It’s no secret that glass bedding a rifle stock can often do wonders for accuracy. If you believe all you read on the subject, it’s also an example of a home-gunsmith project that anybody can complete with wonderful results.
Don’t believe everything you read.
In the early days of synthetic hunting rifle stocks, I decided I needed one. When it arrived, what was in the box might have passed for a stock, but barely. It was a crude lay-up that lacked everything from a butt pad to holes for the action screws. I spent days sanding, drilling, shaping and filing, then I mixed up about two pounds of bedding compound and filled the stock to the brim before bolting everything into place.
When all that excess bedding compound squirted out, I should have asked for help. I was so focused on the gun that by the time I noticed the big glob on the floor, I had already stepped in it several times. In my many trips to the kitchen for more paper towels, I had a nice, even layer throughout the house. What wasn’t on the carpet was on my shirt or in my hair.
None of it was water-soluble.
The directions recommended using vinegar to clean up—great if you have some on hand. I didn’t. In rushing to the store, I didn’t notice the bedding compound all over my pants, which transferred nicely to my truck seat.
One way or the other, all messes clean up eventually, and most marriages survive them. The next day, I was ready to remove the barreled action from the stock. I had “bedded” the entire gun in one operation and compound had squirted into all the holes and filled every void, forming a mechanical lock. After several hours of trying to separate the parts, I finally read the directions that came with the bedding kit, which mentioned the holes and voids—mostly stuff about avoiding filling them.
Hours later, I found a gunsmithing book that suggested chopping the stock off the action with an axe, but before I went to the shed to get my hatchet, I decided to give it one last shot. With one knee on the stock, I yanked on the barrel, and then on the wooden dowel in the action, alternating back and forth until suddenly everything popped free! I fell backward off the stool I was standing on with one foot, and the barreled action crashed beside me on the cement floor, breaking the trigger assembly off.
I have glass bedded dozens of rifles in the years since. And while there were few mistakes I didn’t make on that first one, those years of experience have allowed me to correct them.
Like most guys, I wait until I am in trouble before I read directions. (That’s why I get in trouble.) Read them first, and make sure you have everything you need before you start.
These guidelines are for wood or laminate stocks, but apply to most synthetic stocks, too. Remove the action screws and take the rifle apart. Slide the magazine-follower spring out of the floorplate, and place it and the magazine box in a safe place. Place the stock in a cradle that will hold it while you work.
Remove a thin layer of wood everywhere the action or recoil lug contacts the stock ahead of the magazine, leaving a small strip about 1/4" wide between the action screw and the recoil-lug mortise to support the action until the bedding compound has hardened. Do the same to the area where the recoil-lug face contacts the stock on the load-bearing side. Don’t worry about keeping the areas you cut away neat or smooth—the rougher the surface, the more contact area for the bedding compound to mate with. The idea is to create a gap between the metal and the wood, and the small strips you leave in place ensure that the action rests in the same place as it did before you removed the wood.
Next, put the gun back together without the magazine “guts” and snug the screws tight. Wrap a dollar bill or similar-thickness paper around the barrel and slide it between the barrel and stock to make sure there is clearance. If the stock contacts the barrel, mark the spot with a pencil and, after taking the rifle apart, remove the wood from the offending area. The area under the barrel will not show, but remember that the inside edge of the barrel channel will, so, go very carefully when working on this top edge of the channel. Put the gun back together, and check the clearance again. Repeat until the only places in front of the magazine making contact are the thin strips of wood you left to support the action and recoil lug. The action should sit high enough in the stock that the centerline is above the stock. The barrel should fit evenly in the barrel channel without big gaps, including underneath.
Cover all the outside surfaces of the stock with masking tape. Overlap it into the barrel channel, and use a razor blade to trim it to the edge. I find it best to cover the entire stock with masking tape. Sooner or later you will have bedding compound on your fingers while handling the stock, and it can be tough to remove without damaging the finish. Fill the magazine cutout, and any other places you do not want bedding compound to flow into, with clay.
Degrease the metal parts of the barreled action. Fill the magazine gap in the action with clay, as well as any screw holes or other places that should not have compound in them. Cover the recoil lug, except the load-bearing rear face, with two layers of masking tape. That will create a gap around the recoil lug except where it transfers the recoil to the stock.
Next, we’ll finish our project and deal with the often controversial issue of stock pressure on the barrel.
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| A thorough stock-bedding job involves: (1) removing a thin layer of stock material from the interior; (2) putting the gun back together to check fit; (3) carefully removing any offending high spots; and (4) covering the stock with masking tape to protect its finish from bedding compound. |