Recoil Lug Bedding

S

shelton573

Active member
So I have a thread going in the reloading section about 52gr Bergers. A few folks that seem very knowledgeable (thanks for the info everyone!) tell me that bedding the whole action and even just the recoil lug will help eliminate my issues. I got bored last night and started watching some videos on DIY bedding and found a guy that used Pro-Bed 2000 to do his recoil lug. It seems pretty straight forward to use and its pretty inexpensive. Just curious if this is a good route to go?...has anyone used the product?...should I not waste my time doing it and pay someone to do it?...are there better options that don't cost an arm and a leg? In his video it shows where it actually pushed the epoxy out and made a thin bed between the action and the stock (pic below). Is this what you want for bedding the recoil lug or do you want just enough to fill around the lug in the inlet and not push it out?
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Here is a link to the product that he uses:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1406321274/score-high-pro-bed-2000-glass-bedding-kit

And here is the link to his video. My biggest question is how he goes about not getting epoxy in the action screw hole hah.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ARIl9MSMnYk

Sorry for my ignorance, but I have zero experience with bedding and I would like to try it myself cause I like to tinker. Any info is much appreciated! Thanks!

Shelton
 
I bedded the recoil lug on my Sendero using JB weld marine, I taped the lug and barrel,action with green painters masking tape. I used Pam non stick spray for a release coating. My result was very similar to the photo, I think it is fine to have some bedding 1 inch or so forward of the lug you can use a dremel to clean/even up the edges of the bedding. The JB was 4.99 at the hardware store.
 
Doesn't look too bad. I use acraglas mostly and also have used marinetex. Do the tang while your at it. If you use acraglas you can dye it as well.

Another trick is to put a piece of old credit card in the bottom of recoil lug hole, this thickens the bed job and floats the barrel in one move. I also like the geometry a bit better. Less drop at comb.
 
Originally Posted By: spotstalkshootI bedded the recoil lug on my Sendero using JB weld marine, I taped the lug and barrel,action with green painters masking tape. I used Pam non stick spray for a release coating. My result was very similar to the photo, I think it is fine to have some bedding 1 inch or so forward of the lug you can use a dremel to clean/even up the edges of the bedding. The JB was 4.99 at the hardware store.

Thanks for the info! Do you put "release agent" on the paint wrapped lug or will the tape itself take care of that? I sure would hate to do it wrong and JB weld my action into the stock hah!. Also, what do you do to prevent it from getting around the action screw, just put release agent on it? Thanks!

Shelton
 
Originally Posted By: bushyDoesn't look too bad. I use acraglas mostly and also have used marinetex. Do the tang while your at it. If you use acraglas you can dye it as well.

Another trick is to put a piece of old credit card in the bottom of recoil lug hole, this thickens the bed job and floats the barrel in one move. I also like the geometry a bit better. Less drop at comb.

Thanks for the reply bushy! I assume it brings it up because the lug sits on the card? Thanks!

Shelton
 
This is NOT the way to bed a lug. There is so much wrong with this, it's not worth correcting. Never tighten a Remington action to 60 inch pounds, as it will bend it! Putting glass in front of a lug will change the impact point as the barrel heats. Some guy on U-Tube is not always the way to learn. Lots has been learned in the last few years about bedding a action, so what someone did years ago, may be costing you accuracy. I would do a lot more reading and research before starting. I would start on the bench rest forums. You want a stress free action, setting perfectly. You can do it, just slow down and do it right the first time. Larry Potterfield at Midway has a fair video.
 
I sprayed one shot on the taped lug,Pam on action screws. Taped the stock anywhere I did not want JB sticking to. I believe you need the thickness of the tape around the lug to allow stock removal without prying or stress on stock. If I remember correctly,I pulled the action after about 2 hours clean off the excess JB and then reset and torqued the action screws and left it over night. It was tight removal in the morning and was a slight friction fit when I removed the tape from the lug.Gunwerks has utube video on lug bedding a Sendero.
 
Think about it - you want the recoil lug to fit tightly - why in the sam he11 would you put tape around it that makes it fit loosely?

I was shown to put two layers of tape on the bottom of the lug so it doesn't sit on the bottom, and "optional" for one layer across the front to make removal easier, which I've done both ways, still haven't decided whether I prefer this "option" or not. There shouldn't be ANY space on the sides or rear.

I was also taught to embed the pillars into the stock, then inlet around them such that the rifle doesn't change position (elevation) in the stock, and that you should never bed one end of the action without doing the other, lest you create flexion pressure on the action.

Any jackwagon with a camera phone can be an internet expert these days.
 
Bed it tight, especially the lug area. You want the back of the lug against the bedding at all times. Taping the front of the lug leaves space for the lug to move forward when reassembling.
 
