Gents Im going to have a crack at bedding a Mauser 98. I've seen some mixed info on the ole youtube. Does the top of the magazine box make contact with the underside of the action after bedding. I watched one video and the guy said there should be a gap. BUT the front of the mag box has a built in pillar that should fit in with the lug.

The top of the mag box should have a no more than .005 gap and not touch the receiver. The "pillar" at the front and the spacer at the rear should not touch either. They are there to prevent over-tightening. The stock has to be clamped firmly. I usually just bed the area behind the recoil lug and 2 inches in front of the ring. Also, the small area under the rear tang. Free float the rest of the action and the barrel. If you are using a particularly lightweight barrel, you may want to bed the entire barrel channel.

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
Gents Im going to have a crack at bedding a Mauser 98. I've seen some mixed info on the ole youtube. Does the top of the magazine box make contact with the underside of the action after bedding. I watched one video and the guy said there should be a gap. BUT the front of the mag box has a built in pillar that should fit in with the lug.

So if I was to shim the top of the mag box that should give me the clearance.

I'd bed the bottom metal, also,,,, to prevent compression as you tighten the guard screws

I’m about to bed a 98 as well. The front guard screw seems to be a potential issue and divides opinions quite a lot. The way I see it - the guard spacer must not touch the receiver, but over time the wood may compress meaning that it does touch, leading to the receiver being loose in the bedding.

There’s two work arounds - either bedding a large ID pillar between the BM and receiver that the spacer fits through, which acts as a regular pillar. So all the spacer is doing is locating the BM, which is completely redundant anyway. OR - cut the spacer off completely so the BM is flat, and bed a regular pillar in the front like any other mainstream modern action. Although I love 98s and don’t like the idea of major mods, this second idea makes sense.

Or do what probably most people do - ignore the issue and bed it with clearance and assume the stock won’t compress enough to be a worry. Maybe with a well seasoned and sealed stock this is a reasonable assumption?

One question I have - if you bed pillars in, why do you need to bed the BM? If all it’s doing is acting as a base for the guard screws to clamp the receiver down, what’s the advantage in bedding if there are pillars to stop compression?

Also, how do you get the quantity of bedding compound right so it doesn’t ooze up right round the receiver and barrel and make an ugly mess? Or should those gaps be small enough that it doesn’t and actually all flows out the mag well hole? EG when using Devcon 10110.

Sorry to attempt a hijack…

I bed the bottom metal because there is no reason not to have it fit as well as the receiver. A pillar at the rear (or the spacer glued into the stock) isn't a bad idea. I cast fiberglass pillars behind and ahead of the recoil lug.
Wax the outside of the stock so bedding compound won't stick. If you want to keep the bedding compound below the top level of the stock, leave about 1/8" of inletting, at the top, untouched then , carefully apply wax to this margin. When the compound has set up and the action is removed from the stock, you can easily break the compound off below the stock line.
There is enough surface area on a mauser, ahead of the recoil lug, to support a fully floated barrel. I see no need to bed the chamber area of the barrel. Regards, Bill
PS. I use some little pieces of aluminum flashing (.010") to provide clearance on the mag box.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Leeper:
I bed the bottom metal because there is no reason not to have it fit as well as the receiver. A pillar at the rear (or the spacer glued into the stock) isn't a bad idea. I cast fiberglass pillars behind and ahead of the recoil lug.
Wax the outside of the stock so bedding compound won't stick. If you want to keep the bedding compound below the top level of the stock, leave about 1/8" of inletting, at the top, untouched then , carefully apply wax to this margin. When the compound has set up and the action is removed from the stock, you can easily break the compound off below the stock line.
There is enough surface area on a mauser, ahead of the recoil lug, to support a fully floated barrel. I see no need to bed the chamber area of the barrel. Regards, Bill
PS. I use some little pieces of aluminum flashing (.010") to provide clearance on the mag box.

thanks Bill. When you say wax - would say kiwi boot polish that is good for release agent work, or a specific wood wax? And by cast pillars - do you just drill a hole in front of and behind the lug to so they fill with bedding compound to let the two bedding areas connect to reduce compression?

