[Sven]

I'm guessing that glass-bedded rifles need to be 'babied' a bit more than non-bedded couterparts? Is this correct?

How does care of a bedded rifle differ from a non-bedded piece?

I've heard that it is a major 'no-no' to remove a gun from the bedding... can someone explain 'best practices' in this regard?

[Gewehr98]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you're talking about an M1A/M14 type rifle, correct?

Otherwise, bedded guns tend to perform best when the bedding is left alone, and the action screws are left at a constant torque. Changes in the system will result in point-of-impact drift.

Non-bedded guns can be more prone to the same drift, especially if they're stocked in wood, with some gaps in the action-to-stock interface.

[Steve Smith]

If'n you're talking about that new M1A, take it out of the stock maybe once a year for a lookee-see and re-lube. Or ask THE MAN what he wants you to do. ;)

BTW, as the bedding (inevitably) deteriorates, you can have it re-skimmed for a new tight fit.

[Art Eatman]

I've never messed with glass bedding. I know a bit about epoxy resin and glass cloth, since I had fiberflass-bodied race cars. From curiosity, how would there be deterioration? Compression, from recoil?

I've never done any actual measuring, but it's my feeling that epoxy resin sets up to be harder than most woods...

Art

[dakotasin]

if we are talking about bedded receiver, floating barrelled bolt-guns, then i have never done anything special for care. if we are talking about something different, then i don't know.

most of my bolt-guns are bedded (maybe even all of 'em, i don't know) and have floating barrels, and i find this combination to be extremely accurate and durable.

[Steve Smith]

Art, while I have never shot an M1A enough to deteriorate the bedding, I know quite a few HP old timers who have done it several times. Compression from recoil is the problem, according to them. Unfortunately, some have had the bedding to go TU in the middle of a match, so once bitten twice shy. Many started having a re-skim every two years at barrel change) after that.

[Art Eatman]

Thanx.

That's what was so neat about TFL and is so great about THR: The variety of shooting disciplines which allows cross-pollination of ideas and knowledge...

:), Art

[HankL]

I too wish that Sven had been a bit more specific in his question.
Care of a bedded rifle, versus free floating
Which is the title of this thread has little to do with the question
I'm guessing that glass-bedded rifles need to be 'babied' a bit more than non-bedded couterparts?

We could go on for a while about wood grown onto the steel inletting and it's care when removing the action from the stock.

If what Sven is talking about is a bedded vs non bedded Garand or M14/M1A type my answer would be this. Either you take care of your accuracy enhanced bedded rifle or pull your non bedded, less accuaracy enhanced version out of the stock at will. The non bedded rifle will become more loose in the stock after time as well.

The wear and tear part of removing an action of the M1A type comes from rocking the action in the bedding while trying to seperate the two. Because of the gas cylinder's engagement to the stock ferrule this wear and tear is a given.

Bedding going TU during a service rifle match would indicate a problem with the initial bedding job having air gaps being worn through, not being mixed properly and becoming what is called "sugar soft" or worn bedding finally giving up after the recoil compression had been directed to the last few high spots left on it after wear and tear to get one more match out of it or a problem with the stock itself. Solvents and oil should not affect the bedding compound but may deteriorate the bedding's adhesion to the stock material itself.
Skim bedding will replace the wear and tear due to action removal on a good bedding job.

My 2 cents

[Gewehr98]

the bedding ain't messed with on a regular basis. My M14NM hasn't been out of the stock more than about 6 times in the last 10 years. Of course, it's bedded using Devcon with some aluminum powder mixed in, which makes for a very stable medium, too. How do I clean my gas system? I take the gas cylinder plug out, and go from that angle. Sure, there's some carbon and soot in places that I haven't gotten to, but the gun cycles and functions just fine, and keeps it's groups tight, too. No, it isn't clean enough to eat off of, but it wouldn't be after the first fouling shot, anyway.

There is a technique for cleaning and oiling an M1 Garand, where the gun stands on it's muzzle after the gas piston end of the oprod gets some oil. With a wood-stocked M1 Garand and M14/M1A, there are a bunch of tricks to avoid loosening up the bedding and putting excessive "crush" on the wood between the trigger group and receiver.

[Steve Smith]

Guys, I appreciate your input, but jsut for the record the guys I'm talking about have hed their rifles built by some of the best in the country, and knew better than to let solvents drain into the bedding. I wasn't there, so I can only report what they have told be.

[HankL]

Steve, Only two of my M1A types were built up by Clint McKee one of which is his Pearless version. I would consider him as being one of the best. The other, a M21 configuration with an original Maremount barrel was built up by a couple of unknown guys down here in Miss.

My only points were wishing that Sven had been a little more specific in his question and that bedding going TU during a match was most likely due to a problem that the shooter knew about before the match but thought the rifle was good for one more go round.

Art and Art's Grandmaw, TU is a military acronym for catastrophic failure ;)

[Steve Smith]

that bedding going TU during a match was most likely due to a problem that the shooter knew about before the match but thought the rifle was good for one more go round.

I agree with that.


I figured that Tango Uniform reference would ring with the appropriate ears! :D

Clint... :uhoh: I'm not going there publicly.