hey all, I was wondering if I should bed a rifle I am trying to get grouping. It is an 09 argentine in 7mm mag with medium contour barrel, on a laminate stock. The action has been bedded at the front to float the barrel (done by local shop, not myself). But I had heard somewhere that laminate stocks needed pillar bedding, wondering what the thought was on this.

Thanks guys.

Red

Dago Red,

When a rifle like yours comes into my shop I first find out what barrel is on the rifle, quality wise, military original, commercial original or after market.

Then I find out what kind of groups this rifle is shooting from the owner and if the groups are walking at all.

Then I take the rifle to my range and shoot it for myself to see how it shoots for me.

Laminated wood stocks are much stiffer then traditional stocks but can still have problems such as compression if action screws are overtightened.

Stability wise, they are very stable if a good quality laminate is used, I would say on par with most synthetic stocks and much better looking and feeling.

The benifit of the pillar bedding would probably help your rifle shoot more consistantly but to what digree would depend on the rifle itself. If this is a huntign rifle and you are getting 1 moa groups with it, I would say leave it as is and spend your money on reloading supplies or ammo.

If you want a real tack driver then it would be wise to pillar bed the action.

Good SHooting!!!

50

I would.



I punch out the original pillars in surplus Mausers and glass in pillars made from 3/8" tubing ala Wagner:

http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/turk/turkbed1.html

http://www272.pair.com/stevewag/turk/turkbed2.html



There are some tricks:

1) Glass bed the barreled action and then count the number of turns on the rear screw to get the bottom metal at the right depth. Then assemble the action with bottom metal without the stock and the same number of turns on the screws and measure the distance between top and bottom metal ala Wager's photo. Then cut a piece of tube and finish to .010" longer [for crush] than the measurement. Punch out the old pillar, drill out the hole, and tap with 7/16-14 tap for the glass to get traction.

2) Put the screw though the bottom metal and then wrap some tape ala Wagner's photo.

3) Don't fool around with thin or fast setting epoxies. I use Devcon Steel Putty, and I hardly ever have to chisel it out and start over.

4) Glass fixes the level of the reciever front and rear in the first pour. Glass fixes the level of the bottom metal in the front and the pillar fixes the level of the bottom metal in the rear in the second pour. Make sure that the pillar is at the level of the glass at the tang. This may require a clamp [tang to stock, not tang to bottom metal] to push down on the tang in ADDITION to the action screws while the pillar is setting up. The idea is to get the pillar flush with the existing glass under the tang.



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