Who glass beds their rifles?

[Deleted member 20812]

So uh...what's glass bedding?

Removing stock material, then filling the void between stock and action with an epoxy of some sort to create a tight fit that doesn’t allow action to move.

 

[RidgeRoamingRichard]

Removing stock material, then filling the void between stock and action with an epoxy of some sort to create a tight fit that doesn’t allow action to move.

Thank you!

 

[HSi-ESi]

I usually shoot the gun for a bit and see what it likes.

I've personally only bedded my Ruger No 1, but watched my Dad bed a few that wouldn't group well.

It can really help and it's fun. It feels good to really work through a guns issues.

 

[cahunter805]

Bill
Taping the bottom of the lug is a must IMO. It provides clearance so the lug doesn’t bottom out when everything is tightened down.
That’s why I usually do 1-2 layers with a good vinyl tape on the bottom.

 

[ImBillT]

Bill
Taping the bottom of the lug is a must IMO. It provides clearance so the lug doesn’t bottom out when everything is tightened down.
That’s why I usually do 1-2 layers with a good vinyl tape on the bottom.

I know that’s why it’s done, but I’m not convinced that two small screws can compress your bedding enough for it to matter. You have quite a bit of surface area in a good bedding job. Some actions provide a lot less area than others. It’s probably more critical on an A-bolt than on a 700/700clone. I still do it.

 

[ImBillT]

Glass bedding a rifle is fairly simple and great insurance. It was much more important before we had injection molded stocks, and CNC inletted stocks. Back when all stocks were wooden and they had been inletted by hand, bedding was the number one most likely reason your gun wouldn’t shoot a decent group. 1 MOA guns were also unusual. To fix it you had to find a high spot, scrape it, put the action back in, check both ends for movement, remove the action and repeat until nothing moved when you tightened the front or rear screw independently. This was best done with the stock in a vice and a dial indicator on each end of the action. Not only is glass bedding faster, it yields a more reliable result. You could get the wood just right and then over tighten one of the screws, compressing the wood under it, and now your bedding was off again. The area under the recoil lug was highly critical then. After adjusting the rest of the wood bedding a few times, your recoil lug could be bottoming out substantially.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I've never bedded any of mine and have never had a reason to.

 

[noharleyyet]

I usually shoot the gun for a bit and see what it likes.

I've personally only bedded my Ruger No 1, but watched my Dad bed a few that wouldn't group well.

It can really help and it's fun. It feels good to really work through a guns issues.

The #1 is the only rifle I've not bedded..was always shy of messing with the fore-end tension on those rifles. Mine were, fortunately, accurate....not always the case I've heard.

 

[pre6422hornet]

All of mine are glass bedded by me. A few have been pillar bedded and glass bedded by me.

If you are a novice I would recommend NOT using Accraglass. Use Accraglass gel, marine-tex, etc.. something with the consistency of peanut butter. Regular plain jane Accraglass is very thin and will run into every little nook and cranny you don't dam off with clay and over tape etc... creates a huge mess fast.

As others have said release agent. I use johnsons floor wax.

I did my first few with just the tang and recoil lug, but the last 3 or 4 ( all are walnut stocks) I have glass bedded the entire action from tang to about and inch in front of the recoil lug. I bed the entire magazine area with the magazine installed ( I only hunt with winchester model 70's). I don't want any moisture to get into the wood surrounding the action area. Overkill probably. But I like doing it

 

[HandgunHunter]

All of mine are glass bedded by me. A few have been pillar bedded and glass bedded by me.

If you are a novice I would recommend NOT using Accraglass. Use Accraglass gel, marine-tex, etc.. something with the consistency of peanut butter. Regular plain jane Accraglass is very thin and will run into every little nook and cranny you don't dam off with clay and over tape etc... creates a huge mess fast.

As others have said release agent. I use johnsons floor wax.

