favourite bedding compound?

[Kilo Charlie]

What does everyone like best for bedding rifles?
My experience is limited; I've only ever used DevCon epoxy.
Turtle wax as a release agent.

I'm thinking of trying an AcraGlas kit and wondering if most prefer the original AcraGlas or the AcraGlas Gel?

 

[vmax204]

I prefer the gel over the standard acra glass but recently tried a Wheeler Myles and Gilbert series Bed Rock kit and was very impressed. Available on Amazon so for me getting free delivery in less than a week was worth the try and will use again for sure.

 

[prarie_boy]

Devcon

 

[guntech]

What does everyone like best for bedding rifles?
My experience is limited; I've only ever used DevCon epoxy.
Turtle wax as a release agent.

I'm thinking of trying an AcraGlas kit and wondering if most prefer the original AcraGlas or the AcraGlas Gel?

AcraGlas since 1966 and I added AcraGlas Gel when ever it came out... best products as far as I was concerned. Easy to remove too. Gel gets a lot of use...

 

[Canuck65]

Devcon steel. Very easy to work with. I use clear kiwi shoe polish as a release agent.

 

[Lodi]

First choice AcraGlas, second choice AcraGlas Gel. Paste wax for the release agent.

 

[Decker9]

Iv used devcon, Acraglas and marine tex. Marine tex is my new favourite, and so far it has shown me the best shelf life.

Both acraglas kits I have gotten, were very grainy with little white pellet looking things that wouldn’t mix in. I found it didn’t harden up as well as other stuff Iv used. Not sure if maybe they were both outdated?

 

[bearhunter]

Devcon steel. Very easy to work with. I use clear kiwi shoe polish as a release agent.

Devcon Steel or Titanium Putty are my "go to" compounds for bedding jobs. That being said, they're very expensive but much harder when cured than most other compounds. I don't bother with pillars when I use these.

Guntech is telling it straight about Acra Glass Gel. Some folks really don't like it, but I like it as well.

Another kit that's as good as but you can't control the color, is Pro Bed 2000.

Princess Auto sells a product called QUIKSTEEL, which is already mixed and you cut off as much as you think you need, mash it together to get a consistent hue, whatever color you want, as long as it's gray, then press into where you want it to be.

The nice thing about this stuff is that it adheres well to composite stocks as well.

MAKE SURE YOU USE RELEASE AGENT OF SOME SORT, because it doesn't come with anything. Kiwi Shoe Polish or Furniture Paste Wax works well.

If you don't use release agent with any of the compounds, you're basicly glueing everything together permanently.

I bought a lovely Remington 700 a few years ago that needed to be rebarreled. It was really cheap and I just couldn't resist it as it was wearing one of the nicest Walnut stocks I've seen on any Remington and many of them were very nice indeed.

Guess what??? Somebody bedded the action into the stock and it had been glued in place of over thirty years.

I managed to save that stock but it certainly required a lot more glass bedding after it was put back on the barreled action.

 

[DANS40X]

Accra Glass Gel,Accra Glass,Marine Tex,Devcon Steel depending on the platform.

6061 or 360 brass for pillars depending on platform.

Johnson's Paste Wax or Brownells "flammable" type as release agent(s).

Silly Putty to plug trigger pin holes.

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

I'm also a big fan of Acraglas gel. I had it go weird and lumpy on me before, like Decker9 mentioned. I managed to rescue most of it by warming up the uncured epoxy with a heat gun. After seeing how big of a difference that made, I now always warm up the fresh mix before giving it one last stir.
I've also used Devcon Titanium,(don't bother) Devcon Steel, Devcon Aluminum, Quiksteel, JB Kwik, and JB weld. I usually add some fiberglass floc for strength. I am actually happy using most of those, but JB Kwik doesn't seem to ever get as hard as I'd like, and I worry that the bedding is going to settle.
Honestly, I'd rather have well mixed JB than poorly mixed Devcon any day.

 

[jamesharrison]

Marine Tex, with Kiwi polish as a release agent, placed over top of black electrical tape where I want some space [ie. bottom, sides & front of recoil lug]

 

[bearhunter]

Accra Glass Gel,Accra Glass,Marine Tex,Devcon Steel depending on the platform.

6061 or 360 brass for pillars depending on platform.

Johnson's Paste Wax or Brownells "flammable" type as release agent(s).

Silly Putty to plug trigger pin holes.

