aluminum bedding blocks
- Thread starter Mrec300
- Start date
Edit: Tim got to it while I was typing, but I'll leave my post as written.....only because I agree with him!
Well, I have one, but it was custom made by Mark Penrod. It's in a McMillan HV Straight Line Edge stock and Mark did the entire build. I seriously doubt if he would make one and just sell it. I would say any competent gunsmith would be able to fabricate one. I would also say it most likely will be a stock type specific part.
I do not know of a source that just makes them to sell. Most smiths, or stock makers, get a bit fussy about things like that for good reason. They make a part, sell it to an amateur 'hobby smith' who installs it and the rifle doesn't shoot. Guess what happens then, the 'hobby smith' blames any or all of the parts they got for the build on why the rifle doesn't shoot.
If you plan on doing the work yourself, I do know of several guys that have made their own. No blame goes to a well accredited smith/stock maker when the rifle doesn't shoot then. Remember, you are asking about a specific action which is considered a custom action and all the support pieces that go into the rifle build are also considered custom. It's not like getting generic parts to do a build like a 10/22 clone. It's a very small market that really has no huge aftermarket to support to it. That, and you are asking about a part a lot of top notch rifles built on a 2500X don't even have. Pillars, yes, but bedding blocks.....not near as many as pillars IME. Perhaps someone else will post with a more positive answer. Good luck on your search.
Scott
Well, I have one, but it was custom made by Mark Penrod. It's in a McMillan HV Straight Line Edge stock and Mark did the entire build. I seriously doubt if he would make one and just sell it. I would say any competent gunsmith would be able to fabricate one. I would also say it most likely will be a stock type specific part.
I do not know of a source that just makes them to sell. Most smiths, or stock makers, get a bit fussy about things like that for good reason. They make a part, sell it to an amateur 'hobby smith' who installs it and the rifle doesn't shoot. Guess what happens then, the 'hobby smith' blames any or all of the parts they got for the build on why the rifle doesn't shoot.
If you plan on doing the work yourself, I do know of several guys that have made their own. No blame goes to a well accredited smith/stock maker when the rifle doesn't shoot then. Remember, you are asking about a specific action which is considered a custom action and all the support pieces that go into the rifle build are also considered custom. It's not like getting generic parts to do a build like a 10/22 clone. It's a very small market that really has no huge aftermarket to support to it. That, and you are asking about a part a lot of top notch rifles built on a 2500X don't even have. Pillars, yes, but bedding blocks.....not near as many as pillars IME. Perhaps someone else will post with a more positive answer. Good luck on your search.
Scott
Last edited:
Whidden gun works produce them for a few different actions but not the 2500x. Tom Merdith uses them on many of his Mcmillian stocks for the 2500x also. This gives you an option of using a stock that has actually been machined out for another action by milling out the stock and bedding in the bedding block. Most of the blocks have pillars incorporated into the block itself. Just checking to see if anyone has heard of a place that manufactures these before machining one myself.
Unless the stock has really been hogged out you would be probably far ahead to have it bedded and pillared.
Tom has done several RF’s for me and a ton for the smith I use, including more than a few national match winning rifles, zero of them with blocks. I’d bet the overwhelming majority are bedded/pillared.
Scott, above, certainly knows his way around a quality build, but IMO I think it is another potential source of unwanted resonance.
Virtually any RF action I can think of is going to be fairly close to the Stiller I’d suspect.
Last edited:
Okay, now you have tipped your hand a bit, as in more information. I have not heard of anyone making a bedding block for the 2500X such as Whidden is doing and just offering it to the public. I looked at Whidden's site and yes, they make bedding blocks, but it seemed to me only for factory actions, and very few of those. So we have come full circle back to the low production and 'custom' definition of what a 2500X action is.
I have neither positive, or negative opinions on bedding block equipped RFBR rifles. I do know Penrod is high on them, and from your post, apparently so is Meredith. That's two guys with very sound reputations in the business. You may be better off machining one yourself.
