# Bedding the stock?



## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

I was reading an article in a Buckmasters magazine the other day and they were talking about having the stock bedded and a free float barrel. I have always been around guns and have quite a few in my collection but don't really get into all the ballistics and technical stuff. I know a lot of you guys do and that's great, I wish I were a little more knowledgeable about but I'm not. So without sounding to much like a dummy, can someone explain what they were talking about?

If I remember right I think it was "glass bedded" does that sound right?


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Glass bedded means that they used 'Fiberglass" . they put it in the stock in the receiver area (after removing the action) to give it a solid place to sit. that will stop any miniscule warping due to humidity changes in the wood.You don't have to bed a synthetic stock. free floating is simply making sure that nothing , is touching the barrel. You can check that by putting a dollar bill between th barrel and stock and moving it up and down the length of the barrel- forearm area if you cant move the dollar then the stock is touching the barrel and can change the "point of impact" by putting pressure on the barrel. Ive fixed a few guns by using a dowelrod with a slit and a piece of sandpaper in a drill to open the barrel chanel in a stock.


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

So a synthetic stock needs nothing done to it? Or if the synthetic stock is touching the barrel then you would need to sand it out or you just talking wood stocks? I know my Savage 22-250 has a synthetic stock and I think a free float barrel. should I check that?

Not that I don't trust what your talking about because I believe you do, but it seems funny to me that if the stock is touching the barrel it would change the point of impact.


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## JTKillough (May 4, 2010)

Sometimes a synthetic will benefit from "pillar bedding". This means that the action to stock bolts are removed, the holes drilled out to make room for the "pillar", the pillar (a short strong piece of tubing or collar that the stock bolt will fit through) is then epoxy-ed into the hole. When the stock is put on, and the action/stock bolts are snugged down against the pillars, there is no stress transfered to the action. Both these methods can have a big impact on accuracy, but I strongly suggest a gunsmith for the work. It can be a challenge and not for the weekend smith. You will find that most bolt action gun barrels are "free floated", meaning that no part of the barrel touches the stock from the action forward. To check this, slide a dollar (US currency only) down the barrel and slip it betweenst the barrel and stock, if it touches, you may want to make changes. If the gun shoots good enough, then leave it alone. If you're after better accuracy from your firearm, I would first start with a trigger job (also done by a gunsmith). If you have your trigger lighted to about 3 lbs., using one of many ways, or even putting in a replacement adjustable trigger, you will reap huge benefits in accuracy. Sometimes a rifle will benefit from having a slight amount of upward pressure at the very end of the stock, I've seen this in older Savages and Remingtons. To try this, take your stock off, or loose, slip a small amout of shim material or a folded business card in so when the stock is tightened it will contact the barrel. It all has to do with harmonics, as a bullet flies down the bore it can create a harmonic vibration, like a wave in the barrel, unseen by the eye. If your bullet doesn't leave the muzzle at the same point in the harmonicly generated wave each time it will impact the target in a different spot. Crazy, I know. We could go on like this for days. Get the trigger job, check your free float, and go from there.


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## Antlerz22 (Apr 18, 2011)

BondCoCoyote said:


> So a synthetic stock needs nothing done to it? Or if the synthetic stock is touching the barrel then you would need to sand it out or you just talking wood stocks? I know my Savage 22-250 has a synthetic stock and I think a free float barrel. should I check that?
> 
> Not that I don't trust what your talking about because I believe you do, but it seems funny to me that if the stock is touching the barrel it would change the point of impact.


 Don is correct, I did my Sako Finnbear back in the eighties. We used miners carbide and smoked the barrel--in particular the bottom and sides. Then carefully bolted it back in the stock, fired it several times (this causes the barrel harmonics to vibrate and contact any high spots) Then we carefully remove the stock again and look in the stock, all the "pressure points" will be blackened from the carbide. Then we took wood working tools and carefully shaved out all the highspots -reblackened the barrel and repeated till we had no more high spots indicated. THEN we gave it a good sanding to smooth things out and also to give a tad more space for the glass material to have clearance as well, until like Don said a dollar bill would go all the way back and to the recoil lug. The recoil lug slot (at least on my Sako) we glass bedded it as well with matting to further strengthen the area as well as the rear of the action. Its labor intensive, but for wood stocks worth leaving on because of the beauty and checkering etc..its a must for accuracy and to seal out moisture. You can glass bed all you want but if you dont get all the exposed wood that wasnt finished proper etc...moisture gets in and causes warping which then again creates a pressure point--nullifying your job. So if you do it --do it properly and thoroughly or dont bother!


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I guess an exception to the synthetic not needing any free floating done would be an extreme situation where the synthetic stock is warped. This is a verty unlikely scenario though.
+1 on pillar bedding after a trigger job or replacement. Keep in mind that most popular rifles have various companies making replacement triggers for them in various pull weights some as low a few ounces(not recommended for hunting) and most are adjustable with in a certtain range.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Are you having issues with your Savage ?


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

JTKillough said:


> . Get the trigger job, check your free float, and go from there.


It has an Accu-Trigger on it now. Can that be better'ed? I think I can adjust the pull pressure.


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

youngdon said:


> Are you having issues with your Savage ?


