I have a new Ruger M77 .300 Win Mag, that I'm planning to float and bed. I've done one before following Northern Dave's tips in the Hunting Rifle forum and it came out great. It was done to a M77 25-06 and I bedded the rear tang, front recoil lug and the first 1.5 inches of the chamber area, just as Dave's tutorial depicted. The gun shoots great and the job went without a hitch.

Now that I'm feeling cocky with my new skills, I'm wondering if there are any advantages to a full action bedding? What are the pro's and con's?

I've done both ways, more than a couple times.

Pros to a full action bed? Not much really.

Cons? More work than a lug and tang job.

I'm sure others will differ, but when it's me doing my own rifles, they get the front & back treatment, and shoot perfectly fine.

+1

I tend to do the minimal amount needed to obtain a stress free installation. Usually tang and recoil lug/chamber.

Same here. Why make potential trouble for yourself by making more contact points than necessary.

Full bedding jobs cause more ''ooze'' to deal with for little BFTB. You'd net more improvement working up some handloads. Under 1 MOA would be doing great for that round. Have fun.

Like the others have said - no true benefit to a full receiver bed.. Tang and lug + 1-1.5" of barrel will 99.9 times outta a hundred do very well..

Not to argue the points being made here, but if you have more
than ONE contact point with a full length bedding, you've
screwed up!

True enough though it's easier to screw up. I like wood stocks and have wondered how long contact points and pressures would stay as-bedded, plus I often enough use a hasty sling. If I bed just around action screws I can control the contact and pressure by re-torquing without affecting something inches away. I suppose for most purposes it doesn't matter much unless you have a pretty "woogie" stock. People get acceptable results either way.

What he said.

Redneck,

I've been glass bedding rifles for 50 years and have always done them as you describe. Was the way I was taught to do it.

I had a smith who I respect, recently tell me to free float the barrel all the way to the receiver, not to do the 1 1/2" or so bedding on the barrel shank. He mentioned something about harmonic vibrations being more even without the shank being bedded.

What's you're thinking on bed the shank or full float the barrel?

DF

How about this in addition to what's been said so far. I was told recently by a 'smith in bus. for 45 years that when a barrel channel is bedded where the barrel is free floated except for the last 1/2 inch of stock at the end is best for accuracy. Deflective harmonic feedback is more consistent than a wood surface with imperfections. I have a mid 1970's custom from another well respected 'smith that upon inspection of the stock noticed this exact same procedure had been done using a cloth type tape, possibly duct tape. The gun remains unfired. So, I can't concur to this theory based on a {before and after} first hand comparison. But...what say you gentlemen? Anyone bedding the barrel channel under a taped barrel?

Some guns like a little pressure up front. Others, not so much. I think generally speaking, full floats are more commonly accepted as the best route to accuracy.

Regarding a pad in front of the barrel, I know a number of smiths who do it a number of different ways. Some swear by the pad, others the exact opposite. Both can result in very accurate rifles. For me, if I think I might end up swappin' barrels on the action, I will bed the action only and provide no pad. That way, swapping barrels causes no issue.

I usually full length bed the whole darn thing, just for grins.

On the rugers you should bed the recoil lug at least and 1"-1 1/2" of the barrel.

Last week, I worked with a 77 after bedding and noticed when I was tightening down the tang screw that it still felt spongy after just a skim coat bed. So, I put a pillar in the rear, and the gun went to shooting it's best.

I remembered that I had a friend in the 80's that would trace the tang and cut a piece of 0.020 metal, placing it under the ruger tang, and file it to were it fit perfectly in the stock, no bedding. When you tightened down the tang screw, it felt as if it was pillar bedded, I found it hard to believe. Browning currently puts a piece of metal underneath the tang on their A bolt rifles.

I met another fellow at the rifle range that was carving up one of his credit cards placing it underneath the tang and underneath the action area. As he tightened up the stock screws, he stood the rifle up on it's butt and pulled down on the barrel, pushing the recoil lug up against the stock as much as possible. He shot very well with this arrangement with no bedding and what he did was lift the action up off of the wood and freefloat the areas between the tang and recoil lug. His groups were not benchrest quality, but sure improved the groups over what the rifle had been shooting.

In all of these Rugers, do not over tighten the center screw or you will be pulling the center of the action down creating stress on the action. I just tighten my center screws just fingernail tight and have some that I have removed the center screw entirely.

Also, the magazine box should free float between the floor plate and the action, or the mag box will be pushing up on the center of the action thowing the action out of "bed". You should be able to drop the floor plate, and while placing your index finger on the inside of the magazine box, the mag box should be able to wiggle freely. A little filing or work with a dremel will fix the magazine binding in just a couple of minutes.

Hope this helps

I like to do the action front/lug and the tang. Usually remove anything that flowed under the barrel, but do have a few that I bedded the first 1.5-2.5" of shank with no ill effects. I do like to sand the stock inletting for the sides of the action so that it makes no contact except for the bedded areas.

I bet the first 1-1 1/2" of the barrel on rugers only. I have got exceptional accuracy with them. Tangs on Rugers make the whole affair flimsy as hell. I think that if you were to put 60 inch/lbs on the tang screw, you would have just sunk the tang in the wood, putting the action in a bind.

Metal shim under the tang like I described may be better than bedding the tang, it sure feels like a pillar when you go to tighten it down. A drop of crazy glue on the piece of metal permantly attaches the metal to the stock.

That darn center screw has ruined the accuracy on more rugers than I can count, throw in a magazine box that is in a bind, and you have not got a prayer.

The only problem is there is nothing to stop the shim from being pulled into the stock. I would fit and install a pillar at the rear screw and be done with it were it me. In fact, if there were anything that literally begged for a pillar it would have to be the tang of a 77.

Even though you didn't ask me, I always let the epoxy flow forward under the cylinder portion of the barrel. I believe as long as it is uniform at the end and on the sides, it shouldn't pose any problems. I generally float everything from the transition point at the beginning of the taper, forward. And by a wide margin.

I worked on a 77 for a friend. The gun just wasn't shooting good groups any longer. The narrow tang had compressed the wood. After a glass bedding to correct this problem and bringing the tang up to the right position, the gun is a good shooter and the owner very happy.

I also noticed with the Hawkeye borescope that the crown and has 1/2" or so needed to go. He got the barrel cut and recrowned. That's another issue that needs addressing in a gun that's quit grouping.

DF

I've made the full mess, the half mess and the had to replace a stock because of too much bedding. Then, there was the dinning room table thing..... The wife got the new dining room table she wanted.

I only do the tang, once cure then I do the lug. Then I only add bedding material to stiffen the stock.

I agree with custombolt, handloads have the greater potential for accuracy improvement.

Not if the gun ain't right.