I bedded a rifle a few years ago and it came out fine. Shot much better and looked real nice. I used the Acraglass Gel kit. This was a Model 70 CRF.

I just did my second... a Model 70 Push Feed. I thought I did it exactly the same way... not so good. There is now a gap at the end of barrel channel of 1/4" between the bottom of the barrel and top of the stock. In addition or as a result the gap along sides of the barrel channel is not even.

It 'appears' like the part behind the recoil lug and/or the 2 inch part I bedded in front of the lug might be high spots. That might not be the problem but that is my working theory.

I don't understand how it happened but want to fix it.

So it seems like I have a couple of choices (more than happy to entertain others!)

1) hog out all my bedding material with a grinder and do it over.
2) try to whittle the two places that seem "high" with a file and sand paper.

#2 is a lot of work. I started on that path. After about an hour with not much progress I decided to swallow my pride and ask the experts.

Thanks!

Cut it all out and start over. Did you want the barrel floated that much? Also did you check fit before you bedded? What was your bedding process? Seems the action isn't sitting all the way down in the stock.

Gunsmith's love those kits. Get it done right.

This is a "W"almart Winchester and the stock is kind of a flimsy, cheesy thing to begin with. This rifle didn't shoot well before I worked on it. Never got better than about 3.5MOA and usually worse. I shoot other big game rifles much better than that on the same day from the same set up.

I made sure the scope was good, rings and bases tight. No Joy. So I decided that I wasn't going to hurt it much by giving bedding a shot. The first one I did came out great and I probably got over confident. Pretty much followed the instructions that came in the kit. 805 probably nailed it that I didn't get the action all the way down in the stock and let it set up that way or something is preventing it from sitting in there properly now. Doh!

So I will get out the grinder and start over or maybe I will get a better stock.
Thanks!

Grind off the high spots until it sits in the stock the way you want, then re-bed it with a thin coat of JB Weld

Rough up any surfaces that need more material added

Hog it out. Read up on the proper procedures to secure your desired fit, and do it over. Sanding high spots etc will not assure a stress free bedding.

Use a dremel to take out what you just did and re-do it. There are many bedding threads here on the fire, that can point you in the right direction. Good luck with it..

fixt...

Good sharp chisel and shave it down till you get the fit you want the re bed it....no big deal really."..

Lots of luck with that!!!

Bedding is not the place to ruin a good chisel. With the advent of glass bedding the use of industrial type machines to GRIND the junk out and put a fresh wad in left the quality chisel behind...

http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/

look better and shoot better

Do over from ground zero! BTDT.

Trying to compromise-fix a AFU is a no-gainer. You will likely end up going back to ground zero anyway.

Those Boyd stocks look nice and are pretty cheap. But wouldn't a new Boyd stock need to be bedded as well?

That - all of it..

Kind of like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

A cheap plastic stock is still a cheap plastic stock. I have one of those Walmart M70's in a 7mm Rem. It's shoots pretty good for a $300 rifle (what I paid 14 years ago).

But, after years of trying to do stuff on the cheap, I'm slowly figuring out that I'm wasting more time and money trying to fix the "cheap" stuff that if I had just gone and spent the money for a higher quality product.

Yes, you may have to bed a Boyds, or a Bell & Carlson, or a Richards Micro-Fit. Even a $500 McSwirly might need bedded. But you'll have a much better stock in the long run.

I'd look at a laminated stock of some flavor. Won't warp, bend, twist or flex like solid wood, and not very expensive.

Good luck in what ever you decide.


Jeff

Properly glass bedding a stock is not rocket science.

Buy the Brownells kit and follow the instructions.

I use the "Whelen" method, bedding the recoil lug and the first 1" of the bbl. After the bedding has set up solid, the recoil lug area is opened up so only the back of the lug touches the glass. Barrel is free floated the rest of the way.

If you insist, a floppy stock can be fixed by glassing in threaded rod into the forend. Done it on couple of 700 plastics that have a nice shape but are floppy as issued.

