GuysModel94
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Are these DIY improvements or should i have a professional do this? If DIY what are these best sources of info for this project? Rifle is Marlin XL7 in 30-06, laminate stock with an adjustable trigger. 
Glass Bedding & Free Floating a barrel
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critter
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I have done several. Order a glass bedding kit from Brownells, Midway, etc and directions will come in it. FOLLOW THEM TO THE LETTER and all will be well.
I've done a few It's pretty straightforward. The easy way to do the bedding is with a acraglass gel. As far as floating your barrel goes it's real easy just get a dowel that's slightly larger in diameter than your barrel and wrap it in sandpaper and sand out the barrel channel with it. It takes a little while but leaves the channel uniformly floated.
BrocLuno
Member
I'd drop by a internet site that deals in tuning the new Marlins. You may want to bed a bit more than just the action. Often it entail bedding out the first major reduction in barrel diameter (just past the steep taper). Those guys will have hashed out the best bet for accuracy.
I agree with the kit from Brownells. There stuff generally works as advertised.
It'll be fiddling with blue masking tape and release agent, but if done in a logical fashion it will definitely improve fit-up and that's a good thing
I agree with the kit from Brownells. There stuff generally works as advertised.
It'll be fiddling with blue masking tape and release agent, but if done in a logical fashion it will definitely improve fit-up and that's a good thing
I bed most if not all the rifles I own or work on (including an Irritating little Rossi, break barrel), and it USUALLY helps tighten up groups. The work is easy, as other folks have said, and I agree that the first time you do it use the accraglass kit, its easier. Its cheaper to use Marine Tex, and a decent car wax, after youve gotten the hang of things.
i was thinking about bedding the action and filling the hollow area under the barrel with glass on my savage 16.it shoots good but the flex in the forend of the plastic stock drives me nuts i am hopeing that filling the forend will take the flex out of it and give it a better feel.i am curious if anyone has tried this?
We have cut a groove in the forearm and laid piece of small tubing or all thread in there and filled the rest with 3m fiberglass resin and hardener but this is tricky keep that resin away from your guns metal parts! Disclaimer: I don't recommend doing this yourself and am in no way responsible for any damage you may cause to your gun in the process.
I use fiberglass mat and 1/4" steel tubing to do the forends of injection molded stocks. Again make sure you coat the whole barrel in some kinda release agent, just in case. It usually takes the directional flex out of the forend, or atleast mitigates it. It doesnt stop torque flex tho.
Something i forgot to mention earlier, and I realize this seems to go against what is now conventional wisdom, but free floating the barrel ISNT always the best answer. with some sporter weight barrels pressure bedding the tip of the forend can be a good thing. Untill recently i would float a barrel right off the bat but with one particular gun ive had to rethink that procedure. I found pressure bedding made a huge difference with my 7mm 700. Without the tip of the forend pressure bed it would string (goups ran 1/2-3/4" horizontal, and 1-1.5" vertical), with it done it shoots like it should.
Yeah, its really rifle dependent, it IS something i check now tho. It seems to work out better on light contour barrels of larger caliber. My 6mms and .22s have all prefered to be floated, my 7mm savage worked well floated, as does my currant (and quite heavy) 1903.
I had a .30-06 that would string almost exactly like my new 7mm was doing, side to side groups ran right at 3/4", but vertically they would shoot as much as 2"s from each other. I ended up selling that rifle because of that, wish id thought to try pressure bedding it, lost some money on the deal.
I had a .30-06 that would string almost exactly like my new 7mm was doing, side to side groups ran right at 3/4", but vertically they would shoot as much as 2"s from each other. I ended up selling that rifle because of that, wish id thought to try pressure bedding it, lost some money on the deal.
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HankB
Member
Yes, glass bedding a rifle IS a DIY project. I've glass bedded a couple of rifles myself that turned out just fine. I bed the action and a couple of inches of barrel just ahead of the action. (I don't bed the back of the tang; I just want the recoil lug taking up the recoil, not the back of the tang.)
In the case of a .375 H&H that had a secondary recoil lug on the barrel about 6" ahead of the action, I bedded the barrel up to and including that point. In order for the barrel lug to take most of the recoil, I used 1 layer of Scotch tape on the action lug (covered with release compound, and removed afterwards) so the front lug would bear just a little more than the action lug. Couple of hundred shots later it seems to have worked well.
I glass bed with the duct tape in place - except for the 2" or so of barrel closest to the action. But you MUST repeat MUST cover any tape you use as well as any metal that even MIGHT come in contact with the Acraglass with release compound! And mask the wood with masking tape, as some Acraglass WILL ooze out all over if you're doing it right.
Edited to add: I use mostly Acraglas Gel, around the action, and I add a little finely powdered metal to it, which improves the appearance and strengthens it. I've used regular Acraglas to do the barrel channel, but I imagine gel would have worked as well.
In the case of a .375 H&H that had a secondary recoil lug on the barrel about 6" ahead of the action, I bedded the barrel up to and including that point. In order for the barrel lug to take most of the recoil, I used 1 layer of Scotch tape on the action lug (covered with release compound, and removed afterwards) so the front lug would bear just a little more than the action lug. Couple of hundred shots later it seems to have worked well.
Most barrels have taper, so this doesn't always work. I prefer to put some duct tape (2 layers works well) on the barrel instead. I then sand out the channel by sliding coarse sandpaper back and forth along the length of the barrel channel (between the barrel and forend) while I progressively tighten the action screws. (Use care along the edges of the barrel channel so you don't round them over.) Once it's locked down, I have the room I need, but I still roughen the channel up a bit more with a Dremel.snakeman said:
I glass bed with the duct tape in place - except for the 2" or so of barrel closest to the action. But you MUST repeat MUST cover any tape you use as well as any metal that even MIGHT come in contact with the Acraglass with release compound! And mask the wood with masking tape, as some Acraglass WILL ooze out all over if you're doing it right.
Edited to add: I use mostly Acraglas Gel, around the action, and I add a little finely powdered metal to it, which improves the appearance and strengthens it. I've used regular Acraglas to do the barrel channel, but I imagine gel would have worked as well.
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GuysModel94
Member
Thanks guys, a lot of good info. Will use the kit from Brownell's as recommended, and let you know how it goes.
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