Bedding the SKS

[NC-Mike]

Here is a big picture. The action didn't contact at ALL of the epoxy, but id did contact part of every spot. I feel the critics coming; I am not a gunsmith I am a hobbyist/tinkerer!!


The grey/white flat areas are contact points. The not-so-shiny grey areas are uncontacted epoxy.

No, I'm not out to critique you or tell you you did something wrong it just looks as if you didn't get enough epoxy in there. I'm not saying you did it wrong, It just appears as if there was not a lot of bedding contact.

Did you wrap the action in the stock with a bungee cord or somehow otherwise secure it in the stock?

And yes, the Box O Truth guys got it going-on.



Here's what bedding usually looks like.

 

[maskedman504]

NC-Mike that photograph perfectly illustrates the point you were making. I thought about putting epoxy down the full length of the "rails" the action sits on in the stock. I may have been a bit cautious with the amount of epoxy used. Heck, I was just glad I was able to seperate the two to begin with.

I guess I can chalk this one up to experience.

 

[WNTFW]

Making decisions on what to cut away (inlet & relieve) and where to put bedding material is part of doing the job and part of the stress involved.

I know I would do some things differently after doing 1.

I will offer some contructive criticism. I think you could cut back on the paste wax. It does look like more material was needed at the very rear. Hindsight is 20/20.

Part of the problem I faced was not knowing which advice to follow. Some guys swear by surgical tubing & other say it is not the way to go.

One of the hardest things was waiting for the epoxy to set & not disturbing the gun & action.

I'm going to do a second rifle soon & it will probably be just as stressful because it is not a Rem 700.

 

[NC-Mike]

Hindsight is 20/20.

True that, but only those bold enough to go forth through the flames of doubt and fear gain the benefit of it.

 

[NC-Mike]

I think you could cut back on the paste wax.

That's a great way to apply it, now all it requires is a quick wipe down before you set it in the stock. As long as the action has a nice even, thin film of wax on it, the epoxy won't stick. A good even film will be just fine.

Again, bravo for delving into rifle bedding. Experience is invaluable and now you have some.

And BTW, I think it was an excellent idea to bed that SKS. It could only help.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Re: Surgical tubing...

It's used like sort of a giant rubber band, wrapped around the epoxied stock and the release-compound-coated action, to hold them firmly together. This eliminates the need for attaching the trigger mechanism and/or trigger guard and/or magazine plate, to the bottom of the stock, which would require that you stick those trigger guard screws up through the epoxied area and screw the action down normally.

NOT using the screws eliminates the possibility of getting some epoxy in the screws, thus making the job permanent! For me, it eases my mind considerably when doing the setting of the bbl/action into the epoxy.

After setting the action into the epoxy "just right," you simply wrap the surgical tubing around the action with some tension (we're just holding the assembly together, here, we're not holding charging lions at bay), making sure to over-wrap the start of the tubing, and tucking the tail end of the tubing under one of the wraps. Voila! Everything stays just where you put it while the epoxy sets.

ETA--BTW, epoxy does not stick to surgical rubber, so if some oozes out, you can still get the rubber off with no hassle, then you have to cut and sand away the oozed material. I'd wait 'til it's set up to work on it, rather than trying to wipe it away as it oozes out.

As for the OP, he'd sent his trigger group away to be worked on--In the SKS, it's the trigger group that holds the action/bbl and the stock together, so he was forced to use some other means of attachment.

A final thought--Maskedman 504--if you don't like those voids in the bedding right at the butt end of the action, you can simply apply another coat of release compound to that area of the action, mix up a little more JB Weld and dab it into the voids, slap action and stock together once again, let sit for another 24, and bingo, no more voids. If they don't bother you (and with the SKS's anemic recoil, you certainly don't need extra strength in that area,) then just reassemble and be done with it--nobody else need know.

If you get too much bedding compound in there and it sets up, no probbie--just hog it out good with a Dremel tool or such, and re-apply. A nuisance to be sure, but a comfort in knowing that you're not stuck (pun intended) with a bad job should things turn out that way.

 

[maskedman504]

A final thought--Maskedman 504--if you don't like those voids in the bedding right at the butt end of the action, you can simply apply another coat of release compound to that area of the action, mix up a little more JB Weld and dab it into the voids, slap action and stock together once again, let sit for another 24, and bingo, no more voids. If they don't bother you (and with the SKS's anemic recoil, you certainly don't need extra strength in that area,) then just reassemble and be done with it--nobody else need know.

I had though about that and may consider it. The dremel is a good suggestion also. Sand paper would take forever.

Well, I have a planned trip to the range on Sunday; hopefully my trigger gets back here by Sat. so I can put her back together and post some new groupings. Thanks for all the great advice guys!

 

[Speedo66]

When I first got my Norinco SKS there was enough slop that you could feel the action move in the stock if you played with it.

Luckily, I had a used beer can handy and cut a few strips of aluminum out and shimmed the stock.

Made a big difference in accuracy.

 

[maskedman504]

When I first got my Norinco SKS there was enough slop that you could feel the action move in the stock if you played with it.

Luckily, I had a used beer can handy and cut a few strips of aluminum out and shimmed the stock.

Made a big difference in accuracy.

That was my motivation; I could actually wiggle the action from side to side and from front to back, albeit a small amount. My AK's mag wobble drive me nuts- this was intolerable!

 

[NC-Mike]

I had that happen with a CMP Rack Grade Garand. The action moved about 3/8 of an inch, back and forth.

I got a new stock and then I sold it. It was a problem child from day one.

 

[maskedman504]

I had that happen with a CMP Rack Grade Garand. The action moved about 3/8 of an inch, back and forth.

I got a new stock and then I sold it. It was a problem child from day one.

This is not supposed to do this!! :banghead:

 

[maskedman504]

Well guys, the trigger arrived back today; man, what a difference!! And the rifle all fit back together. Going to the range tomorrow to give it a run through. I also compared the trigger in my Yugo with my Dad's SKS- woah, I repeat, the difference is huge. The Ruskie has atleast 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch of play, where as my trigger from Kivaari breaks dead clean. So, tomorrow will be fun; giving the new and improved Yugo a chance to show me what I can do and I am shooting my Win .30-30 for the first time also, haha!!

I love my Yugo, but my Dad's Ruskie is sure pretty.