I am trying to remove an older 700 action from a wood stock. It does appear to have been bedded. Removed the bolt and the various screws, no movement at all. Action is a DBM if that matters. Screws went into the bottom of pillars not into the action like other 700 so I assume the action is stuck(?) to stock in that area. Do not need stock so no worries on it. Ideas??

I'm interested to see what advice you will get. I've had mixed results with putting it in the freezer for a few hours, some of them just popped right out, some did not, but worth a try. You might even try a wedge at the tip of the fore end to create a little upward pressure on the barrel and hope for some good luck.

A shallow trench dug in the ground and filled with dry-ice is a good way to get them out.

Replace the rear guard screw and screw it into the gun, Then back it out 3 turns.

Then you bury the gun in dry ice for about 20 minutes and have gloves on when you take it out.

A few blows with a hardwood stock or large hammer handle on the underside of the barrel and a blow with a hammer and punch against the rear screw will usually pop one right out. Once you have it loose and it wiggles a bit remove the screw and then you can use the barrel and the open bolt as "handles" to rock it back and forth with upward pressure and walk it out.

It sounds like you are saying the pillars are tapped and the screws went into the pillars - is that correct? They are not just a "tube" that the screw passes through? If that is the case, it sounds like the receiver would be fastened to the pillars somehow making it permanently attached to the stock due to bedding and the screws were only used to hold the DBM. Or maybe I am just not following.

Nope, you are following correctly.

I would first try cold. In the deep freeze overnight and then some well placed taps with a heavy rubber mallet ...

If that doesn't work and you have a mechanical lock, then try heat. I have had success by using an iron at full heat placed on top of some kind of steel bases/ rings that have a good flat spot, and allowed to slowly heat everything up. It might take a while but if you can get all of the epoxy that is touching metal softened up enough, she might come out.

Tapped pillars ... That's a new one for me but that ain't saying much.

Tapped pillars would indicate to me that you have an intentional glue-in. If you don't need or want the stock, removing it from the action in little pieces may be preferable to performing a non-recoverable bubba job on the action.

I once bought a used Winchester Model 70 that had a mechanical lock. Wound up having to cut the stock off. Some people have no business bedding a rifle.

My only suggestion would be to buy another box of ammo, I think the rifle's going to have to be re-sighted in.

LMAO.... (& so true.. )

The bench rest guys regularly glue the action into the stock. When they need to remove the action from the stock, the action is heated with a hot air gun to soften the epoxy bond to the metal while applying pressure. Sometimes they use a jig to push off the stock, pulling the action straight up. You might ask in the gunsmithing section of Benchrest Central for guys that have done it.

So you should be able to see the threaded holes for the action screws front and rear. Is there a screw in either one of them? If not, it is likely a glue in. If there are screws you could be in trouble. That would indicate that the pillars were mounted to the action and then glued into the stock. If that is the case and you can't access the bolt heads from the bottom, the best way to remove it would be to drill/mill the pillars out being careful not to cut into the action.

Never had the problem but years ago a gunsmith friend worked on benchrest actions. He would put the entire rifle in deep freeze overnight. Then he popped them out the next day. I'd try that first.

Only thing I can add is to soak everything down with Kroil for a few days before the Fire and Ice treatment begins. I had one that I thought I was going to ruin the barrel and action trying to get out and it popped right out after heat & cold plus Kroil. It was entirely re-usable. I have done the hatchet job and it creates a lot of clean up work the previous method doe's not. So I say F+I+K it.

I use a block of wood slid in from the bottom of the action. You can rap on that with a hammer and get a fairly even upward force without marring the metal.

I've placed a small wooden wedge between the stock and barrel then turned the rifle upside down and gave the stock a rap on the bench. You must make sure you are trying to remove it squarely....or it ain't coming.

Did you succeed?
I've nothing to add to what the gentlemen have already suggested. Freezing and a rubber mallet have worked for me.
I would like to know what you finally did.

OK, Yes, there was success. The pillars were threaded and screwed into the receiver where the stock bolts would normally go. Once I got the pillars unscrewed everything popped loose and then bolted right back up into a HS Precision stock (with different bolts). Weirdest thing I have ever seen. Once end of the pillar was female threaded where the bottom metal was and the other end was male threaded where it screwed into the receiver. I can not post pics but I can text them to somebody if the want to post them.

Someone went thru a lot of trouble doing that. WOW

Interesting way to go about pillars I guess. Congrats on your success.