No not really. I was just reading the article and wandering if or how to better it.

One of my "gun nut" buddy's was telling me that cleaning the trigger mech. with lighter fluid would make it smooth as silk. Have you guys heard of that?


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I wouldn't necessarily use lighter fluid, but if your gun has been subject to the bottom of a mud bog(or within Chicago city limits ) it may need the crud cleaned out of it. DO NOT use WD-40 as it turns to a varnish like consistency and will attract dirt. As for the Accu trigger, you could spend several hundred dollars on a Jewel or Geissele trigger but you may not improve your accuracy one bit. If you are trying to compete and had a benchrest gun I might say to think in that direction but for now I'd try adjusting your Accu trigger (according to the instructions...Savage will give them to you if you lost them) and see if that doesn't get you on target.
What kind of groups are you shooting with it now ? If it's shooting good leave it alone. Even removing an action from the stock and replacing it can change POI if you tighten the screws differently, so beware what you are doing.


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

youngdon said:


> What kind of groups are you shooting with it now ? If it's shooting good leave it alone. Even removing an action from the stock and replacing it can change POI if you tighten the screws differently, so beware what you are doing.


I would say on good day the size of half dollar at 100 yards. But I don't do enough shooting as I would like, I always have something else to do. But I feel that's decent...I don't know. I'll probably take your advice and leave it alone.

I need to get a scope on the new AR and get it fired up to see what it can do.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I bet with a little more practice you'll improve your skill significantly.


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## BondCoCoyote (Feb 14, 2012)

youngdon said:


> I wouldn't necessarily use lighter fluid, but if your gun has been subject to the bottom of a mud bog(or within Chicago city limits )


Yea, my feeling's exactly!


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## Antlerz22 (Apr 18, 2011)

youngdon said:


> Are you having issues with your Savage ?


 Yea, my Savage is a bit uncivilized.


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## Antlerz22 (Apr 18, 2011)

BondCoCoyote said:


> It has an Accu-Trigger on it now. Can that be better'ed? I think I can adjust the pull pressure.


 My accutrigger is either crap--or--I just need it softer than the minimum it goes to. My next tweak is going to be a rifle basix.


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## Weasel (Jun 18, 2012)

I agree with JTKillough. Especially this statement: *"If the gun shoots good enough, then leave it alone". *

I speak from experience regarding that.







A trigger job or an after-market trigger is usually a big improvement. Rebedding the action and floating the barrel on a rifle that shoots "good enough" is often a crapshoot.


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## Rich Cronk (Feb 24, 2010)

My custom Mausers have the action and first three inches of barrel bedded. From that point forward, they are free floated. My Mexican Mauser in .257 Ackley ihas not had the action bedded, so I built a 4 pound pressure point about 3" back from forend tip. This rifle shoots 3 shots into one jagged hole at 100 yards, so I ain't gonna mess with it.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

The REm. 700 have a high spot toward the end of the forarm that is a bump that is put there on purpose, The first thing to take out if you are having acurray porblems.


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## Rich Cronk (Feb 24, 2010)

I do know ONE large bunch of synthetic stocks that certainly need something done to em. Remington 700 ADL,s have the flimsy, worse than anything else I have ever seen type of black synthetic stocks. I have a .30-06 like that. Rather than spend money on a new stock, I mixed up some accura glass and built a pressure point under the barrel about three inches back from forend tip. I now have accuracy that is OK for most hunting.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

That's a good point Rich, many of todays synthetic stocks are rather flexible. All the old synthetics were rigid as are the vast majority of upgraded synthetic rifle stocks and the more expensive models in a given makers line. One of the most noteable is the Savage edge/axis although the vast majority of these rifles shoot pretty darned good and some of the ones that don't IMO can be traced right back to the operator. Being an inexpensive rifle tends to make them also a starter rifle for new and inexperienced shooters. My point is that unless you have the experience and knowhow to shoot your rifle to the best of it's ability I wouldn't go changing things hoping for a miracle, because the person behind the trigger has a lot to do with the way a gun shoots.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

I will second that one Don.


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## JTKillough (May 4, 2010)

Good point Don. And it all comes back to how much practice shooting you get. A wise man (or was it wise guy) once said, "Beware of the man whom only has one gun, he probably knows how to shoot it." I myself have several varmint caliber rifles, I also do a lot of predator hunting. But on any given year, I only shoot two rifles. The reason is this, the more I use one or two guns the for proficient I get with them. By the end of a season or all year in my case, shooting these guns is like second nature. That is another reason why I believe it so important to reload. More reloading ='s more shooting ='s more practice ='s more deadly.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

='s more pics to post here on Predator Talk.


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## Antlerz22 (Apr 18, 2011)

youngdon said:


> ='s more pics to post here on Predator Talk.


 Target ones even!!


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## Rich Cronk (Feb 24, 2010)

youngdon said:


> ='s more pics to post here on Predator Talk.


-----------------------
Like this one?


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## Rich Cronk (Feb 24, 2010)

Or THIS one?


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## Antlerz22 (Apr 18, 2011)

Rich Cronk said:


> Or THIS one?


 Thats the way to do it--good shooting!


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Those should work !


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