Just completed glass bedding of a used Ruger MK1 in 338 WM I just purchased.
Used Brownells Accuglas Gel. This rifle showed signs of being a good shooter before
I attempted this project so I decided to sand down the wood pressure point at the end
of the stock (Ruger trademark) and added glass bedding compound at this point.
Bedding material was gooped in around the recoil lug area and the barrel chamber
area. Also added bedding material along the stock where the action and stock meet.

Went to the range last evening and tried it out. Using 75 gr of RL19 and 210 NP and
WLR primers the three shot group was basically one ragged hole. Then tried 3 shots
using 76 RL19 with 180 NBT - same results. My dog was impressed.

I have a custom 98 Mauser 270 that I also glass bedded last month. Only difference is
I free floated the barrel - no pressure point. I also used a different
Brownell glass bedding mix but that one was more liquid and messy - The Gel version
is the cats meow. I'm still working on loadsfor the 270 and have not decided whether
or not to add a pressure point to the forend of the stock. Free floating the barrel
eliminated a drifting pattern when the barrel heated up - The full lenght of the barrel
was in contact with the stock before. I refinished the stocks on both these rifles but
also added plently of Tru Oil to the inside of the stock) action, magazine well and barrel channel. Just read an article
where moisture (snow or rain) can collect inside the stock - especially with free
floating barrels. The moisture can actually penetrate thru the wood and blister even
the new epoxy resins used as a finish on some of todays guns.

I was really intimidated to try glass bedding these rifles -but you got to get dirty
sometime. Instructions are helpful and you cannot use enough of the supplied
release agent to prevent bonding of the metal to the stock. A rubber mallet is a must
to seperate the stock and barreled aciton after 9 hours. Another important lesson
I learned was to release the tension and retighten the action screws after two hours
of set up time. Even coated with release agent they almost were set for life.
The results were well worth the effort. The thing that is kind of cool is that when
you set the barreled action in the stock it fits in there like it is being held by a vice.
Very secure and locked in place. The soft wood interface is no more.

Rifleman1--

You seem to have the mechanical processes figured out pretty well, but I think you need to study up on the *why* of glassbedding.

You mentioned loosening the tang screws...If you tightened the tang screws all you did was glass bed the action and made any mistakes that were already there, permanent. NEVER use the tang screws to bed an action unless the action is bedded right to begin with. The object is to have no stress in the action.....you can't do that by tightening tang screws unless the bedding is right......and if it's right why glass bed unless it's to cover up mistakes?

Also, on sealing a stock....if you didn't seal under the butt pad-plate, fore end tip and grip cap moisture will still be absorbed by the stock in wet conditions. The epoxy fininishes are the worst of the lot for "leaking" and causing dark streaks and blotches where water breaches the finish. Look at most used M-700 Remingtons.

There was a guy walking around the Houston gun show last weekend with a Sako stock with the forend all splintered. I thought maybe the barrel had burst on him but the story was he didn't use enough release agent when he bedded the barrel and had a helluva time getting it out. He was looking for a new one.

rifleman1

I agree with Jack on the screws.

The easiest way, but a bit harder with Rugers and angled screw up front, is to simply use screws with the heads ground down and screw them into the action, before putting the barreled action into the stock. Once the rifle is set up with epoxy you should not touch it while the epoxy is not fully cured. If ever you have probems with the screws braking free, heat them up with an electric soldering iron. Also, you can put a couple of wraps of making tape around the screws.

You want the barreled action just "sitting" with no pressure. I usually leave a scope or put a bit of steel rod through the rings.

Masking tape is good to line the barrel up but it can create one problem. Often the barrel is caught at 3 and 9 o'clock or 4 and 8 and this can allow the barrel to creep slightly while curing is taking place, especially in cold weather where it takes more time for the epoxy to start to set.

What I do, is postion the barreled action with some release agent on the barrel and a quick setting polystyrene, this is like car body filler, just behind the masking tape,. When it sets, I pull the barreled action out and then remove the masking the tape from the barrel as the quick setting stuff is left in the forend.

With release agents, if you use the mould releases put out by Devcon and Ciba Geighy (maybe they are not in America??)you actually polish these off before bedding.

When it comes to pulling the rifle apart, you will usually find it easier the longer you wait.

Mike

[ 08-20-2002, 20:22: Message edited by: Mike375 ]

Jack,

NOW YOU TELL ME...... . I bedded my 77 three times before figuring that out. The fourth time was the "charm", and it actually shoots under 1.5" for the first time in it's life. Still only bears one lug, though. The trick was to use tape and rubber washers to position the action where I wanted it, and then just put it into the epoxy and leave it alone. FWIW, Dutch.

Appreciate the responses - I thought I was suppose to tighten the action down to help evenly distribute the bedding compound - fill in voids and equalize the pressure distribution across the action. The inside of the stock looks like a perfect mold of the action and barrel chamber area. I will also make sure that I seal the areas under the grip cap, recoil pad and forend tip (270 only). The results on accuracy for both these rifles was a significant improvement - I would also expect that there will be minimal change to the point of impact due to weather/humidity conditions. Next time I'll try your recommendation about letting the action just sit on the compound until dry - note I think this might work well on the liquid glass bed but the gel might not distribute very evenly. Thanks

YOu should let is sit in the stock. Make sure you but a spacer under the end of the barrel to insure everything is level. I normally use headless screws and a little surgical tubing wrapped around the action and stock area.

Rifleman, I wouldn't worry about distributing the gel. I use Devcon aluminum, and it is thicker than the gel. Just use enough of it, and push your action down (by hand) until it is where you want it. The epoxy will still move in all directions at once, and come out where you don't expect it.

I find it tricky to find the balance between making sure the action is down where you want it, and pushing down too hard. It sounds silly when I write it, but even when pushing down by hand I think you can bend the action. The "suction" (can't think of a better word) from the epoxy is quite strong, and I would not doubt if it would hold the action down under tension if that happens.

The other thing to remember is that you don't have to bed the chamber, lug and rear all at the same time. It's easier to do the three separate (if you decide to bed the chamber, which most people seem to recommend in the 77). HTH, Dutch.