I will attempt to bed a couple of my rifles in the near future, I will be using he arcaglas gel products. Should I remove the old bedding material or just go over it....again I have never attempted this before so you will not bore me with the little details...thanks for any advice

Apart from roughing up the old bedding you should grind some chanels or similar so that new bedding compound can "get away" other wise the action will end up sitting to high. If the rifle is a Rem 700 or M70 pay particular attention to the recoil lug area because if the old bedding is not relieved there then you won't get the rifle together because the recoil lug will act like a piston in a cyclinder.

If the rifle action is already nicley located then if you clear out the existing bedding make sure you leave sufficient points so that you retail the location of the action.

Mike

I generally grind out the recoil lug area so it isn't touching anything. Then I tape off the sides, front, and bottom of the recoil lug so that after bedding the only thing touching is the rear of the lug. This also makes the barreled action much easier to remove. Another thing I do is drill a lot of 1/32" or 1/16" holes along the surface to be bedded at different angles to help the bedding (especially where it is thin) stick to the stock (be careful not to go through the side of the stock, been there done that). If it is a wood stock and there is finish in the area to be bedded you might consider grinding most of the finish out except where the action screws go through the stock (also to help the bedding stick). About the only other thing you might consider is getting some mold release spray (like is used on plastic molds). It's much easier to use then the release agent with acraglass. If you have any doubts about enough release agent hit it again. I let it set up for 7-8 hours before removing the barreled action from the stock. The reason being is the bedding is not rock hard so if you have to trim any of it it is much easier to do then. Good luck

Nathan

Raamw,

One other bit of advice...Don't create any "mechanical locks" with your bedding, in other words, make sure there angles going outward and upward, V's, Y's and U's, not b's or d's...if that makes any sense? I also distrust the release agent that is supplied. I use paste wax for auto's as it can be packed into crevices, and it can fill the threaded holes in an action until a screw pushes through the bedding compound into the wax 'plug'. I guess there are as many 'tricks' as there are people in this arena. Good luck!

I just used the Acraglass Gel kit to do my first synthetic. I was concerned because I had been told it wouldn't adhere well. It works fine, and the gell was easier to apply with better control. The roughing up and drilling holes suggestions were used by me and the bedding came out very good. The directions included in the box are pretty good just don't get in a hurry, the prep is what makes the bedding job go smooth.

I used the release agent in the kit, and applied it with Q-tip's without any trouble. I have used a small paint brush before too and liked the paint brush better. My fingers didn't get it spread into the small places very well. Thin coats, let it dry, and repeat at least a couple times and look at the area under a good light. Re-cover areas that look thin.

I remove the bedding thats already there unless I'm touching up a job I did and know how the stock was prep'd the first time.

I'm not a 'smith but a tinkerer. I'm sure there are many with other good suggestions.

Glass bedding is not difficult. But is easy to get yourself into trouble. Read the directions that come with the bedding kit. Then read them again and again.

Set up a clean space free of odds and ends. Have some clean rags, painters tape and old newspaper ready. Make sure the action is clean and oil free. Read the directions again.

The post about avoiding mechanical locks is very good advice. Read the directions again.

I would attempt to remove as much of the old bedding as possible. Remember, to start with, you are only bedding a small section of the action. If you want to bed the entire barrel channel, magazine well, etc, then those should be done as separate jobs. With a mauser or M70 style action, you are attempting to provide a solid even, none warping surface for the recoil lug and adjacent area.

If you are going to free float the barrel, then do that 1st. Remember that after the bedding job, you may have to touch up the barrel channel again.

After you have the action ready and every thing laid out, apply a very light coat of oil to the bore and chamber. Don't laugh, but speaking from experience, it much easier than it appears for a bit of bedding compound to wind up in the strangest places....

I recently did a complete glass job on a 30-06 M70. I got the stock from Richard's, one of their laminated wildcat thumbhole stocks. The barrel is free floated and the entire action is glassed. This was to provide as much weather proofing as possible.

Before the restock and bedding the rifle was grouping 2.5" with 180 grain loads at 100 yards off a bench rest. After the restock and bedding, it is shooting .75". With of bit of tinkering with handloads, I am sure that I can cut that in half.

Pete

Thanks for all the responses, I feel more confident after reading them

One little trick that I sometimes borrow from the auto body guys is to use a bit of waxed paper taped on instead of release agent. Just place the waxed side facing the glass and it comes out slick as a whistle. Its not very practical for bedding most actions, but for something like bedding a barrel it works real good. It can be used on the larger portions of an action effectivley.