When we left off in our bedding project last month, we had come to the point of dealing with the recoil lug and barrel.
    Most rifles shoot well with the front of the action and the first few inches of barrel glass bedded and the remainder of the barrel left floating. But some simply prefer pressure on the barrel near the stock’s fore-end tip. It seems everyone has an opinion on this, but in this article we’re mostly concerned with the process.
    To bed the front of the action and the first few inches of barrel only, while leaving the rest of the barrel floating, begin by placing two layers of 2 inch electrician’s tape along the barrel. End it where you want the bedding to end and cut the ends square. That will create a gap between the bedding and the barrel. Try putting the gun together to make sure the tape isn’t hitting the barrel channel and consequently preventing assembly. This is one of those things best discovered before you have the bedding compound in place. If the fit is too tight, switch to a single layer of tape, or try masking tape, which is thinner.
    Now paint the entire barreled action with the release agent supplied with the bedding compound. Coat all the metal, tape and clay.     Let it dry and repeat. Hold the gun under a light to make sure you have complete coverage. Let the release agent dry completely. Don’t forget to coat the action screws and inside the holes, as well as the trigger guard and bottom metal. Coat the tape along the top and down the sides of the stock. Be careful not to get release agent on the inside where you want the bedding compound to stick.
    One of the best bedding kits on the market is the Miles Gilbert Bedrock Glass Bedding Kit sold by Midway USA. The main compound is a two-part epoxy, and the kit comes with enough materials—release agent with applicators, measuring spoons, mixing cups, brown and black dyes, microballoons, and modeling clay—to bed two stocks. It includes comprehensive instructions, but the following explanation should help get you started.
    After mixing the bedding compound well, use a flat wooden stick to spread it in the stock around the recoil lug, action and the first few inches of the barrel channel. It’s always best to bed one section of the gun at a time. For example, bed the forward action half and recoil lug area in one step. If you plan to bed the barrel or the rear of the action, do those in their own separate steps. Use a Q-Tip to make sure the hole for the action screw is clean of bedding compound. Put another Q-Tip into the screw hole in the action, and guide the other end through the hole in the stock as you carefully place the barreled action into the stock. After the action is seated, pull out the Q-Tip. Use a few more to make sure the action screw hole is clean and free of compound, then attach the bottom metal and insert the action screws. Snug them—but not too tightly. You want the action fully seated but not crushing the fibers in the stock.
    Clean up the compound that oozes out. A flat wooden stick that has been cut to match the contours of the barrel works well—then leave the gun alone overnight. Resist the temptation to check on it until the bedding compound has hardened fully. The next day, remove the action screws, turn the gun over, and clamp it in the cradle. Place a wooden dowel in the action and alternate pressure on it and the barrel. Keep rocking back and forth until the action comes free. If you have trouble, put the gun in a freezer for a few hours to contract the metal. If you still have trouble, you can use a slide hammer tool that will “snap” the action free from the bedding compound.

Bedding a stock for the first few inches of the barrel includes the following: (1) applying the mixed and dyed compound to the stock; (2) distributing the compound across the entire area to be bedded; (3) applying release agent to the underside of the action; (4) fitting the barreled action to the stock; and (5) cleaning any excess tape out of the recoil-lug mortise after the bedding has hardened.

    Once the action is free of the stock, use a small knife or dental pick to remove the tape from the recoil lug mortise. The compound is still soft and will cut or file easily to clean up the areas where it does not belong. Usually, you will need to smooth the top of the stock with a small file to even the compound with the wood.
If there are gaps or missed spots, they can be filled by repeating the process. Just remember to clean the release agent off so the compound will stick. If you are going to bed the barrel channel or the rear of the action, repeat the process until you have completed everything.
    When all bedding is complete, remove all clay, masking tape and release agent. Coat any exposed wood with a sealer. Wipe the metal down with a rust preventative and put the gun back together, including the magazine parts. The action should fit tightly into the stock with no rocking or movement as you alternately tighten and loosen the screws. Finish with the screws snug but not tight. Check the barrel channel for clearance. If it’s good, put the gun away for a week, then tighten the action screws, and you are ready to head for the range.
    If the rifle is still not shooting well after bedding, try an inch-wide shim between the barrel and the stock an inch or so back from the fore-end tip. Because the shim will become permanent, plastic is better than cardboard. Experiment with different thickness and placement until you find one that makes the gun shoot the way you want.
    Mark the shim’s location with a pencil. Take the gun apart and coat the barrel with release agent. On either side of the shim’s location, sand the barrel channel to bare wood; but leave a 1/4" strip that corresponds with the shim that is untouched. Trim the shim to a quarter-inch wide, and place it in the barrel channel. A drop of Super Glue will help keep it in place. Cover the shim well with bedding compound and leave at least 1/2" on either side. Use enough on both sides to ensure the shim is trapped and encapsulated. Reassemble the rifle.     The shim will maintain the exact pressure on the barrel until the bedding compound has hardened. The next day, take the stock off the rifle and trim the compound to the width of the original shim. (The shim should be left in place.) Clean up the release agent, seal the bare wood, and put the rifle back together.
    There you have it. No, stock bedding isn’t the quick and easy process I originally thought it to be, but it can be done—and done well—with the proper preparation and patience.