down the screws, the base will be flat and not want to twist or torque in any way.
It's not a rail problem, the best base in the world won't make up for poor tolerances on a receiver. Remington 700's are one example of a receiver that usually benefits from having a base bedded. Never had a flat top action need it.
In OP's case, I don't think bedding is necessary but if he does it right I doubt it will hurt anything.
Exactly
The EGW rail I purchased was a s flat as could be... it was the 1994 Circa Rem Reciever that was not.. Bedding the rail took care of that.. and it was easy.
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