How to properly bed the O3A3 ?

[pahrumpcaveman]

I have a cracked stock on my A3 and want to glass bed the action . Should I free float the barrel ? Someone was telling me it should have six pounds of upward pressure on the barrel at the end . Normally I would not alter an old rifle like this, but the stock is cracked at the forward lug area and the thing prints all over the place . As it stands there is no upward barrel pressure . It just sits in there and when you fire it ,I would imagine it would just rattle around . The question is , after I bed the action and it dries . Should I free float the barrel , thus removing any rattling ? Or should I rig up some way to put this 6 pounds of upward pressure on the barrel and pour some Acraglass under it ? Thus giving me 6 lb of upward pressure when it dries .

 

[mete]

Forget trying to get 6 lbs. Mine is bedded complete on the receiver + 2" of the barrel. Relieve the stock for the barrel before bedding and make sure you repair stock first, then bed the action and barrel. Don't forget the release agent !!

 

[1911Tuner]

03a3

Forget trying to get 6 lbs. Mine is bedded complete on the receiver + 2" of the barrel. Relieve the stock for the barrel before bedding and make sure you repair stock first, then bed the action and barrel. Don't forget the release agent !!

That's exactly how I bedded mine and it worked out well. I'm assuming that you have the issue stock and not a sporter? My rifle has the 4-groove barrel, which helped...and it was fairly low-mileage...which also helped, though I did have to
cut the damaged rifling out by setting removing about a quarter-inch from the muzzle and recrowning it.

Cavemen, I'm gonna move this one to Rifle Country and let those lads over there have at it. There are some pretty sharp riflesmiths on that forum who could probably write a book on tips for the '03 Springfield.

Welcome aboard!


Tuner

 

[pahrumpcaveman]

Ok , thanks Tuner

 

[cracked butt]

After you bed the rifle, you can clamp it in a vice inverted, hand about 6 lbs of weights off the front of the barrel by a string, then shim the diffence or add bedding compound.

I would try it free floated firast, if that doesn't work, shim the barrel with upward pressure until it shoots right.

IIRC even the national match '03's had upward pressure- somewhere between 5 to 10 lbs. You might have to reliver the inside of the front band a little with a dremmel tool or a dowel wrapped in sandpaper, the '03 will shoot best if the barrel does not contact the band at all.

 

[Khornet]

I agree

with bedding first 2" of barrel ahead of the receiver and floating the rest. My Remington 03A3 gives me 1/2 MOA with handloads after that treatment. Also make sure the rear face only of the recoil lug-not the sides or bottom- is in contact with bedding. Can be done by putting one or two layers of tape on the areas you don't want in contact before bedding, then removing tape. Try to relieve the wood around both fore and aft receiver screws so they don't act as secondary recoil lugs. I also bedded the bottom metal after a trial and found some improvement.