Yea kinda agree but there are details that if not done correctly cost you success. Once I am aware of them and then know how to address them I'll never want to have someone else do it. I'm closer than before. For instance, I didn't leave clearance on the front or sides of the recoil lug. Having thought about it enough I finally had the ah ha moment and realize you want all that shock concentrated at the lug - not channeling down the sides of the stock. I figured if the right person did it for me then I would have a blueprint to reference. But also realizing what you're saying and do think I'm closer than before. I spent time with the 308 I bedded lately. Holding at the firetup of the stock and barrel and loosening and tightening the front action screw. The movement was there and wanted to try something. I took a thin tab of aluminum and drilled a hole in it and placed it on the platform behind the recoil lug where the action screw goes. Put it back together and tightened right up to the point the barrel and stock won't move. This tension I believe is from lightly tightening the action screw when I bedded it. Must of been enough to put some tension between the barrel and stock. Then it set up that way. Makes sense now as I can feel the barrel pulling down to the stock when adjusting the tightness of the action screw. Then I loaded up at my best charge and seating depth I was able to get before. The results were amazing. I knew I needed to check again on both sides of 2.820 so did that. Found the direction to head and now I'm a happy camper. Won't be satisfied till I take care of it correctly and address the other things but for now it's a good thing. The creedmor is another story, not there yet.
Yes, I didn't tape/clearance it either. Might have picked up on the clearance thing on a post of yours somewhere. Wondering though... Be a mess if tape came off a little in there and the lug got welded to the stock... What do you use to get the clearance that stays put when sliding it together with the bedding compound?
Yes, I didn't tape/clearance it either. Might have picked up on the clearance thing on a post of yours somewhere. Wondering though... Be a mess if tape came off a little in there and the lug got welded to the stock... What do you use to get the clearance that stays put when sliding it together with the bedding compound?
I prefer to use 3M vinyl tape as it leaves a much smoother finish.
If I'm following you correctly, the lug is tight to the bottom of the recoil lug mortise. If that's the case...and the shim you used under the receiver helped the accuracy...that just told you all you need to about clearance under the lug.
I use multiple layers of 10 mil thick vinyl tape on the lugs so it comes out cleanly. This is a pre -64 being done.
I leave only the rear REAR of the recoil lug untaped; I tape the sides, the front and the bottom of lug. The lug is there for one reason only, and that's to be the primary receptor of longitudinal forces (recoil) - the bottom areas of the receiver in the vicinity of the front and rear rings are the areas that provide the main support and directly opposite of the forces applied when tightening the guard screws. By leaving the bottom of the lug 'floated', I don't have to worry that the lug can in anyway become a third, possible pivot point.
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I leave only the rear REAR of the recoil lug untaped; I tape the sides, the front and the bottom of lug. The lug is there for one reason only, and that's to be the primary receptor of longitudinal forces (recoil) - the bottom areas of the receiver in the vicinity of the front and rear rings are the areas that provide the main support and directly opposite of the forces applied when tightening the guard screws. By leaving the bottom of the lug 'floated', I don't have to worry that the lug can in anyway become a third, possible pivot point.
This ^^^^^^
The only time the bottom of the lug should be in hard contact is when an action screw goes into the bottom of the lug (Sako, etc). On that style, they get a pillar recessed below the top of the inletting and covered with bedding compound.
You can see the recess in the 'before' view:
The 'after' view, fresh out of the bedding and before any clean up. The bedding thickness over the pillar(s) is very visible:
Got to disagree with you on a minor point Al With a round bottom action and using a quality lug, I bed the sides tight so the rotational recoil is taken by the side of the lug, not the bedding bolts
No matter the shape of the action, the rotational intertia that the bullet transfers to the action is pretty minimal. What keeps a round action from rotating is it's contact with the stock and the action screws holding it in place. Jim Borden did some engineering studies on this and published the results as did Dan Lilja and the late T.J. Jackson.
As a side note, the action screws 'see' virtually no side loading from firing. Their single purpose is to provide adequate clamping force between the action and stock. The common 1/4" action screws are actually very excessive for the job they need to do. The round Hall actions (and a couple others) that are designed as glue-ins have 10-32 screws instead of 1/4-28's, for example. I've converted several of those to bolt-ins using the 10-32's and lots of side clearance on the lugs with no issues. If you look at the load tables, an 8-32 would still be more than adequate for the job.
The next time you get a chance, take a barrelled action and hold it at the barrel shank and fire a round. You'll be amazed by how little 'torque' there is.
It has always seemed very simple to figure out how to bed an action. (Never messed with Garands, or Rugers)
A couple screws hold the action in. Wherever they enter the action there needes to be support. So the clamping force is focused to that area of the stock and action. The recoil lug needs supported where it takes force(the rear). Nothing else should be tight, it becomes a pivot point at worst. A place to inconsistency transmit harmonics at best.
Look at an action, it becomes simple.
Bedding the barrel? Gotta deal with "what's normally best", and go from there. Either accept results, or go down the rabbit hole of how to bed, even branching out to tip pressures and how much.
Always been able to satisfy myself with a free floated barrel. My standards are old and outdated by many 1" @100yds. And experience limited to my guns and not many others for few friends. Maybe what some pros do monthly.
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