You folks in the US get all the good stuff.

I used Johnson's Paste Wax for decades, then they quit shipping to Canada.

Now I mostly use Kiwi Shoe Polish but it isn't as good.

 

[bearhunter]

I'm also a big fan of Acraglas gel. I had it go weird and lumpy on me before, like Decker9 mentioned. I managed to rescue most of it by warming up the uncured epoxy with a heat gun. After seeing how big of a difference that made, I now always warm up the fresh mix before giving it one last stir.
I've also used Devcon Titanium,(don't bother) Devcon Steel, Devcon Aluminum, Quiksteel, JB Kwik, and JB weld. I usually add some fiberglass floc for strength. I am actually happy using most of those, but JB Kwik doesn't seem to ever get as hard as I'd like, and I worry that the bedding is going to settle.
Honestly, I'd rather have well mixed JB than poorly mixed Devcon any day.

Yup, you have to be careful with any of the two part bedding compounds that have to be mixed.

 

[EJG]

Not quite sure why one would shy away from professional release agents in favour for household things like butter, spray oil, furniture wax etc. Kiwi shoe polish does seem to work in most cases but is not the easiest to apply. There are release agents in rattle cans, (not the ones for welding spray release nor the injection molding type) specially for epoxy release. These are very easy to apply and safe to use.
There is another approach with bedding compounds. We mostly mix our own using an aero quality laminating resin which are normally used for glass/carbon fibre. These can be mixed with a variety of fill materials to achieve desired material properties. Fill materials can be short carbon/glass fibre for strength, talcum to make it easy to machine, aluminium powder to increase heat conductivity etc. For me the advantage is I can use a resin hardener combination that I know well, have been using since 40 years and have products from early days that held up very well. Advantages are that one can adjust viscosity as well as choose the pot life of the mix right up to say 4hr.
edi

 

[guntech]

I found Johnson's Paste Wax (Home Depot in the US) to be easier to use than the Brownell's 'film' type you brush on and let dry... easier to apply and easier to remove and always worked.

 

[Lodi]

Not quite sure why one would shy away from professional release agents in favour for household things...

Some of professional stuff is thick while the household stuff can be very thin. When bedding a goal is to have minimum tolerances between metal and stock. When the release agent is removed it can be a measurable distance. Generally you are trying for lack of movement between metal and stock, preferably in the 0.000"-0.001" range, the thinner release agents aid in this goal.

I am only guessing but I suspect that the included release agents with bedding kits are designed so they work well for the home hobbyist with a minimum of complaints. They tend to be highly visible, easy to apply and easy to clean up. Fewer consumer complaints equals more thumbs-up reviews.

 

[EJG]

Some of professional stuff is thick while the household stuff can be very thin. When bedding a goal is to have minimum tolerances between metal and stock. When the release agent is removed it can be a measurable distance. Generally you are trying for lack of movement between metal and stock, preferably in the 0.000"-0.001" range, the thinner release agents aid in this goal.

I am only guessing but I suspect that the included release agents with bedding kits are designed so they work well for the home hobbyist with a minimum of complaints. They tend to be highly visible, easy to apply and easy to clean up. Fewer consumer complaints equals more thumbs-up reviews.

Where did you here professional release agent is thick? There are quite a variety of release agents, we have alone about six different release agents in our workshops. High temp, low temp, liquid, spray on wax versions, pva, non wax semi perm type. Some work best on flat surface others flat and zero release angle areas. Polished wax surface will have just about zero increase in size, wouldn't even know how to measure the thickness. Certainly nothing to worry about in a rifle bedding.
I have however seen a rifle company in Europe bed their rifles with something like a lobbed on layer of axle grease, results were not very nice.
edi

 

[Lodi]

Where did you here professional release agent is thick? ...Polished wax surface will have just about zero increase in size, wouldn't even know how to measure the thickness. Certainly nothing to worry about in a rifle bedding.I have however seen a rifle company in Europe bed their rifles with something like a lobbed on layer of axle grease, results were not very nice.

I was speaking in regards to the supplied release agents with the bedding kits. I'm sure release agents for industrial applications come in all forms.

You mention the polished wax surfaces having "just about zero increase in size", because of this they are very well liked for bedding rifles. And I certainly would worry about it in rifle bedding, the whole point in bedding is to increase consistency from shot to shot. You yourself mentioned lobbed on release agents that produced not very nice results.