Good luck on your project. I know a lot of guys doing their own work and it is always pleasing for me to see them have success shooting their own work and doing well. It's ESPECIALLY pleasing for them!
Scott
Hey Tim, the rifle shoots good. I have won a couple of matches with it. It has 2 barrels and I have mostly shot it in the Unlimited configuration with the .900 on it and a heavy variable scope. Scope change (fixed power) and using the .850 makes 10.5lb. I have not worked or tested enough in that configuration to make an opinion.
I know Mark pretty well, shoot a lot with him in ARA. We discussed the build for sometime when picking out parts. When I mentioned weight, and I thought the best we could do was 13.5lb, he said he thought we could do 10.5 with the heavy varmint stock. As for vibration, Mark really loves the HV McMillan. He said the fill in the stock was better than a solid fill. I suggested the LV as I already had one, but Mark does not like that stock at all and told me he has never seen one shoot that well. He said the bedding block would add rigidity in the action area and he felt it was more robust without adding undue weight. He was correct, rifle made 10.5lb, properly equipped.
As far as my LV, yes it vibrates, you can see it in the scope and barrel.....but that rifle shoots really good. In the bags shooting IR 3-G, and in a one piece shooting Unlimited. It only has pillars and was bedded by Killough's, as it was originally a Gorham rifle. It was the rifle I won the ARA Area 4 Tournament with, but with a Langley barrel. It is my primary IR heavy gun. I can only guess that since both rifles I own with bedding blocks are completely bedded over the blocks, that it does not transfer a lot of vibration. (second rifle is a Rem 700 in a HS Precision stock. Penrod bedded that rifle as well)
So there are many ways to skin the cat, just depends on who is doing what, with what. I do believe Mark is correct about the HV being the best McMillan to control vibration. I also believe the LV vibrates like an unbalanced washing machine, but mine, despite vibrating shoots great. I am not by any means dismissing the vibration issues, as I am now in the process of shaking out 2 new stocks, Rotex Dymalux. Issue there is no way to make 10.5, so they will be UL rifles.
Same to you Tim on a Happy New Year. I hope 2021 is better as well! Always good to chat with you,
Scott
Well, there you go, I learned something today.....hadn’t realized they would be bedded over , can see how that could be stock specific.
The one I got by him was from a guy out your way that shot with Paul,very low round count, had a beauty of a Lidgard stock but It was 5lbs, we found out it could make 10.5 even with a 26” bbl and Tommy did that one as well with a light TMBR.
Came with a Muller 4 that shoots well, but I unscrewed it to save it, this last year Gordon fit a Muller 5 that is pretty good also.
Thanks again.
The one I got by him was from a guy out your way that shot with Paul,very low round count, had a beauty of a Lidgard stock but It was 5lbs, we found out it could make 10.5 even with a 26” bbl and Tommy did that one as well with a light TMBR.
Came with a Muller 4 that shoots well, but I unscrewed it to save it, this last year Gordon fit a Muller 5 that is pretty good also.
Thanks again.
Hey Scott; What do you think of this bedding block. On a rifle that Mark Penrod built for me in 2008. I won a few matches in Lincoln with it. That was before I forgot how to shoot. The stock weighs 5# 9.5 oz. The rifle weighs 12# 14oz. Let me know when you are coming to Lincoln, I'll bring it along and let you check it out. Wayne
OK. It’s hard to tell. May I assume it is inleted/glued from the bottom? I can see here where that assist in preventing wood movement in the stock shown.
Pedro, those blocks would be the traditional ones that I would assume as well but the one shown, once you wrap your head around it is very interesting.
In a modern composite stock, properly bedded, hard to evaluate the merit.
For EU sporter with 8.5 limit & wood stock, it could be a plus, is anybody bedding this way?
Here with a 7.5lb mandate, I suspect weight would preclude it.
Lastly.....Happy New Year, stay safe.
I have enjoyed our conversations.
Tim
Last edited:
Tim,
My pleasure, it has been very refreshing talking with you.
