Guys,

I understand that some kinds of actions should be bedded such that the front of the recoil lug on the action does not touch the bedding. Is this important for the main recoil lug at the front of Mauser actions as well?

Thanks!

Mike

The basic rule is on all actions, no contact on the sides and front.

On actions where the front screw threads into the recoil lug, should touch on bottom of the lug. (Mauser, Sako etc.)

On actions where front action screw threads into the action, there should be clearance on the bottom of the recoil lug. (Rem 700)

If there is no clearance on the sides and front, when you reinstall the action, it will scrape the sides, those scrapings will end up in the bottom of the recess and cause a high spot in the bedding.

Craftsman,

I have found no place where these "rules of thumb" are all listed together. I sure do appreciate the information! Very, very helpful.

I do one thing different from craftsman. I bed the sides of the lug to help resist the torque of the bullet engaging the rifling. It isn't much but you will notice that a rifle tends to twist a little bit when it recoils. If the lug doesn't catch this torque then it has to be absorbed by the action screws. It doesn't matter on a "square" action like a Stolle Panda but it might on a round one like a Remington. Personal preferences I suppose.