I doubt that the bedding has changed while you had the stock off. Something is not assembled properly, or something is there that doesn't belong. Have you tried removing the magazine box and follower? The top of the mag box fits into a recess in the bottom of the receiver. If it is not snapped in, it may not let the receiver sit down into the stock far enough. Although it sounds like your rifle shoots pretty well, it is usually desired that the holes in the stock be large enough that the action screws not touch anything but the receiver and the bottom metal. Good luck. Let us know how things turn out.

Try the other screw.

Thanks for the replys guys, but I finally figured it out.

I did not have the screws mixed up. The bedding turned out not to be the problem. The magazine box or the floorplate were not the problem.

As usual, it turned out to be a fifty cent part that was keeping a $900 rifle from going back together.

It took me a long time and lots of fooling around, but I got it. The composite stock is drilled out larger than the screw, as desired when pillar bedding, etc. But inside the hole in the stock is a little insert of hard plastic that is threaded. The screw has to go through those threads before it can get to the threads in the action.

When I removed the stock to do the trigger job I noticed that the front screw seemed tight for most of the way out.
I guess I was actually pulling that insert along with the screw as it came out.

The little insert was moved toward the bottom of the stock and then would not let the screw go back in far enough to reach the threads in the action.

I was finally just screwing the screw into the stock, no action or anything when I realized the screw just could not get through far enough. I gave the screw a hard push with my thumb and the screw and the insert fell out.

I put the insert back in after unscrewing it. I put it back in the stock from the side closest to the action.

No Problem! The front screw engaged the threads in the insert, the went ahead and engaged the threads in the action. It seems to fit just fine, now I guess I need to go shoot it to see.

Again, this rifle seems to have good potential, it shoots pretty good. My dad has one in the 7WSM and it shoot well also, while a friend has the same rifle in 270 WSM and it is questionable.

Thanks again for the responses. Hopefully someone else will read this before they experience the same problem.

R F