to bed or not to bed a 22, that is the question.

wayupnorth

wayupnorth

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what is the communities take on the issue of bedding a 22?
i like to shoot a gun first before i make up my mind to bed then i will usually start with the action and float the barrel.
if not happy with the groups ill then bed the barrel.

that historically has been my attack plan for my rifles.
now i have a brand new stock for my 10/22 and im wondering if i need to bed the barrel at all?
it is after all a 22 and a bull barrel - will there really be that much movement that bedding of the barrel would be needed for such a small round?

peoples thoughts on this?
 
Shoot it first, but most likely you'll need to bed it. Put a pillar in it, bed the action, then put a small amount of bedding under the first inch or two of the barrel. Don't go up the sides of the barrel, just underneath.
 
Imo its a 10/22 at the end of the day, not a laser.
You might get a tad better groupings bedding but again its a 10/22.
You might be sitting on a kidd/Volquartsen accurate semi auto.
However it sure isnt a bolt action but the next best thing!!!
 
I agree with shooting first, you never know. I have a 96/22 I put in a 10/22 mag stock, didn't bed it, just put it in after about 3 hrs of fitting. It shoots very well and I'm scared to touch it, might ruin it. Some more info on your setup please as well.
 
more info inbound

all custom 10/22.
started with a Dlask DAR receiver in the extreme (bentz) chambering then added a 18.5" DAR bull barrel and a linear (DLASK) compensator.
put in a KIDD 2 stage trigger with countersunk threaded bolt pins to make it solid.
also put in a KIDD 2 piece bolt stop pin.
bolt is a scalloped KIDD with a KIDD bolt handle.
DLASK adjustable V-block.
using some 6x24x44 glass on it.
just took it off its Hogue Overmolded stock that its been on for the last couple years and put it on a Boyd's Pro Varmint (the rebranded Tacticool stocks).
also have a Barrel Harmonic Dampener for bull barrels on it.

but its that new stock where my question is coming from.
the gun is already a tack driver, or was on the Hogue stock, now i have it on the Boyd and im wondering of i should bed the barrel.
as it is now the action is TIGHT in the stock but im gonna 100% bed it anyways. the barrel is already touching fully at the end of the stock on the barrel.
so either i can leave it as is, sand down the fully float the barrel or totally bed the barrel (my three options)

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Done properly bedding will never hurt and almost always will improve the situation. Aside from the potential accuracy gains, it also makes the rifle less sensitive to changes in mounting screw torque and atmospheric changes.

If you have the skill to do it and the time available I don't know why you wouldn't bed it.


Mark
 
I'm not really familiar with bedding.....so, you bed the barrel as well as the action/receiver? The OP mentioned bedding the barrel twice now, but I'd never seen it done before.
 
I took my Savage A17, threw the tupperware in the garbage, placed it in a wood stock and glass bedded. Hell of a big difference. Extremely accurate.
 
Bedding can't hurt is going to be the consensus, I believe. Basically you'll probably have to do it and see if the groups improve. And opinions will vary greatly about semi accuracy vs bolt. Even semi vs semi, as the wife's cousin loves semi's but thinks the 10/22 is junk. Then there's the question of barrels and triggers and bedding etc. etc. etc. Any of the accuracy improvements that you would do to a centerfire will work on a rimfire. I sometimes just think that the bolt-gun guys just don't like the fact that there are semis out there that are as functionally accurate as a bolt.

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread is AMMO. You can build the most accurate .22 (or centerfire) in the world and if you feed it cheap bulk ammo that isn't loaded consistently you'll never get the accuracy that you want. Not saying that bulk ammo is bad, you often just have to find the one that your rifle/barrel likes.

By the way. Beautiful rifle!!! Good luck with the build
 
Mister Donut said:
I'm not really familiar with bedding.....so, you bed the barrel as well as the action/receiver? The OP mentioned bedding the barrel twice now, but I'd never seen it done before.
Click to expand...

Bed the first couple inches of the barrel and free float the rest. A 10/22 receiver is fairly short and has only one screw attaching to the stock. Bedding this way is much more rigid than just bedding the receiver, but still leaves the barrel mostly free floating.
 