The 3 Boyds I have were all needing some fitting, but better tight than loose (applies elsewhere as well).

Boyds are a remarkable value.

It depends on how much money you have and how much your time is worth.
If you take it to a gunsmith he will probably cut it out and start over.
You could try and just Dremel off the high spots and rebed.
Tape the stock generously in case the Dremel jumps out of your hands.

Or learn what a climb cut is and do not do it!

I was a machinist for a while about 30 years ago. I know what a climb cut is and will refrain.

Thanks SH

Good idea!

Bring it over to my place and we will see how to fix it. I have made several stocks from scratch and bedded quite a few. Not a pro, but I bet we can get it fixed. If you don't remember where I live, pm me. Vince

One trick I like depending on the bedding compound is get a hair dryer set on high or a heat gun set on low and heat the bedding up gradually then using a screw flat head screw driver just gouge it out. Once you get the compound the right temp it goes to the consistency of hard cheese and is much easier to remove then trying to grind. To check the temp while you heating just use the screw driver to check for softness. Don't over heat the bedding compound or it will burn and that smells bad and could damage your stock. If you have a lot of bedding in your stock then you may have to heat it up few times. I'd done this one four or five stocks at this point and it takes a dirty long job of grinding and makes it a half an hour job.

I would be very concerned about overheating the stock and weakening it...and ALL of the heated bedding has to come out.

If it was a synthetic stock I would not do it, but the ones I have messed are wood and they were no problem. I'm just a hobbiest. I know there are some guys on here who are wizards with metal and wood work. So listen to them for sure. If all else fails take it to a smith you trust and pay to have it done. May not be what you want to hear, but ultimately cheaper then spending hours of frustration and ultimately buying a new stock when the one you have is so messed up its a lost cause.

Bedding job gone wrong ---->>>> buying a new stock! WTH?

Come on, give the OP some credit - he messed up an epoxy job - doesn't mean he's a retard like 320Keith (Larry Root)...


LOL

I've bought two rifles with bedding jobs just as you've noted. One was long ago at a gun show and I paid half price for that 03-A3. This spring I got one on Gunbroker. The sell was gifted at taking pictures and lacking at full disclosure.

I've bedded a few stocks. Early on I bought a channel tool that took out unneeded material. That's how I cleaned out the barrel channels the action area was a little harder. I used a chisel for some of it and on this last one used a moto tool. Remember to clean out under the recoil lug.

Mule Deer had an article quite a while ago on bedding. PM him, he'll probably let you know where it is or give you a link.

His method is the easiest I've seen. I use a more complicated method but can't say it's better.

Remove a lot if not all of your bedding attempt. Then re-do it.

You simply had too much bedding compound in the action recess and you did not have it squeezed down

When you re-do it, wrap electric tape around your barrel somewhere in front of the bedded area. This tape will do two things.
a. float the barrel the height that you want
b. center the barrel in the channel

Try the barreled action in the stock before adding the bedding compound and adjust as necessary. Use a good deal less compound.

Ok, I thought I'd wrap up this thread. I appreciate everyone's input even the ones that thought/think I'm an idiot for trying to do it myself...

So to summarize, did my 2nd ever bedding job. The first one I did turned out great and turned a 3 MOA rifle into 1 MOA. The second one, because I wasn't being careful and/or paying attention it turned out really badly. So I used a dremel tool and took out all the bedding material. Then I put it away for a while due to traveling for work and other obligations. A couple of weeks ago I dragged it out again with the intention of re-doing the bedding job. While looking it over I heard the words of a couple of respondents to my thread saying (paraphrased) a piece of @#$% stock with a good bedding job is still a piece of @#$% stock. So I ordered a Boyd Classic laminate stock. When it gets here I will probably try it as is and see how it shoots.

A POS unbedded laminate stock is still a POS...

Yup, understood.. Will cross that bridge when I get to it.