I have a Ruger that shoots a little erratic and I think would greatly benefit from a good bedding job. I was wondering how hard is it to glass bed your own rifle. Are there any videos out there?? or is this something that is best for a gunsmith to do. Also can someone describe pillar bedding to me

It is easy I bedded my first rifle over 30 years ago never had any trouble. Buy some accuglass gel from Brownnells follow the instructions. If it is a composite stock one will have to make mecanical locks buy drilling and cutting into the stock. I have never had one stick in the stock but I still worry until I pop it out.

Rugers can be a little more difficult to bed than some other bolt rifles because of the angled bedding screw up front. It is for that reason and that I'm not completely sold on pillars, that I would avoid pillar bedding on my first rifle.

It's pretty simple, just hog out some wood around the recoil lug, and a lot of people also bed the first couple inches of the barrel. It is advisable to leave a little of the wood around the front action screw to help maintain the correct height of the action in the stock. Also, remove just a tiny bit of wood under the tang area. This makes a nice two point bed, with everthing inbetween floating just slightly. Route out the barrel channel with some sandpaper until the barrel is floated, if that's you're preference. Tape the stock sides so bedding material doesn't get on it from oozing out. Coat the bottom of the action with release agent, at this point I like to remove everything from the action that can be removed, trigger, mag box, everything.Plugg any holes that might lock the action in the stock, (the Ruger doesn't have any, so no biggie there). Either make or order a couple of headless bedding screws to fit the action. These can be gotten from midwayusa.com or brownells.com, or go to the hardware store and get some screws and cut the heads off. Coat the screws thoroughly with release agent. Mix up the epoxy and put it in the stock, insert the headless screw in the tang, but leave the other out. Now for the hard part, but if you're careful it'll work. Hold the action in one hand and the front headless screw in the other, this will require a rifle vice to hold the action. Now push the screw in your hand up through the stock, so that it is above the bedding and will contact the front action hole before the action is in the bedding. Place the action in the stock lining up the rear action screw that's in the action with the hole in the rear of the stock. Lower the action in the stock and when the action comes in contact with the front screw in your hand, start it into it's hole. This will keep bedding material out of the front hole. Use tape or surgical tubing to pull the action down in the stock and let it set. Turn the screws every so often so they don't set in the epoxy. After the epoxy has flowed out of the stock, clean it off and after 12 hours or so, remove the action and clean the release agent off everything. Do any trimming that's needed and bolt the gun together and let it set another day before shooting.
The bedding at the tang area is tiny, just enough to have a solid seat for the rear most part of the tang. Don't go forward any more than the little shelf, or you'll run into the recess of the sear and the pin hole for the sear. Use just a tiny bit of epoxy here, any that is forced out will flow harmlessly over the edge can be trimmed off later. That's a good reason to use AcraGlas gel, it doesn't flow like water.

That's a quick and dirty description. If you're handy and with a little thought before going to work you'll do fine. Take a look at the stock and action before you start and see how it all fits together and you'll get the picture. If by some miracle the action is stuck in the stock, hit the bottom of the barrel with a rubber mallet lightly until it just breaks loose, the carefully rock it up and out. If it's stubborn, but it in the freezer for a couple of hours and I bet it will pop right out. If you properly applied release agent, it'll be fine.

AGI makes a bedding video, and it's pretty good..

the long and short of bedding has some priorities

• you must always be able to remove the metal from the wood
  
• you must always have control of the final product
  
• if you screw up YOUR gun, you will learn.... if you screw up someone else's gun, you will PAY
  
• bedding is a fun way to accuraize just about any rifle

It's pretty easy... coat the metal in whatever release agent you like (i like the spray) dremel a little wood out to let the bedding bond. I like to make it where a single strip of ducttape on the barrel will clear the wood...

use plumbers putty to fill all the holes you don't want plastic in

read the directions from there.


Pillar bedding is concept that if metal is mounted to metal it will be more consistent.

one replaces ~5/8" diameter of wood from action to bottom, with a metal posts, aluminum works fine, with a center hole for the screws, and epoxies these into the stock.

the height of these pillars is determined by the distance between action and bottom metal.

jeffe

Definitely recommend doing what the guys above advise. I've bedded a bunch of rifles since 1960 and found they all shoot better as a result.
As Bobby mentions, the Ruger requires some special considerations. Absolutey buy the AGI video as it will help you get started.
If there is any advice I can provide, it would be to use a Brownell's Acraglass Gel kit for your first rifle. The instruction sheet is very helpful.
And, lastly, but extremely important, Have everything that you are going to do AFTER you mix the epoxy firmly in mind BEFORE you do the mixing. Once you do the mixing, your comitted and there is time to make adjustments, but you don't have an abundance of time. Have the stock securely placed in some type of stock vice. Make sure that the action screws have their release agent on them, threads oiled, and sitting right where you can find them easily with the correct screw driver beside them. Also, it's easy to get the mixed acraglass on the outside of the stock where you don't want it. Have some paper towels handy with some white vinigar to clean off the stock. And, you might want to wear some surgical gloves to keep the acraglass off of your hands, then remove them after you apply the gel into the stock. That way the gel won't be on any parts of you hands to get on unwanted places like the barrel top or stock. I use a plastic dinner knife to cut through the gel before it sets up at the parting line of the barrel and stock so it will be easier to remove the barreled action after it hardens. All of this may not make a whole lot of sense now, but it will later.
And, don't get scared off by all of this, as bedding is a whole lot of fun, and the dividends are much better accuracy. The first job is always the most challanging, but you definitely can do it. So, go for it!!
Lastly, have fun doing it.. You will have pleanty of time after mixing to get the job done, so don't worry about anything...
Don