Considering a bedding job. Need advice!

30 October 2003, 15:05

sharps-shooter

I have a Winchester featherweight in 257 Roberts. Damn thing wont shoot at all. 3" plus at 100 yds. Not the shooter, shoot fine with other guns, dont think its the ammo shoots the same with factory or reloads, wondering if it isnt the bedding.

Gun already had a "tip bed" hump. Tried adding more pressure with a buisness card to see if it would help even a little. It didnt. Now i am debating bedding the recoil lug and floating the barrel.

Never bedded a rifle before. Considering using Brownells Acraglas. Scared that i might Permanently bed the damn thing. Any advice or step by step method i should do in order to achieve this bedding job? Any suggestions would help.

Wondering what screws, if any, should be installed when bedding. I am assuming just the front screw to hold the action down into the bedding/stock.

Thanks for helping a newbie bedder!

30 October 2003, 17:09

wallyw

Read the very recent thread on Floating Model 7 barrel.

http://www.nookhill.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=008194

Wally

31 October 2003, 03:02

Bigdaddytacp

quote:
Originally posted by sharps-shooter:
I have a Winchester featherweight in 257 Roberts. Damn thing wont shoot at all. 3" plus at 100 yds. Not the shooter, shoot fine with other guns, dont think its the ammo shoots the same with factory or reloads, wondering if it isnt the bedding.

Gun already had a "tip bed" hump. Tried adding more pressure with a buisness card to see if it would help even a little. It didnt. Now i am debating bedding the recoil lug and floating the barrel.

Never bedded a rifle before. Considering using Brownells Acraglas. Scared that i might Permanently bed the damn thing. Any advice or step by step method i should do in order to achieve this bedding job? Any suggestions would help.

Wondering what screws, if any, should be installed when bedding. I am assuming just the front screw to hold the action down into the bedding/stock.

Thanks for helping a newbie bedder!

....Try the gel version..it controlls easier from running out of the bedding area...and use TWO coats of release agent on the metal and don't forget the screws and screw holes....and use the screw for alignment...not to pull the metal into the bedding too hard....I do one area at a time and let the other area help align and support the weight of the action.......while the front/rear of the action mates to the bedding and then the area under the beginning of the barrel at the action.....I cut the barrel channel out first and avoid the barrel channel-barrel contact putting any stress on the action/chamber area while the bedding is setting up..........good luck and good shooting with a firmly bedded gun that shoots as good as it looks...!!

31 October 2003, 09:51

FishFrank

Wow!!! I have the same gun, same caliber, doing the exact same thing. I handload so I have tried different bullets, powders, seating depths, etc. With some powders I get a somewhat tight group and then a flyer 4 inches away. Sometimes I get a scattered 3 inch group. I'd be very interested in knowing how your bedding job turns out.

31 October 2003, 10:21

sharps-shooter

When i shoot mine i put up a 1 inch black disk at 100yds. Shoot with a 10x scope. I will get them in about a 3-5 inch pattern, yes i said pattern all the way around the disk. one will two inches high and left, then 2 inches dead low...then 3 inches right.

Had it out shooting again today. Many differnt loads, lengths, bullets. Nothing seems to help. Cleaned the piss out of the thing. Not getting any copper fowling. Do a bullet check on the muzzle and have plenty of bullet sticking out, not sliding all the way in the barrel, so i think the barrel is okay.

Tried putting a piece of cardboard under the action just behind th recoil lug after about halfway through shooting to see if it would make a difference. Retightened the screws, not tight, just snug. Didnt help in the least. I couldnt see a change in the groups, just a slight point of impact change.

Does this sound like a bedding problem to anybody, or is this something more extreme?

[ 10-31-2003, 01:23: Message edited by: sharps-shooter ]

31 October 2003, 16:18

vapodog

I'm a little luckier, my .257 M-70 featherweight shoots about 1 1/4" at 100 yards.

A tip for glass bedding.....find a vice you can pack with T-shirts to hold the stock firmly in place while the "Gel" is firming...usually 24 hours.

Sharpen three pencils or dowel rods in a pencil sharpener and stick the points into the guard screw holes in the action and break them off.

Put masking tape over any portion of the stock you don't want to have to remove excess bedding material from and all the way down the barrel channel as well.

Place three layers of electrical tape along the entire barrel at least to the end of the forearm.

Mix enough acraglas gel (from Brownells) to bed the action and the barrel!

Buy the spray can release agent. It's a better choice than the "brush on" liquid that comes in the kit, and spray the entire barreled action at least twice and I mean generously.

Plug the guard screw holes in the stock with putty of some type and apply more than enough mixed gel to the stock.

when the barreled action has been inserted into the stock, Trigger and other assorted pieces removed and recesses taped to prevent inclusion by acraglass..... glass should ooze out of the stock and flow onto the taped surfaces of the stock. Put a weight on the action only to firmly keep it in the stock until the hardening process is complete.

Wait about six hours and test the firmness of the gel...if it's not sticky you should remove the excess gel by simply removing the masking tape being careful to not upset the barreled action fit to the stock.

After 24 hours the barreled action will come away from the stock reasonably well.

I actually set a soft heavy sheep hide piece on a wooden bench and rap the underside of the barrel on it sharply while holding onto the stock only and it causes the Barreled action to break loose.

Remove the electrical tape from the barrel and you have a free floating barrel with about .015 clearance and a perfectly sealed barrel channel.

Drill out the glass in the stock's guard screw holes, sand off the excess glass on the top of the stock, rub a little tru oil on the exposed wood and walla.

I have little doubts that many of you have better methods and I suspect some of you will disagree with my method but guess what....it's never failed me and I'll continue it because it just works for me.

[ 10-31-2003, 07:22: Message edited by: vapodog ]