Glass Bedding a Rifle
 

Hey guys,

A smith told me that he would glass bed my new Winchester because the action while tight in the stock is touching on too many surfaces. They said it should only be touching in a couple of key surfaces.

The new Winchester rifles come with some kind of plastic poured in bedding compound. Just for some back up info. It's just pretty tough to see if you don't know what you're looking for.

Can anyone explain to me what they are talking about when they say it's touching in too many places?

Thanks

Tom

removed by RD

This question is specific to the action not the barrel. The rifle is completely floated all the way back to the action.

Tom

The new Winchesters are the pre64 action that is pillar bedded. I don't know why the smith wants to bed the whole action, it usually isn't necessary. When bedding my guns I bed the tang, the recoil lug and the the chamber up to the first 2" of the barrel past the chamber. Depending on the stock I will either install some shims to pre float the barrel while bedding or open up the barrel channel. Perhaps some of the career smiths on here like Stalking Bear or Big Bulls who may have some experience with the FN made Winchesters will have better input.

Why is the smith wanting to bed the action, is there an accuracy issue? I am however kind of confused, from my understanding you want consistent contact across as much of the actions surface as possible, from what you've described he wants to decrease the surface contact.

TC,

That is my understanding as well.

All,

Either way I'm in search of a new gunsmith in my area. SE Michigan.

If anyone knows of one fire away.

I'd still like to know if anyone can rationalize what the smith told me.

Tom

removed by RD

It should look like a glob of fiberglass at the area where the recoil lug is. Most only want the recoil lug bedded along with the tang and rest just floating. But I won't do the tang area again.

Just a little off topic. I just bought a Remmington 700 SPS 22-250 with a heavy Varment Barrel. I have been reading that it should be glass bedded. It has the composite stock. Should I mess with it? It shoots nice and straight but if bedding it will help me get out a bit further with better accuracy, I am all for it. What do yal think?

removed by RD

I like all of my rifles bedded well. Just to keepout flyers. The guns with the H-S stocks, are already block bedded.

statjunk,

I can't add much to this discussion, but in terms of a gunsmith in Michigan, I can recommend Dick Williams in Saginaw. It is a bit of a drive, but worth it in my opinion. He's a knowledgable old timer with a stable of competent workers and turns out good work at very fair prices and very good advice.
He's done some drilling and tapping of actions for me, trigger work, cutting and turning of some bolts to a sporter configuration. All the work was top notch and beautifully done. That was my experience anyway.

He also worked on some of my dad's old Browning and JP Sauer & Sons pistols ... the work was completed in short order and done nicely.

For anything obscure he's the guy, and with the plain jane vanilla stuff he's still the guy.

http://www.dickwilliamsgunshop.com/

Good luck

ive got the same exact gun that you do, well not the same exact one, because i have my own...try crio freezing, i jsut had mine done and its great, also did a trigger job on it (very easy with the 700 sps, look up how to do it, just make sure you dont lighten it too much and have the gun fire when you close the bolt) and i threw one of those limsavers barrel deresonators on, and that brought my groups in real tight, they just look goofy. as for bedding im lost witht he whole concept, all i know is the stock im getting in a few weeks is gonna have a full lenght aluminum bedding system.

When a rifle is fired, ultrasonic vibrations occur. If the steel is touching the wood unevenly, this will cause the barrel to be in a different position in its vibration pattern when each bullet exits. This causes the bullets to strike at various places in relation to one another, resulting in large groups on the target. By having the barrel and action bedded correctly, group sizes will shrink.

Ahhhh i gotcha, makes sense now

Johnson's Sporting Goods on M52 just North of Adrian...

"I bed the tang" Sorry guy's I just can't help myself.Last "Tang " I bedded .I ended up marrying her............:rolleyes:

Doesn't that usually have to be preceeded by a four letter word starting with P and ending in N. Have to play nice for the word police.