Happy New Year and, of course, stay safe.
Regarding our sporters, from my knowledge, no-one is bedding with aluminum blocks.
I have one very good stock made by Enda (Irish shooter), that I'm thinking converting it from a 2013 bedding to an 2500XS. If going ahead, an aluminum block will be fitted.
However, on LV/HV, our stock maker, Ricardo, is doing aluminum blocks bedding on square actions, like the Anschutz 2013, and the ones from Grunig and Bleiker. All the others are conventional beddings with pillars.
Wayne, that's interesting. Mine is bedded in from the top and you can't really see it as it's bedded over for the action. You can see part it of it from the bottom/top of the trigger inlet though. You say it's made of steel? I guess in 11 years, Mark made some adjustments in how he does things, my rifle was built in early 2019. My block is aluminum. I'd post a picture of it, but I forgot how to on this board.
May see you in South Dakota before Lincoln, if you're doing the 'marathon' this season. That range 'owes' me!
Take care Wayne and stay safe!
Scott
Last edited:
kevinnevius
Member
Hi all:
I hope all of you had a great Christmas, and wishing all of you a great and healthy 2021!
Regarding bedding blocks - in position shooting (specifically prone) there is a very real advantage to using the same stock for everything, and switching out balanced barreled actions between disciplines (smallbore, Palma, Long Range). In prone, the ratio of mechanical accuracy to hold is probably 70/30 - so although you need every single percentage point of that 30, position (the 70) gains are more important. I have tried to build identical rifles / stocks for years, but there was always something that made them feel different - the same stock eliminates all those potential position issues.
I am not saying bedding blocks are more accurate generally (I am a traditionalist, and although they are good, my best rifles were all traditionally pillar bedded or glued in). If done properly, and settings replicated (bed screw torque, etc) they can be very good. For the past several seasons I am using a G&E Hybrid carbon fiber stock and all Kelbly actions in identical bedding blocks (that share the same recoil lug arrangement, which I also think is important). From my records, the Swindlehurst I use is currently better than any testing criteria I maintained from past seasons (when it was traditionally bedded) FYI.
Tim / Scott - Didn't the Turbo folks make an aluminum "drop in" stock for BR? If so, have any of them won or placed at any large matches? Just curious.
All the best,
kev
I hope all of you had a great Christmas, and wishing all of you a great and healthy 2021!
Regarding bedding blocks - in position shooting (specifically prone) there is a very real advantage to using the same stock for everything, and switching out balanced barreled actions between disciplines (smallbore, Palma, Long Range). In prone, the ratio of mechanical accuracy to hold is probably 70/30 - so although you need every single percentage point of that 30, position (the 70) gains are more important. I have tried to build identical rifles / stocks for years, but there was always something that made them feel different - the same stock eliminates all those potential position issues.
I am not saying bedding blocks are more accurate generally (I am a traditionalist, and although they are good, my best rifles were all traditionally pillar bedded or glued in). If done properly, and settings replicated (bed screw torque, etc) they can be very good. For the past several seasons I am using a G&E Hybrid carbon fiber stock and all Kelbly actions in identical bedding blocks (that share the same recoil lug arrangement, which I also think is important). From my records, the Swindlehurst I use is currently better than any testing criteria I maintained from past seasons (when it was traditionally bedded) FYI.
Tim / Scott - Didn't the Turbo folks make an aluminum "drop in" stock for BR? If so, have any of them won or placed at any large matches? Just curious.
All the best,
kev
Attachments
Kev,
Always great to get your input and happy new year.
I believe you are correct. I do not think the experiment lasted too long or was particularly successful. I am not aware of any big wins anyplace, not many out there anyplace.
As I recall, it was felt the stock induced quite a bit of resonance which was the thrust of my inquiry here.
FWIW I can see it regarding a non laminated wood stock as far as keeping critical areas straight which has been an issue even with the laminated ones.
The current thin, multiple layered ones that have been “plasticized” via some impregnation process but , man, they weigh a ton.
Last edited: