Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Whats your preferred bedding compound? Any tips for a first timer?

I picked up a new to me Montana 270 from the 24hr classifieds, on my first quick range trip it shot just under 1” for the first 3 rounds, now I taken it a few times my 5 shot groups are closer to 1.75” to 2' with the same rounds.

When I torque the action to 45 lbs it did not feel like the action was tight. I also could not move the magazine box, after removing the stock and trying again the mag box is now free. I am thinking of bedding the recoil lug, should I also bed the entire action?

How far do you up the barrel do you go?

Whats your preferred bedding compound, release agent?

Do you at a pressure point at the end?

Any tips for a first timer?

Here is what my before is..

I use an engraver, the vibrating type, to spall up the existing bedding.

This is a Kimber Mountain Ascent. I used Foredom carbide carving burrs to carefully remove the factory bedding, which was painted and partially hydro dipped.

great write up, thanks

Are you dissatisfied with that accuracy? Seems "minute of deer" to me.

It is minute of deer but I think the action could fit better which would make it shoot even better. Besides it is time I learned to do my own bedding.

Marine Tex grey and Kiwi neutral shoe polish for release agent.

Brownells Acraglas gel and paste wax. I bed the front action ring and about an inch and a half of the barrel, free float the rest of the way. Be sure the magazine box is free and there is clearance around the action screws. Invest in some long bedding guide screws to keep the action straight as you set it into the stock. I then use clamps to seat the action into the stock and bedding compound.
There are many other methods that work but this works for me. I normally do 20 to 30 bedding jobs a year.

Devcon 10110, and kiwi paste wax.

Devcon 10110 and Johnson's paste wax...

And have wd40 with q-tips handy for clean up.

An outstanding product, but overkill for bedding due to cost and high viscosity. It is often difficult to get perfectly complete bedding jobs with it in shops that run to the cool side because it is stiffer than most epoxies.

I apply it on the action and the stock before assembling to avoid the issue, which makes estimating the required amount a bit tougher... far from a bad choice though.

Very ordinary epoxy at a premium price...

Marine Tex is my current favorite. And gray is the only one to use as the white is actually for gel coat repair and significantly more brittle than the gray.

Heresy! Complete heresy!

Have used JB Weld, not the five minute kind, and Johnson paste wax. Worked fine. Tried the Miles Gilbert kit from Midway. It does not get rock hard. Thought it was ratio, but several attemps gave the same results. Maybe I got a bad batch, but why try again when there are many good choices.

I've had the same experience with the Miles Gilbert kit and I was very careful with the measurements. Thought it might be the micro-balloons. Nice kit as far as the accessories go, but the epoxy itself is sub-par.

Really like the Pro-Bed 2000 kit from Score High Gunsmithing.

Acraglas Gel and Brownell's release agent.