I did my first few with just the tang and recoil lug, but the last 3 or 4 ( all are walnut stocks) I have glass bedded the entire action from tang to about and inch in front of the recoil lug. I bed the entire magazine area with the magazine installed ( I only hunt with winchester model 70's). I don't want any moisture to get into the wood surrounding the action area. Overkill probably. But I like doing it

exposed wood areas you could just seal with your favorite wood finishing oil..it works well

 

[pre6422hornet]

exposed wood areas you could just seal with your favorite wood finishing oil..it works well

Absolutely 100% correct. I just like to keep busy and challenge myself

Here is my 338 Alaskan in my own stock. Pillared and completely bedded. Obviously right after I separated action from stock with zero clean up and the stock was far from being done.

 

[choc dogs]

I've got a rough cut stock, and a rifle with a crappy stock. I should put the two together and and make that rifle shootable again. This may be an inspiration. Anyone in the boise area wanna try to bed a couple rifles in stocks sometime this summer?

 

[huntin24/7]

Everyone makes this sound easy. I’m sure it seems that way after doing one. Guess I’ll just have to jump in and give it a shot. Am I correct that you spray release agent on anything that you don’t want the epoxy to stick too including the rear of the lug?

 

[HandgunHunter]

Everyone makes this sound easy. I’m sure it seems that way after doing one. Guess I’ll just have to jump in and give it a shot. Am I correct that you spray release agent on anything that you don’t want the epoxy to stick too including the rear of the lug?
[/QUOTE

in a nut shell yes.
Buy a bedding “kit” for your first one....it will have decent directions. Most importantly...take your time.

I think it’s easy after you bed your first few.

having a machine shop makes the clean up after easier.

but you could do it with sharp chisels, razor blade, and files.

avoid using a dremel.....

If you get stuck just holler....I’ll walk you through....I have only bedded....well a lot...

in a nut shell yes.
Buy a bedding “kit” for your first one....it will have decent directions. Most importantly...take your time.

I think it’s easy after you bed your first few.

having a machine shop makes the clean up after easier.

but you could do it with sharp chisels, razor blade, and files.

avoid using a dremel.....

If you get stuck just holler....I’ll walk you through....I have only bedded....well a lot...

 

[choc dogs]

in a nut shell yes.
Buy a bedding “kit” for your first one....it will have decent directions. Most importantly...take your time.

I think it’s easy after you bed your first few.

having a machine shop makes the clean up after easier.

but you could do it with sharp chisels, razor blade, and files.

avoid using a dremel.....

If you get stuck just holler....I’ll walk you through....I have only bedded....well a lot...

SO, since you've done several, a quick look on amazon shows several kits. Is there one that's more idiot proof, or one that works much better? If you don't want to publicly endorse one, I understand.

 

[HandgunHunter]

SO, since you've done several, a quick look on amazon shows several kits. Is there one that's more idiot proof, or one that works much better? If you don't want to publicly endorse one, I understand.

I think the brownells kits are good for a beginner.

you’ll also need:

some modeling clay to fill in the trigger cut outs and other areas you don’t want bedding.

q tips and 90% alcohol for clean up

and some masking tape.

In the shop I just use devcon and marine Tex.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I use Devcon as well.

 

[ImBillT]

Everyone makes this sound easy. I’m sure it seems that way after doing one. Guess I’ll just have to jump in and give it a shot. Am I correct that you spray release agent on anything that you don’t want the epoxy to stick too including the rear of the lug?

EVERYTHING BUT THE STOCK. Screws and all. And make sure you tape/dam all the right things.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

My first bedding job was done with a couple tubes of JB Weld and bearing grease as a release agent. I actually bedded the lug and also bedded a steel bar into the for-end of the stock because I wanted to make the plastic stock more rigid and couldn't afford to buy a new stock for the rifle. The rifle shot great before the bedding and after... so who knows if the lug bedding actually helped, but the for-end bedding works great for using a bipod. I did one other job since then using the same materials. Seems to work great.

 

[buffybr]

I've glass bedded all of my bolt actin rifles, and at least the last 4 I have also pillar bedded. I glass the entire action and the barrel channel, with a couple layers of tape on the barrel to keep the barrel floating. Sometimes I have to further sand the barrel channel to insure that the barrel is fully floated.
Like others have stressed, USE PLENTY OF RELEASE AGENT, and only bed BEHIND and the sides of the recoil lug, NOT in front of the lug.