mickeydim468
Member
Action bedding questions... Less felt recoil maybe?
I have recently bedded the actions of 2 rifles. I have never done this before, but I was able to do it to both rifles without too much difficulty.
The first rifle I did was my US model of 1917 30 Caliber Remington, commonly call an M1917 or P17 Enfield. This is the rifle I had which had been sporterized with a cut down military original stock to look like a modern hunting stock with a shortened barrel to 20".
Well, I started by removing the stock and putting it on a shelf for safe keeping. Then I took the stock off my brand new Weatherby .300 Win Mag rifle and set the barreled action aside. Then I got out my rotozip and carved away at the synthetic stock until my M1917 action fit. I re-drilled the tang bolt screw hold and it fell right in. Then I opened the barrel channel a tiny bit to allow it to free float the barrel and then I bedded the action and first 2 inches of the barrel. I now have a Eddystone, Enfield, Remington, Weatherby, Winchester rifle in 30-06. Then I put a scope on it and painted it in a weird psychodelic cammo pattern and took it out shooting. I will get back to that part.
Then I took my newish Weatherby .243 Win apart and bedded the stock the same way I did my M1917. The I put it back together and painted it for a light colored cammo with leaf stensils for a pretty cool looking cammo pattern. Then I took it out to shoot.
Here is my main question... Other than a gain in accuracy, what benefits are there for bedding the action?
I will tell you that both rifles improved dramatically in the accuracy once the scopes were re-sighted in. I put 5 shots in just over an inch with the M1917 but three in one ragged hole. The .243 3 shots were just over .35" for 3 shots and just under an inch for 5 shots.
What I did not expect or maybe it was just me. Neither rifles recoil is as bad as it was before the bedding job. I can even hold the .243 on target and see the hit on the paper through the scope as it hits. Come to think about it, I could with the 30-06 too. I have never been able to do that before. Is this a side affect of the bedding that really doesn't get mentioned? I also know that one of the other things I did while bedding the rifles was to make sure they were balanced under the magazine. I had to put just a little epoxy resin in the butt of the .243 to make it equal at the magazine and the 30-06 was just right after finishing up the bedding. I wonder which part had the most affect on the shooting?
Any ideas or thoughts welcome.
Thanks guys!
Mikey!
P.S. If anyone is wondering why I took the synthetic stock off of my .300 Win Mag... I ordered a stock from Richards Microfit that should be here in about 6 weeks from now for that rifle. It is a semi-fancy claro walnut with rosewood tips and maple spacers in a dual grip with a thumbhole and a pachmeir decelerator 1" pad. I will be finishing that stock too as well as bedding the action. I will post some pics of that project when I do it.
I have recently bedded the actions of 2 rifles. I have never done this before, but I was able to do it to both rifles without too much difficulty.
The first rifle I did was my US model of 1917 30 Caliber Remington, commonly call an M1917 or P17 Enfield. This is the rifle I had which had been sporterized with a cut down military original stock to look like a modern hunting stock with a shortened barrel to 20".
Well, I started by removing the stock and putting it on a shelf for safe keeping. Then I took the stock off my brand new Weatherby .300 Win Mag rifle and set the barreled action aside. Then I got out my rotozip and carved away at the synthetic stock until my M1917 action fit. I re-drilled the tang bolt screw hold and it fell right in. Then I opened the barrel channel a tiny bit to allow it to free float the barrel and then I bedded the action and first 2 inches of the barrel. I now have a Eddystone, Enfield, Remington, Weatherby, Winchester rifle in 30-06. Then I put a scope on it and painted it in a weird psychodelic cammo pattern and took it out shooting. I will get back to that part.
Then I took my newish Weatherby .243 Win apart and bedded the stock the same way I did my M1917. The I put it back together and painted it for a light colored cammo with leaf stensils for a pretty cool looking cammo pattern. Then I took it out to shoot.
Here is my main question... Other than a gain in accuracy, what benefits are there for bedding the action?
I will tell you that both rifles improved dramatically in the accuracy once the scopes were re-sighted in. I put 5 shots in just over an inch with the M1917 but three in one ragged hole. The .243 3 shots were just over .35" for 3 shots and just under an inch for 5 shots.
What I did not expect or maybe it was just me. Neither rifles recoil is as bad as it was before the bedding job. I can even hold the .243 on target and see the hit on the paper through the scope as it hits. Come to think about it, I could with the 30-06 too. I have never been able to do that before. Is this a side affect of the bedding that really doesn't get mentioned? I also know that one of the other things I did while bedding the rifles was to make sure they were balanced under the magazine. I had to put just a little epoxy resin in the butt of the .243 to make it equal at the magazine and the 30-06 was just right after finishing up the bedding. I wonder which part had the most affect on the shooting?
Any ideas or thoughts welcome.
Thanks guys!
Mikey!
P.S. If anyone is wondering why I took the synthetic stock off of my .300 Win Mag... I ordered a stock from Richards Microfit that should be here in about 6 weeks from now for that rifle. It is a semi-fancy claro walnut with rosewood tips and maple spacers in a dual grip with a thumbhole and a pachmeir decelerator 1" pad. I will be finishing that stock too as well as bedding the action. I will post some pics of that project when I do it.
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