I use Johnson's paste wax but any wax will do. I imagine Kiwi would be just fine.
Yes, for the cast pillars, I drill a 9/16 " hole to within about 1/8", or less, of the bottom of the stock. Given the propensity of wood to shrink, swell, and compress, the replacement of wood with glass usually is a good plan; for a rough use rifle anyway. Regards, Bill

quote:

Originally posted by brnomauser:

Also, how do you get the quantity of bedding compound right so it doesn’t ooze up right round the receiver and barrel and make an ugly mess? Or should those gaps be small enough that it doesn’t and actually all flows out the mag well hole? EG when using Devcon 10110.

Sorry to attempt a hijack…

I use Johnson's Paste wax over all of the metal. Use an ample amount of bedding compound and don't worry about squeeze out. Wait a few hours until the compound starts to set but is still pliable. Make a plastic "knife" out of an old credit card by cutting off a section and filing an edge on it. Then, slice off the surplus bedding using the wood line as a guide.

We're not talking about the TOP level of inletting that DW does; "glass" bedding is for the average working or factory rifle, or Boyds stock, that might not be made from the $3k blank, or hand fitted to the Nth degree.
Epoxy bedding is widely used in those instances. Not in the DW level of craftsmanship.
1: Bed the Bottom of the receiver, front and rear, and the first two inches of barrel.
2: Bed the TG, front and rear. Do not allow it to touch the receiver; doesn't matter how much clearance you have. As long as it will feed and look good.
3. Use Acraglas Gel; not the liquid runny stuff.
4: Use Johnson's floor wax. Red and yellow can. Throw away the stuff that comes with the bedding. I can't fathom the mess that shoe polish will create.
5: If you are worried about migration into places you don't it to; use modeling clay.
It works, because it works.

Well...thanks...I happen to think the time spent on the glass sluff could be more wisely spent on proper inletting technique...BTW, dcpd...you're spot on with the advice given

Use acraglas gel if you don't use Hoppes#9. Otherwise the solvent will degrade the bedding. Don't know how it stands up to other solvents but it can't handle Hoppes.
I don't like to bed the first two inches of the barrel. I don't bed it in wood and don't bed it in glass. When I have, it has contributed to vertical dispersion. Clearing it almost always fixed it. Just me, but there it is.
I have not tried clear Kiwi but it might work fine. I have used the modeling clay but actually kind of hate it. I'm happier just putting tape over any holes which might cause a lock. I reckon we all come up with our own ways, over the years. Regards, Bill

A Mauser 98 by design is "piller bedded on the front..but Mauser added a piller in the tang that most folks throw away..

I bed all rifles tight to start with, then I might 3 point bed on, or free float depending on where the accuracy is at. Done in this order as you can take material out but you can't put it back...Yes I understand you can hog out glass and replace it, but it looks like crap that way..I inlet the wood and more or less use heated glass to seal the wood..

Of course properly inletted wood is the way to go on a custom rifle if properly done it will last for years, look at the many old Mausers by the english smiths that have survived for 200 years without glass, they were done with cured wood and gunmakers skill..something thats lacking in many of our custom gun makers..

I suggest cross bolts and glass with most of todays custom guns, and all factory guns as Ive seen so many fail on Safari in my days in the business, some by famous gunsmiths..SAfari life can be hard on rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
A Mauser 98 by design is "piller bedded on the front..but Mauser added a piller in the tang that most folks throw away..

I bed all rifles tight to start with, then I might 3 point bed on, or free float depending on where the accuracy is at. Done in this order as you can take material out but you can't put it back...Yes I understand you can hog out glass and replace it, but it looks like crap that way..I inlet the wood and more or less use heated glass to seal the wood..

Of course properly inletted wood is the way to go on a custom rifle if properly done it will last for years, look at the many old Mausers by the english smiths that have survived for 200 years without glass, they were done with cured wood and gunmakers skill..something thats lacking in many of our custom gun makers..

I suggest cross bolts and glass with most of todays custom guns, and all factory guns as Ive seen so many fail on Safari in my days in the business, some by famous gunsmiths..SAfari life can be hard on rifles.

200 year old Mausers ?

OK 100 year old Mausers, I never could shoot a good group on the keyboard, I flinch and and get a wrong number...