I don't tape the lug and I bed the tang also. I use Devcon 10110 and Have used JB weld, both have held up and worked great. Hornady 1 shot is an excellent release agent. When I set the action in the stock I press down lightly until the epoxy runs out and the action settles in and then I use electrical tape to hold everything in place.
 
I won't venture into the land of arguing with 47 complete strangers on the internet who have various opinions on how to bed a rifle recoil lug.

That said, two very competent rifle builders who I have complete confidence in because both of them have built extremely accurate hunting rifles and varmint rifles for me agree. Whether for a wood stock or a synthetic stock, both offer the following advice from experience:

The front, sides and bottom of a traditional recoil lug should not touch the bedding. These recoil lug areas should be relieved with electrical tape/masking tape during the bedding process so that the only point on the recoil lug that touches the completed bedding is the back of the recoil lug. And they are not alone with that opinion.

An example: About 10 years ago I had a very nice rife in a synthetic stock built by a good smith. On warm days it shot fine and on cold days it didn't. I took it to one of the two smiths mentioned above and I told him what I was seeing. A day later he called me and told me that he had relieved the sides of the recoil lug from touching the bedding material. The front side had been relieved originally. Since then the rifle has shot extremely well in all kinds of weather. Two morals to the story:

1. All rifles stocks flex; wood due to moisture and synthetic due to temperature (Yes, gasp, they do..!!)

2. If anything other than the rear of the recoil lug is touching the stock or bedding, the chances of having problems is greatly increased due to stock shifts.

Any smith worth his salt will tell you that if you remove the rifle from the stock, when you reassemble it, make sure that the back of the lug is in contact with the bedding. To insure that the rear side of the recoil lug is in contact with the bedding, lightly thump the butt of the rifle on a floor before fully tightening the front recoil lug screw.

Carry on and fire away.
 
Originally Posted By: Winny Fan
The front, sides and bottom of a traditional recoil lug should not touch the bedding. These recoil lug areas should be relieved with electrical tape/masking tape during the bedding process so that the only point on the recoil lug that touches the completed bedding is the back of the recoil lug. And they are not alone with that opinion.



Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!

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Originally Posted By: ninehorsesThis is NOT the way to bed a lug. There is so much wrong with this, it's not worth correcting.
heck we all have spare time otherwise we probably would not be reading this. why don't you go ahead and tell us what is wrong and the correct way. i will listen and learn.

Originally Posted By: ninehorsesNever tighten a Remington action to 60 inch pounds, as it will bend it!
if it is bedded correctly it can not or should not bend no matter how much you tighten it. that is what i would think anyway.
 
Shelton, I don't remember if you have a remington or a savage but if it is a savage do not bed the tang. You want the tang floating on a savage. Again I'm not sure what you are running. Couldn't find it in previous posts. Anyways good luck. I've bedded a couple myself and it isn't terribly tough.
 
Shelton573,I used Pro-Bed on two different rifles with fantastic
results, but after 5-7 years, the stuff softened on me resulting
in poor accuracy. It's a real pain to get that out so it can be
bedded with something a little better. I use Devcon, but have
used JB Weld and it has held up. The small set of squeeze tubes
of JB is all you need for your project.

Some of the advice you've received here is setting you up for
disaster if you follow it. Your rifle will be shooting shotgun
groups if you follow it. Heed the warnings of ninehorses and
Winny Fan.

Only rifles having a rear action screw through the tang should
have the tang bedded. Is yours?

Here is a very good read. Even though it is much more involved
than your project, you can pick out of it what you need to do
with your rifle. And this isn't just some dreamed up project
someone thought was a good idea. Richard Franklin did this most
of his life prior to retiring. You can get the straight of it
right here:

http://www.6mmbr.com/pillarbedding.html



 
I taped around the lug not the front or rear face of the lug, following gunwerks instructions for factory Sendero long range rifles . Worked well.
 
Quote:The front, sides and bottom of a traditional recoil lug should not touch the bedding. These recoil lug areas should be relieved with electrical tape/masking tape during the bedding process so that the only point on the recoil lug that touches the completed bedding is the back of the recoil lug. And they are not alone with that opinion. Not alone? I should say not. That is the majority opinion. As for bedding compound, my favorite is Devcon 10110. The best release agent I have ever used is Kiwi Nuetral shoe polish.
 
Originally Posted By: AnkenyQuote:The front, sides and bottom of a traditional recoil lug should not touch the bedding. These recoil lug areas should be relieved with electrical tape/masking tape during the bedding process so that the only point on the recoil lug that touches the completed bedding is the back of the recoil lug. And they are not alone with that opinion. Not alone? I should say not. That is the majority opinion. As for bedding compound, my favorite is Devcon 10110. The best release agent I have ever used is Kiwi Nuetral shoe polish.

"And they are not alone with that opinion" is just my way of saying what you said.
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Beyond that, as previously stated, some of the advice offered here is bordering on a train wreck in terms of bedding a conventional rifle recoil lug.
 
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