Methinks The Lady Doth Need Abedding
 

My mission Sunday morning was to see how the X7 likes it's new 3x10 Cabals's Powder Horn scope.





I set a target out a 20 yards to get the new scope sighted in and managed to get it shooting about where I wanted with three shots.


Then I put a target on the 50 yard frame and shot five shots with a load I knew the gun liked very well. Here's what I got.





Now that puzzled me a little. Shots 3, 4 & 5 are grouped as I would expect at only 50 yards. But why the heck were 1 & 2 out of group like that? I knew darn well I had a good sight picture and trigger squeeze for those shots.


So I stayed at 50 yards and shot another target. Here it is.





Once again - two different points of impact. At 50 yards from the bench with a scope at 10X all of those shots should be together. Again, they all felt right when the hammer fell.


So I pinned a target to the 75 yard frame and took five more shots.





Now that's really bad. Number 2, 3 & 4 are fine. But 1 & 5 stink. Something has to be wrong. I checked the scope mounts and everything was tight. Could the scope's internals be shifting a little?


Well, let's try a target at 100 yards.





Whoa!!! The gun should be shooting this load into 2" groups or less at 100 yards. Now I know for sure something is wrong.


It may be the scope, but I doubt it. Still, I wish I had brought along the ProDiamond that was on the gun before so I could change scopes just to check.


I suspect the gun is developing a bedding problem. It shot great out of the box for the first hundred shots or so. Then the groups started to open up a little and I noticed a slight side-to-side play of the barrel in the stock even with the two mounting screws cranked down tight.


The groups tightened up again after I put a little bedding on each side of the barrel where you see the blue color in this picture.





I think the little lady is due for a bedding job. My plan is to install aluminum pillars for the two mounting screws,



and fully bed the two recoil lugs and last eight inches of the barrel.




I'm a little hesitant though because the configuration of those barrel lugs may make it a difficult job. I don't want to end up with the barrel permanently glued to the stock.

Semi

If you have not done so already, you might remove the anchor screws from the recoil lugs, put some lock tight on then and tighten them down tight! They do tend to work loose with heat and cooling. On my Omega (older one) the blocks are welded in place - I like that....

Good point Sabotloader. That can be a problem with the screwed on lugs, and I did have it loosen up once. But I checked them this time and they were tight and rock solid.

Semi, I think some strategically placed modeling clay would keep them from being permanently affixed. I say go for it!

The scoped X7 has been glasbed. It helped the accuracy. I don't usually as a habit shoot good groups with this rifle, but i 'know' i can hit a deer with the X7 @ 300 yard. Probably never will, but if i ever get the chance, i won't pass.

It is full length glasbed from the end of the stock to the end of the action, and includes both lugs. I didn't do any pillar work. Doing a glasbed project isn't fun for me. There is only one thing that can go right, and a jillion things that can go wrong. The ram rod channel has to be protected, of course. One fella say he used silly putty; i used a piece of wood covered by masking tape, and painted on a lot of that bond breaker juice.

After 10 or so hour, i had to beat the barrel out of the stock, but it came out. I used plenty of bond breaker juice that came in the box. Today, the barrel still fits very tightly. The barrel is hard to remove from the stock now, and it also goes in hard.

Great idea Ron. Thanks for the tip.

What do you think are the pros and cons of full length vs. just the rear section from the breech to about an inch forward of the forward lug?

Well, i sure don't know. The reason i went for the full length bed, is it seems to me marrying the barrel with the stock would make everything more rigid, and consistent. It seems to me the reason for 'free floating' is because it is so very difficult to marry barrel and stock; hence the 'easy' way is to free float. Right or wrong, it just seemed to me that free floating works good, but full bedding should work better. I sure don't know.

Keep us posted Semi , my X7 is now getting close to 100 shots through it. I can still get good groups with the peep and no flyers yet.
Steve

Semi, you probably know about some threads here on the matter, but in case not, here is one. Spaniel has some good pics on the second page.

Remember, if/when you do the job, take lots of pics, before, during and after! :guiness:

Will do Hubby. I've decided to go ahead with the job. Ordered the stuff I'll be using for the bedding compound today.