Amateur needs bedding advice !

R

relodr36

Guest
Even though I'm 72,I'm an amateur at rimfire benchrest,so I'll appreciate all advice and comments !
Last year I bought a CZ453 .22 rimfire to have something to shoot in our local club's matches.I put a 36X Sightron scope on it and I got a Caldwell RockBR front rest and Protektor front and rear bag with the doughnut.
I also made sure that the barrel was free-floated the whole way.
After a lotof ammo tests,I settled on Wolf match extra.
Now,I know that I'm a lot shakier than I used to be,but I'm enjoying myself!
At 50 yds.,the gun will group 5 shots in the .500" - ..600" area about 75% of the time.I've had some groups in the three's & fours;and some in the sevens and eights too.
I decided to check the bedding and glass bed it,if necessary.
I taped off the stock and sprayed the action area with foot powder.Then I wiped a light coat of oil on the action and carefully put it in place and tightened the screws as normal.
This is what I see:

bed13.jpg


The action looks like this:

action11.jpg



As shown,the only contact the action has with the stock,is along the lower half of the round receiver.
I suspect that this makes it's grouping ability subject to how much tension is on the tang screw and the screw behind the magazine well.
Any comments or suggestions ?
Ron
 
Ron, I'm not a rimfire gunsmith.....in fact I'm not a gunsmith A'tall even thought I DID go to Pine Technical Institute of Gunsmithing.

I won't let this hold me back......

If this were my rifle I'd pillar bed it posthaste. I would then relieve the area betwixt the pillars (it's already polluted with foot powder anyway) and skim-bed the whole thing.


BTW, the foot powder/oil trick is wicked cool, thank you. I'll try it someday.

al







At least this might stimulate some comment from real gunsmiths.......
 
Bed it!

I've never had a gun that suffered from being bedded - but there is always a first. I would pillar bed it including about 1" of the barrel in front of the action. (Hint: I use McDonald's straws to fit inside the pillars when bedding to assure the screws do not touch the pillars.

Good luck and enjoy the fun of working on your own gun and watching the results!

:)

George
 
Thank you for the input !!

Thanks fellows,for the input!

I got some threaded lamp post sleeves and using a tap,got both action screw holes to accept the sleeves.I don't have a lathe so I can't machine the pillars to match the action so I figure on keeping the pillars a little short and let the acraglass mate with the action and triggerguard.
I got some playdough for the forend dam and to keep the gel where I want it(the wife wanted to know if I was entering my second childhood) !
I also got straws from Mickey-D's,as suggested.
Have to get some Johnson's paste wax yet.. or will car wax work?

I'm considering the following:
1. tape the action sides to get it off the wood a few thousands'.
2. Put about .050" shims in the forend channel to assure that the barrel stays free-floated.
3.Bed the front receiver ring and about an inch of the barrel and also pillar-bed the tang with fiberglass pad on top of the pillar.
4.let it harden.
5. remove the tape from the action sides.
6. Then pillar bed the screw behind the magazine well with a fiberglass pad on top of the pillar.When the job is complete,I figure that tension on this screw may be critical.
7. shoot it to see what the results are,before skim bedding the rest of the action.

BTW - I put a 8-32X Tasco on this gun for squirrel season last year.It sure beat my other squirrel rifles.You almost need a rangefinder beyond 50 yards though,because the bullet drops almost 6 inches between 50 and 100 yd's.
 
relodr

Instead of the shims under the barrel, I wrap masking tape round the barrel about 1" back from the fore end. Not only does this keep clearance under the barrel but it also keeps the barrel centered in the channel. Start your wraps with the end of the tape at 12 o'clock and end at 12 o'clock so you won't wind up with 1 extra layer of tape on either side.
Also I would do the whole bedding job in 1 step rather then 1 section at a time. Doing it this way makes for a more accurate bedding job. And don't forget to fill any voids in the action with putty that may cause a mechanical lock with the epoxy!
 
reloader:
I'll attempt to get in here with your CZ, first we have a flat at the bottom of the action that needs bedded as Al indicated, pillars are much the rave and work, however one must NOT BED UP the SIDES of that FLAT bottomed action, try the bedding infront of the action about an inch also one can always gring it out if it fails to add benefit to the accuracy.

Whatever ya do don't flinch!

Clarence
 
Ron,

Please elucidate on the lamp rod...... I understand the hollow threaded tube part, I've built lamps, but what I DON'T understand is that you seem to indicate that you've threaded them into the action??? This would seem to be the pillar stock?? I don't get it yet. Threaded lamp post stock would make a good pillar BUT, not "threaded into the receiver"..... help me out here eh.


al
 
alinwa said:
Ron,

Please elucidate on the lamp rod...... I understand the hollow threaded tube part, I've built lamps, but what I DON'T understand is that you seem to indicate that you've threaded them into the action??? This would seem to be the pillar stock?? I don't get it yet. Threaded lamp post stock would make a good pillar BUT, not "threaded into the receiver"..... help me out here eh.


al
Click to expand...

Al,
Sorry,I wasn't clear on that - I threaded them thru the wooden stock.The original holes were close to being the right size so I just used a tap to cut threads for the sleeves (in the wood).Since the sleeves will be tied to the stock,I guess that I'll have to be sure that the screws don't touch the sleeves(pillars).

Clarence,
These CZ's have round actions,like the 700 Rem.
However,CZ machined a narrow flat into the bottom of the receiver to mount the trigger housing and the magazine well.

453act



This flat is narrow and measures slightly less than 3/8" wide.

actm


The front trigger guard screw taps into this flat and the rear trigger guard screw taps into the rear of the trigger assembly housing.

453act1

453act2


The third screw is a wood screw that attaches to the stock only.

The taps I used were 3/8"-16 and 7/16"-14 to haggle the holes large enough to let the 1/8-IP Pipe be threaded through.They are tight in the wood but an EZ-out will turn them.
taps


The package of 8 steel nipples cost $1.79 at Walmart.



Thanks,guys,for the input!
Now I know why a gunsmith charges so much for a bedding job!:)
Ron
 
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