laminate pillar bedding

[milkman]

I'm a newbie on restocking a rifle and am considering a Richard's laminate stock for a Savage 111. Is there any appreciable benefit to pillar bedding laminate? My understanding is that it doesn't react to humidity and doesn't compress like a standard wood stock.

[LAGS]

Bedding makes the stock exactly match the metal , either on point bedding the action or full bedding the action.
Adding Pillars gives you points that your action rests against that remains the same every time you assemble the rifle.
Weather doesn't effect laminated stocks as much as it does wood.
But the important part for accuracy is to have the action anchored to solid points where it can't move.
Either on assembly , recoil or weather.
Most of my rifles I just point bed the action.
For the Target Rifles , I install pillars on the action screw locations.

[country gent]

While it dosnt compress as much as wood it does compress a little. One plus to the metal pillars is that they give a solid square surface under the action screws head, the lowered compression, and they tend to strengthen the stock. aluminum works well and is easy to find. On rifles where weight isnt a concern brass or steel can be used. another trick is to drill holes out and use plastic steel epoxy or the bedding material to form them. The pillars may make a longer lasting bedding job also.

Most competitors release tension on the actions during off season to reduce the stress and compression. pillars will make a very solid stand from screw head to action when done. They also make re torquing the screws easier

[milkman]

This is for a hunting rifle at ranges under 200 yd so it sounds like I can just bed the action and forget the pillars.
Thanks

[milkman]

Country Gent , now I'm undecided again. I have a drill press, but no press vise so I am a little leery of getting the pillar holes straight with the action, other than that it seems pretty straight forward.

[DougGuy]

I did my 70s M77 Ruger with large 1/2" diameter aluminum Xacto knife handles. They were already hollow in the center so after cutting to length I finished boring the center, then put several large grooves around the outside, and I bedded them in stainless steel bed, the hole in the wooden stock was probably 3/32" to 1/8" bigger than the aluminum so a decent layer of steel bed would surround the pillars. Worked really good. Just tighten the screws to the pillars and set them in the bedding, wiping off the excess as soon as it begins to harden.

Another thing I found about this rifle, it had a lump in the end of the forestock that would push up against the barrel. I removed that and groups went out the window, it did NOT like being free floated. I inletted the whole stock, and steel bedded it from tang to forend, I actually tied a 100rd box of 45 Colt ammo to the front sling swivel so it would pull down on the forend, then suspended the rifle by the muzzle and the butt while tightening the screws. This left it with a constant upward pressure against the barrel once it had all setup and I removed the "counterweight." After 20+yrs the pressure has remained constant. Using fireformed brass, seating boolits .025" from the rifling has this one putting 3 into a guitar pick @ 200yds.

I rarely shoot it anymore, cold barrel first shot with a fouled bore is inside a quarter at 200 so I pretty much leave it alone and handle it with kid gloves and only shoot it to check zero and to hunt.

I don't see that a laminate stock would not respond to being bedded full out but it would be more difficult to create constant upward pressure against the barrel than a wood stock. And if the rifle shoots well free floated, it wouldn't need it.

Edit.. One more thing to check, and I did this with mine, is to mark the back face of the locking lugs with a sharpie marker, pushing forward on the bolt, close it fully, now pull back on it and wiggle it just a little bit. Push forward on it and open it, then remove it and look at the pattern on the back where you marked it. How evenly worn off are the patches of contact? Many rifles won't exhibit even wear patterns and the lugs need to be lapped. This really cuts down on the barrel harmonics and the "whipping" action is worsened by uneven contact with the lugs when the rifle is in battery.

[milkman]

Great info!!

[country gent]

You can use a snug fitting pin in the chuck and set up shimming to get square and true. Clamp down in location. and drill with out a vise.

A 2 pieces 12" long piece of 2 X 8 can also be used to make a angle plate to support the rifle stock also.

Here a table saw is very handy but t can be done by hand.

Cut edge and sides square. glue and dowel together to start forming an L shaped block 12" long
When cured block plane square. This makes it easier to use but you can leave as is and set up accordingly.
Add screws every 3" on the joint to strengthen it up.
This block can be very handy for many uses in a drill press

[Gtek]

Please spend the time and do some reading before starting anything, and if your handy it sure is a plus. There are plenty of horror stories out there and it is one of those things that planning is everything. Dry runs of fitting and full rehearsals and anything you may need in arms reach is a great idea even after you have done a few. Not trying to scare you off, but when A meets B it's game on! There is good advise above but unfortunately it is another one of those items in asking ten you will get about ten ways.

[Mk42gunner]

When doing any sort of bedding job, RELEASE AGENT IS YOUR FRIEND. You do not want to glue your action into the stock.

I haven't done it, came close a time or two, but no unintentional glue ins have happened on my watch.

Robert

[Texas by God]

I don't know about a Richard's stock, but if your original stock is synthetic; switching to a Boyd's laminate stock requires longer guard screws. I put one of their thumbhole laminate stocks on my daughter's Stevens 200(Sav110) and it shoots so well i haven't messed with the bedding. Yet....

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[DougGuy]

When I bedded my M77, I removed the safety rod, filled in all the holes, every nook and cranny, and where the safety rod went, I built up a solid pad from where the rod sits straight up to the tang with Play Doh, then liberally (ugh that word) coated everything with release agent. The Play Doh left an impression in the bedding that allows the action to drop in, unencumbered by contact except where you want it. You have to leave channels so the rifle can be disassembled and you do this with modeling clay.

[Gtek]

I like the thinking of TBG if your going that way. Buy one if wanted and crank it down and go shoot and see what's up, might never need to mess with it.

[waksupi]

We built a lot of African dangerous game rifles on laminated stocks. Never pillared one of them. Never had a problem. That was with full action bedded, and chamber area of the barrel.
I think pillars are best used on old oil soaked stocks that are changing zero.

[milkman]

I do plan on fully bedding the action, probably with devcon 10110. Thanks for all the cautionary advise, I really would not want to disassemble it with a hatchet.

[waksupi]

I do plan on fully bedding the action, probably with devcon 10110. Thanks for all the cautionary advise, I really would not want to disassemble it with a hatchet.

Devcon has a tendency to change dimensions. Don't be surprised if you have to do some scraping on the bedding when you have had the metal out of the stock for very long.

[milkman]

waksupi -Would Acraglas from Brownells be a better choice? The $30 price for a pound of Devcon looked pretty attractive.

[country gent]

Devcon has been used with good results. Accraglass is good I prefer the gel. I used one from Champions choice in Laverge Tennessee on the garands and M 1 As. hardened steel filler but was very good with the limited bedding area. Was harder to use as it was 10 parts resin to 1 part hardener. Went blank on the name. Micro bed wasnt bad either

[country gent]

I buy a cheap large vet syringe and put the resin in then hardener stir in syringe and use it as an applicator to fill in grooves and areas, then throw it away when done. Gets a nice fill in grooves and areas makes an even coat easier. But then Im one that I cant keep glues inks dyes oils or greases of my hands face clothes

[milkman]

Country Gent - I like the syringe idea