Bedding Question

[gunboat57]

My JC Higgins 51-L (Husqvarna 1640 action, High Standard barrel, Sears logo) has a large diameter section or boss right where the rear sight is dovetailed on. The rest of the barrel foreward of that is pretty thin.

First question is did some Model 70 Winchesters have that kind of barrel contour?

Second question is should that boss be bedded, or just bed the action and leave everything else free floating?

 

[Vern Humphrey]

1. Yes. The old Model 70s had a boss or swelling on the barrel. The rear sight was mounted in a dovetail in the boss, and the forward stock screw nut was mounted on the underside in another dovetail.

2. Generally speaking, leave the barrel free-floating. If you don't get good accuracy, take a business card and put a strip in the stock channel a couple of inches back from the fore end. If that improves accuracy, a dab of epoxy makes a permanent substitute for the card strip. Often people who bed like this put in two dabs -- one on either side of the barrel at the 4:00 and 8:00 O'clock positions, forming a sort of V-block effect.

 

[Bullet Bob]

How well does it shoot now?

 

[gunboat57]

With Federal Power Shok 80gr ammo I'm getting 3" groups at 100 yards. With my reloads with 60gr bullets the groups are 1" or less. I'll be using this rifle primarily for varmint hunting so the 60gr groups are nice but I wondered if there might be a bedding problem because of the large groups from the commercial ammo.

My rifle has bedding material under the rear sight boss and I was considering removing it.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

If you're getting 1" groups with handloads in your preferred bullet weight, I'd apply the old maxim, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."