I haven't owned a Ruger 10/22 in a long time but as I recall they only have one action screw with a barrel band holding the action into the stock. I highly doubt that glass bedding the action would make that much difference. The single action screw is not going to change much assuming you have torque it down to the same weight each time. You might want to pillar bed the stock if it isn't already to ensure that the stock/action fit remains consistent ideally I would use a really thick pillar to ensure you are getting the maximum surface area to support the action as it looks like you ditched the barrel band.
 
to be honest getting the gun into this new stock was SUPER TIGHT!
by far the tightest fitting action ive ever put into a stock.
i was almost...... almost gonna reach for the rubber mallet to help it in.
which makes me wonder if bedding the action would even be required.
bedding the barrel on this gun is gonna be a pain as i see they hollowed out the entire fore end of the gun.

decisions decisions.
i think ill take it out and run is as is.
get a good baseline.
 
If it shoots < 1" @ 50 yards as is bedding wont make it shoot 1/4" groups. Noting you say it is already a tight fit I'd guess that while bedding is unlikely to ever reduce accuracy, you probably won't see an appreciable gain from it. The rectangular box design of the action, much like my remington 597, increases the risk of gluing in the action. With all maintenance aspects in consideration, can you live with that possibility if it occurred? Have a look at my recent thread about bedding my Savage MKII. After all my efforts and extensive ammo testing I've yet to shoot better than it was pre-bedding. I think the cold weather is largely responsible for that so I'll update when things warm up.
 
cold weather.
now there is something i hadnt thought of.
where i am and where i shoot i go from -50 to +35 throughout the year.
wonder if that would effect any kind of bedding done to the gun?

you learn a whole new respect for everything expanding and contracting when you live somewhere that goes through such extremes in weather.
 
Bedding a 10/22 may not always make it shoot better, but the biggest issue is consistency. Without a pillar and bedding, you may find that each time you take it apart, it will shoot differently the next time out. Also, bedded properly, it may not be subject to the changes that happen while shooting, as the barrel and action heat up, the poi may change if it is not set in the stock solidly. Bed it, you have nothing to lose and lots to gain.
 
should change the generalized '.22' in the title to '10/22'..

bedding is good, but I'm not sure about the removal of a barrel of a 10/22 after...

I sold my 10/22's, for bolt guns and couldn't be happier! if I ever get another semi-auto it will be a Marlin 60 or if I had the $$$ to not care about plinking, an Anschutz msr rx22
 
You're out shooting at -50? Crazy. You'll want to make sure the barrel is free floated so any expansion/contraction won't put pressure on the barrel. Check it hot, check it cold sand contact points if they appear. Bedding *should* help maintain consistent action to stock contact through the extremes in temperature. None of that will compensate enough for the drastic effects of cold on ammunition. I can say for certain the rifle will NOT shoot the same at -20 as it does at +20. You will have to re-sight the scope depending on your weather conditions of the season. Accuracy will go to crap in the cold, the effects becoming noticeable at +4C and below. Copper plated HV will be the ammo of choice and you'll need to take special care in your lubrication methods to keep the action from freezing up. I'm going out on a limb saying you probably aren't shooting bench rest matches with it in the winter, so the focus shifts from "accuracy" to "function" in the cold. When it can cycle reliably test out some ammo and see if the accuracy is then "functional" for the intended target. Squirrel? Rabbit? Tin cans on the fence? Have some fun plinking away.
 
RabidM4U5 said:
You're out shooting at -50? Crazy. You'll want to make sure the barrel is free floated so any expansion/contraction won't put pressure on the barrel. Check it hot, check it cold sand contact points if they appear. Bedding *should* help maintain consistent action to stock contact through the extremes in temperature. None of that will compensate enough for the drastic effects of cold on ammunition. I can say for certain the rifle will NOT shoot the same at -20 as it does at +20. You will have to re-sight the scope depending on your weather conditions of the season. Accuracy will go to crap in the cold, the effects becoming noticeable at +4C and below. Copper plated HV will be the ammo of choice and you'll need to take special care in your lubrication methods to keep the action from freezing up. I'm going out on a limb saying you probably aren't shooting bench rest matches with it in the winter, so the focus shifts from "accuracy" to "function" in the cold. When it can cycle reliably test out some ammo and see if the accuracy is then "functional" for the intended target. Squirrel? Rabbit? Tin cans on the fence? Have some fun plinking away.
Click to expand...

I learned the hard way when I moved up here that G96 is your guns new best friend in the cold.
 
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