Bedding a bolt action

[Nevernoluck2]

How many of you guys bed the action on your bolt action rifles???

I've done it on everyone I plan on keeping, even had to pillar two of them while I was at it, just got finished with one. If all goes right it'll actually come apart tomorrow

 

[sloughfoot]

Some I do, some I don't. Some don't need it. Rarely does it improve anything. Especially with the modern factory rifle.

My thousand yard rifle is not glass bedded. It is very accurate. My smallbore rifle is glass bedded. It needed to be bedded in order to be acceptable.

 

[Lefty64]

Would like to do a couple of my rimfires, but I am having trouble finding good info on the best way to do it. The more I research the more contradictory information I find.

 

[sloughfoot]

The only goal in bedding a rifle is to take up any gaps between the receiver and the stock. To keep the receiver from shifting in the stock. If you have no gaps, bedding won't improve anything. Clearancing the barrel is a totally different issue. Many rifles benefit from clearancing the barrel.

What rimfire rifles are you trying to improve Lefty64?

 

[Nevernoluck2]

The only goal in bedding a rifle is to take up any gaps between the receiver and the stock. To keep the receiver from shifting in the stock. If you have no gaps, bedding won't improve anything. Clearancing the barrel is a totally different issue. Many rifles benefit from clearancing the barrel.

What rimfire rifles are you trying to improve Lefty64?

thats exactly right, the first one I done was a stock I picked up off a vendor at the 1500 years ago, he made them himself, it had issues, one I done yesterday was another wood stock no pillars and crappy cut. Many rifles I never messed with but I get bored sometimes and do it anyway.

 

[Yeah]

Depends on the rifle, but I generally bed lugs and tangs at minimum. Don't use pillars except on the rare occasion I'm keeping a stock that benefits from them. Needing them is a reliable indicator that the stock should be trashed.

Of the hundreds of factory rifles that have passed through my hands I can't recall one with acceptable bedding. As a quick check I'll loosen the action to stock fasteners and flip the rifle upside down. If the action and stock part ways I don't need any further checks to know it needs bedded, but those that don't are checked for perceptible pitch yaw and roll.

Bedding can be a quick simple exercise once a person is in a groove.

 

[scrub buck]

I've never done it, but i have a 700 in 243 that would benefit from it and a marlin 880 sq i put in a boyds laminated stock that i know needs it. The reciever on the .22 fits in the boyds very loosely... oddly it is still accurate.

 

[Wabatuckian]

I use pillars and shims.

Josh