Semi-inlet stock blank. Unfinished. Finish first, or bed first?

F

frwillia

Guest
My brother in law has a '57 M70 Featherweight .30-06 that shoots 2-1/2" to 3" groups at 100 yards. The groups are characteristic of bedding problems, visual inspection shows it definitely has bedding problems. He wants me to make it shoot as good as my '53 Sporter, but with out carving on the original stock like I did with my '53.

So I bought a bare wood semi-inlet Boyd's stock for the FWT. I've never started from an unfinished (bare wood) semi-inlet stock before. All my previous 17 bedding projects were on finished stocks - where by finished I mean the finish coat applied to the stock to protect the wood, not bare wood like the current project.

My question: Is it better to sand and finish the stock before bedding it, or after?

This is my plan.

  1. Prefit the barreled receiver and floor plate to the stock.
  2. Drill the holes for the pillers.
  3. Make the pillers.
  4. Double check the pillers and the fit to the stock.
  5. Put the stock in the mill, open it up so there is a place for the bedding.
  6. Check the fit and epoxy the pillers in place.
  7. Final sand and appy the finish to the stock.
  8. Epoxy bed the barreled action to the stock.

I haven't invested any indispensible ego into this plan, so if I should do things in a different order, please tell me.

Thanks
Fitch
 
blades said:
I would reverse 7 and 8, but that's just my way.
Click to expand...

What do you do to protect the bare wood from the epoxy so it will clean up? I use green tape on finished stocks, wasn't sure it would do the job on bare wood.

Fitch
 
sand and apply a couple of coats of finish...do not sand again till after bedding.
this will fill the pores and less chance of the epoxy getting into the wood......
mike in co
 
I'd be more comfortable getting a tad of epoxy on my finish than finish in my bedding, though blanking out the stock with tape & scraping off most of the overflow with card scrapers before it sets up lowers that risk.
 
Bed is the last thing to do. You run the risk of getting finish in the bedding if not and it is easier to wipe the bedding compound off the finished stock with vinegar than the other way around.
 
Jkob said:
Bed is the last thing to do. You run the risk of getting finish in the bedding if not and it is easier to wipe the bedding compound off the finished stock with vinegar than the other way around.
Click to expand...


Thanks. I was thinking the same thing but wanted some experienced input incase I was missing something.

Houston, we're go for finish.

Fitch
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top