I recently built a sporterized mauser with Boyds stock. The barrel, sporter profile, does not center in the stock barrel channel. Sand open the channel to center, shim the barrel at the centered position and bed the action. After the bedding dried, shim removed and tighten the action screws, the barrel is not centered again. There isn't much wood that I can sand further to compensate for the uneven gap. What can I do to fix it? Barrel is free floated now, just the annoying uneven gaps.
Stock bedding and uneven barrel gaps
- Thread starter HankC
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hoghunting
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- Feb 16, 2006
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You can always bed the barrel channel. I wrapped the barrel in 0.020" thick vinyl tape - it's used to wrap underground gas line - and bedded the barrel channel with AccraGlas Gel. Just stain it to match the stock.
dho3
Member
Explain how you bedded the action, specifically, shimming the barrel. Typically, one would center the barrel in the channel with electrical tape wrapped around the barrel about, say half way down, so that it is parallel to the channel and at the proper height. If the barrel and action move a significant amount when tightening the action screws, then a stress free bedding platform has not be made. Any pictures?
The barrel was not wrapped. I use paper carboard to shim btw the barrel and stock at the tight side at about 2" in front of receiver when I bed it. The barrel is free float when I bed. It stays free float after removing the shim and tightening the action screws. Barrel bottom to stock clearance is about the same just left and right gaps changed. I don't think it is because stock springs back after shim removed since I shim at close to receiver.
sounds like you are getting side pressure on the action when the screws are tightened. check the wood around the sides of the action. should see compression marks or black (oil) spots on wood where it hits the side of the action. if so, it needs to be removed.
murf
murf
That is what I thought when I bed it the 2nd time. I painted the action with permanent marker ink to check interference and remove where I see stains on the stock. I make sure the action moves freely before the screws tightened. Does not help much, it still drift action to one side and barrel at fore end becomes uneven when the shim is removed. I even opened up stock around the trigger/magazine to make sure that is not the cause. It was a tight fit before. My other mausers are tight fit but does not show uneven barrel gaps. The uneven gaps are only noticeable at the far front.
dho3
Member
Pictures would be nice. Simply centering the barrel with electrical tape is all that should be necessary unless another problem exists. Did you pillar bed the action?
243winxb
Member
What dho3 said.
Laminated stock. Look straight to me. I tried the electrical tape wrapped around the barrel trick and rebed the action again. It looks promissing when I bed it but this morning I took the barrel off, removed the tape and tighten the action screws, barrel still off center to the same side.
dho3
Member
Please take some pics and post them. It would make things a lot easier for everyone here to judge what is the problem.
make sure your action screw holes are not binding up on the stock when you tighten up the action. you may have to hog out the holes to relieve side pressure. if screw head is off center to the bottom of the stock, that too can cause side pressure (hard to describe with words, but any side pressure from anywhere can cause the barrel to side-shift when tightened up. hope this helps.
murf
murf
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