Bedding question

B

BUSHMASTER1

Guest
I am replacing the barrel on a Savage 12bvss with a Shilen prefit varmint contour. When I removed the action from the stock, I found that the previous owner had it bedded, but only the recoil lug area. In fact, 98% of the bedding was in front of the lug. I'm replacing the barrel as it's a sporadic shooter. There are heavy tool marks in the barrel and it fouls very quickly. Should I skim bed the action? I'm replacing the lug with a thicker aftermarket and will have to do some bedding work anyway.
 
Grind it out and skin coat the whole thing. Make sure you grind out the recoil lug a little oversize and poar it in there good!!!:)
 
This will be my first bedding attempt. I've read all the bedding post, but what is the easiest bedding and release agent to use. I'm thinking about Marine-tex, as it's easier to get around here. Would the shoe polish trick work with this?
 
Shoe polish will work fine. I use Stainless steel bedding compound and brownells aerosal release agent. The SS compound takes a long time to shrink up and makes the stock even more rigid and the aerosal release is a breeze to spray on and greatly improves your chances of not having a locked in gun. Thats just my .10 cents. I only use SS bedding compound it works and last a long time!!
 
Is that "steel-bed" and "Acra-release" from Brownells? Thanks.
 
Bedding a Savage

Remember to NOT bed the tang -for some reason the Savages just do not shoot well if it is bedded. Also I use modeling clay to fill places on the action that I do not want the bedding compound to enter (like the wrench indentations on the barrel nut).

Also, I use McDonald's straws in the stock screw holes in the stock (they come out easy if you coat them with release compound). This keeps the bedding compound off the body of the screws and when removed allows for some clearance between the bedding and the stock screws.

One last thing, I use tape on the front and sides of the recoil lug to allow for clearance after the bedding sets up and you remove the tape. It helps of the recoil lug is only firmly bedded on the "recoil" side.

I use Johnson's Paste Floor Wax and coat everything three times including the stock screws threads which I fill with the was.

Relax and remember to not get in a hurry to remove the action from the stock until the bedding has set up.

George
 
Tang or not..............

Not that bedding the tang is bad.............................

It's about stress........... The tang area if bedded and screws torqued down while compound is setting up, then a stressed action you will have....

Don't have pictures but every 110/10 112/12 action I have bedded (a bunch!) I bed the tang.... Every bit of bedding surface area is a big +..!
Every one SHOOTS!

Bed behing the recoil lug all the way back to the tang. Through use of release agent and modleing clay to keep from locking the action/stock to a "part".

Put together and lightly tighten the action screws till just squirting the compound...
Suspend the gun from the barrel from a vice in a horizontal fashion stock down.
Works everytime for me, no stress and tight full action/stock contact.

If you feel better not bedding the tang, then try it (bed from behind the recoil lug to just behind the trigger)... This should work just fine as well. Again, only "just" tighten the action screws to keep it all together. Just suspend the gun from barrel and allow the compound to set-up in a horizontal position.

Plenty of release agent and be mindful of "locking points" ... You'll be fine.

cale
 
Thanks for the replys. Being a beginner I think after examining the stock, I gonna start with the recoil lug area first. If I'm not happy I can grind it out and try again. It's hard not to get in a hurry, my barrels not here yet and I have everything layed out. I'll find some patience around here somewhere.:rolleyes:
 
On my old 112V I found that not bedding the tang didn't work, but a newer 12V wouldn't shoot with the tang bedded. Couldn't figure out why the tang should need to be bedded, but the old gun would NOT shoot without tang bedding.

Just in case it doesn't want to shoot with the tang free. :D
 
Do I need the action in direct contact with the pillars? When using floor wax, you apply it and just wipe of the excess? Apoligize for my ignorance, I could tell you how to do a valve job on a Lexus,but till you actually do it.....:confused:
 
If the pillars are long enough to reach between the bottom metal and action it doesn't hurt, but since some use epoxy as a bedding material I don't see that a bit of epoxy between the tops of the metal pillars and bottom of the action hurts anything.

I apply two coats of wax, then give it a light buff with a cloth so that there is a smooth surface on the metal. The epoxy can and will show any lines, fingerprints, etc if they're left on the wax. Use a Q-Tip to get the wax into nooks and crannies on the action that will be in contact with the epoxy. Use some modelling clay to fill any cuts or holes in the action that you don't want filled with epoxy. If the action has a magazine cut use some clay in that, if it's a single shot you could just fill the mag cut in the stock with epoxy or wood glued in place. That would give more bedded surface under the action.
 
Pillars contacting the action.

Just for the sake of information, I am sure there are varying opinions, I have a Kelbly built benchrest 6ppc that I wanted pillar bedded rather than glued in for various reasons.

Kelblys left the pillars short so that there is bedding compound over the pillars, you cannot see any sign of the pillars when the action is removed. The head of the screws bears directly on the pillars at the other end where the pillars are recessed a below the bottom of the stock a little.

The rifle shoots very well and I can only guess that Kelblys put bedding over the pillars for a reason.

I have read that pillar to action (metal to metal) contact will set up vibrations that would otherwise not exist due to the better damping characteristics of bedding compound. Makes perfect sense.

Bryce
 
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