I was watching a Darrel Holland video and he was glass bedding a H&S Stock, and I noticed that he did not pillar bed it, just glass bed. This stock had a built in aluminum bed. Is seems to me that you do not need to do both, correct? Or is it because that since this stock already had aluminum bedding, at acted like pillar bed?

The reason I ask this is that I've never done this before and I'm going to be bedded two rifles. The first one is a Savage with is already pillar bedded (but not glass bedded), and the second one is an unfinished stock that has neither. Should I pillar bed the second one before I glass bed it? I think I need to do something so the action has something solid to rest aginast as the epoxy cures.

And finally, I've been told to use the Brownell's AcraGlass bedding compound because it is not so runny, but I do see any of the "pro's" using that stuff. What do you guys recommend for my first few attempts?

Regards,
Kory

Kory:

quote:

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I've been told to use the Brownell's AcraGlass bedding compound because it is not so runny, but I do see any of the "pro's" using that stuff. What do you guys recommend for my first few attempts?

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Many folks have found less costly products but I'm sticking with what works for me....and that's Brownells acraglas gell in the green box and not to be confused with the product in the red box which is runny and IMO worthless as teats on a boar.

I've never pillar bedded so I'll let others debate the relative usefullness of the subject.

Nothing against pillar bedding, butI've probably done a dozen or so stocks over the years and never pillar bedded any of them. All seemed to benefit from the process and none of the bedding has failed over the years. Tried the "original" Acraglas once, way too runny. Have since used Acraglass Gel or MicroBed, both work very well, but I prefer the Acraglas Gel.

I used to use the regular acruglass and add fiberglass to it to make it not runny. Now I just use the gel and I am very happy with it.

The runny stuff works better for fixing cracks ect because it flows into them.

I post this answer a lot and so far no one has taken me to task for it so here goes again...pillar bedding arose as an answer to the foam in early synthetic benchrest guns crushing from the action screws and accumulated recoil. This was long before gluing took hold and just after fiberglass began replacing wood. Since the Pd and long range hunting guys follow the benchresters technologies, it became the thing to do just because! In fact, the stock blank makers recognized the problem and began reinforcing the action screw and recoil lug area with rolls of resin impregnated glass fiber or denser/stronger foam early in the games and most sporting stocks are made that way today (except the low priced B&C which will still crush from that and if you put a heavy kicker in one). B&C's better glass and aluminum stocks are OK in this regard; as good as any other.
Bottom line, a wood stock made from proper gunstock wood is plenty hard and dense without pillars and most synthetics are engineered so that they aren't necessary in them, either. Bedding is all they need.
We could argue about injection moulded stocks; I think they need pillars but that is just an opinion, I ain't no engineer.

You don't need pillars in an H&S stock. The aluminum block takes the place of that, supporting the action and preventing stock crush due to tightening screws.

I have seen people skim bed the top of the block and about an inch or two of the chamber end of the barrel. I have done this on one of mine but noticed no improvement.

Pillar-bedding is unnecessary.
If anything, improperly fit pillars will make your gun uneven in the stock.
I use regular Acra-glas and mix in Floc so it is not as runny.
I have seen the gel used once by one of my employees and didn't really like the nylon-like consistency after it dried.
The biggest reason I use regular Acra-glas is that it adds stiffness to the stock whereas the gel does not.
As far as bedding your screws, I just flow some of the regular Acra-glas without the Floc and that works great.

-Spencer