First of all, if there are threads on this already, just point me in the right direction and I'll be off. I searched but came up empty. The more I read, the more opinions I find. How do I know if I should bed my rifle? It's a Rem 700 SPS tactical in a choate stock. Some guys say always always bed no matter what. Other guys have said bedding is primarily for wood stocks. Still other guys have told me in a modern choate stock, it already comes with aluminum bedding blocks which is supposed to be a more or less perfect fit which I find a little hard to believe on a mass produced rifle and stock. I don't know what to think or do. I'm just starting down the reloading rabbit hole and I've heard don't bother working up loads less you're bedded. ?? Do I sound confused enough? I know there's guys on here that know what they're talking about. Let's hear it. Thanks!!
To bed or not to bed
- Thread starter Willerton
- Start date
SND- having never done one before, I'm just a little unsure if I should tackle it, especially if it ends up being a waste of my time, not to mention a bit of a gamble on not messing up my stock. And not having a definite improvement to look forward to. I know learning is never a true waste of time but...if I don't need to I'd rather not.
Don't bed it then.
Then after not bedding, every time your out shooting you can wonder if it would have made a difference.
Bedding helps with consistancy more then raw precision. (Unless theres a problem with the factory bedding block to action fit) What I mean is after a good bedding job your POI is less likely to change if you bump your rifle or the weather changes. Or if you take the action out of the stock. Theres a good chance that you won't see any smaller groups after bedding. But again you won't know unless you bed it.
Northern Amateur
CGN frequent flyer
Where is the original stock? If you still have it, practice bedding on that one. If it works out you also have something to compare accuracy with. First one I did wasn't that great. My fault as patience is not my strong suit! It's all about preparation. Eventually figured it out and the last one I did was really nice. Very happy with it. I also practiced on some of my other rifles, bedding the recoil lug only to get the hang of it. By the way, that's another hornets nest you can poke at. Is bedding the entire action necessary?
"Pillar bedded stock" means it was bedded in the factory. Just isn't glass bedded. Pillar bedding literally has the rifle sitting on Al studs that separate the steel from the stock. Glass bedding makes the steel and stock one piece. Sometimes with the barrel left completely unbedded from the chamber area forward. Floating a barrel guarantees nothing though.
Your issue is that you've changed the factory Hogue stock to the Choate. The pillars may or may not fit the new stock right. Shoot the thing first, then decide if you want to glass bed it. Or muck around with fitting the pillars.
Just remember that an SPS is an entry level, hunting, rifle.
If you're glass bedding, you bed the receiver and out to under the chamber area of the barrel. There's no bedding part of the receiver.
Your issue is that you've changed the factory Hogue stock to the Choate. The pillars may or may not fit the new stock right. Shoot the thing first, then decide if you want to glass bed it. Or muck around with fitting the pillars.
Just remember that an SPS is an entry level, hunting, rifle.
If you're glass bedding, you bed the receiver and out to under the chamber area of the barrel. There's no bedding part of the receiver.
duncansuds
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Weyburn, SK
Not in all cases. Sometimes you will need to open up the barrel channel. Glass bedding will in some cases reduce the movement available between the action and the stock enough to effectively free float the barrel. Each rifle may be different. Always bed the rifle, then open up the channel if needed.
I would say yes. I have a XLR chassis, and I had it bedded. Totally would do it every time. Originally I purchased the chassis thinking it would eliminate the need for bedding, my champion rifle builders explained the reasons for bedding the action, and recoil lug area. Worth every penny, and it wasn't that expensive to have done.
My current rifle is not free floating, neither is it bedded and after watching a few utube vids, the people that were bedding the rifles said that a free floating barrel was more accurate, but they did not explain.
Why is a free floating barrel more accurate then a non free floating barrel?
Why is a free floating barrel more accurate then a non free floating barrel?
duncansuds
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Weyburn, SK
It has to do with consistent harmonics when the rifle is fired. Not having an anchored and mated action will leave small differences everytime you fire it, having a different pressure, or having a slightly different position in the stock (and same rules for the barrel) will effect the harmonics differently everytime you fire, thus effecting the point of impact everytime. Sometimes these minor differences are not very noticeable, but once you have an excellent load, a good trigger and most importantly good practices, these changes will make all the difference in group sizes and repeatability.
If you can eliminate or control as many variables as possible, it will make your practise time much more useful. This will allow you to measure your progress and hone your skills because your equipment will be consistent.
If you can eliminate or control as many variables as possible, it will make your practise time much more useful. This will allow you to measure your progress and hone your skills because your equipment will be consistent.
May I ask who did the bedding of your XLR chassis?
Thanks duncansuds, so I'll take it that a bedded and free floating barrel is the best way to go. One last question: The bedding vids I was watching, the people doing it were using some sort of composite when poring it. My question is: Is there a difference between glass bedding and composite bedding, is there any? I glass bedding fiberglass?
