I have a 9.3x62 build on a M98 action; I fired an old DWM load, the case burst at the base, the stock split, and extractor broke and so one. When we tried to remove the action the back bolt broke of. All was repaired by a gunsmith and the gun send to me. Well I got a new stock and bedded the gun myself but the gun would not group properly, took the gun to another gunsmith and he told me the action is bend.

Now he tells me I might have bent the action when I bedded the action. Now can someone tell me what is the chances of me bending an action or did it happen with the case rupturing? Any ideas

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he tells me I might have bent the action when I bedded the action.

Find another gunsmith.....this one has been smoking something very wierd.

I don't doubt it a bit. Older actions are very soft, malleable, and will bend.

There's no way you can bend an action by bedding it. Bent going in is a whole nuther story. I'd be wondering if the first smith staigtened it properly, if it was in fact, bent.

you can defintiely get an action to bind up by improper bedding, and it is easy to do with Mausers. All actions will flex as the screws are tightened if the action does not correctly fit the bedding. This can also happen when glass bedded to a perfect fit if the action screws were tightened while the glass was still wet and the action got in a bind.

If the bolt gets harder to work when the action is screwed in the stock, then you need to rebed the action. If it is hard to work the bolt when the action is out of the stock, then the action is bent and bedding is not at fault.

Also, watch the end of the barrel as the action screws are tightened. If you see it rocking a lot as you tighten and loosen the action screws, then the reifle is bedded under stress and will be likely to not shoot as well as it should

Your second gunsmith, might be right.
The m98 action is verry wobely and if you gets angry, you can fold it compleetly by hand.
What could happen when bedding, is that you first have tightened the rear screw and afterwards the front to mutch, herby bending the action like a banana, causing it to onely carry on the upper lucking lug. This might leed to excessive barrel viberation, leeding to poor accuracy.
To check just write on the back of the lugs with a marker, then try to close the bolt a cuple of times. If the marking isnt removed on both lugs, it doesnt carry on both.

Just for teesing M98 entutiasts It is one of the few actions where you dont need a scope with elevations adjustment. You just tighten ore loosen the front crossbolt to make the rifle shoot higher or lower

I was wondering I can understand the action might flex if you tighten it too much and so on, but he rifle as a pillar at the back, so I would have thought that it should not be able to flex enough to permanently bent the action, I tork my screws tight but I will not call it overdoing it. The front screw bottoms out on the magazine box to I can’t overdo it there, and like I said at the back is a pillar put in by a gunsmith. I am having the barrel put on another m98, But I am still wondering could it have been the blowup that did it, he told me he don't think so because when it blows the force is pushed straight back so it won't bend the action. It comes down to this, I want to know if I should bump my head a few times against the wall for being so stupid to bend the action, or should I go and kick the 1st gunsmith's ass for not telling me the thing is bent don't use it.

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Originally posted by Flip:
I was wondering I can understand the action might flex if you tighten it too much and so on, but he rifle as a pillar at the back, so I would have thought that it should not be able to flex enough to permanently bent the action, I tork my screws tight but I will not call it overdoing it. The front screw bottoms out on the magazine box to I can’t overdo it there, and like I said at the back is a pillar put in by a gunsmith. I am having the barrel put on another m98, But I am still wondering could it have been the blowup that did it, he told me he don't think so because when it blows the force is pushed straight back so it won't bend the action. It comes down to this, I want to know if I should bump my head a few times against the wall for being so stupid to bend the action, or should I go and kick the 1st gunsmith's ass for not telling me the thing is bent don't use it.

Again try to check if both frontlugs is carying.
Tre rear pillar that was used on military m98 is from my expirience, the direct way to a cracked stock verticaly along the pistolgrip.
If you have tightned the front screw to make the reciever bottom in the florplate, your stock is to slim.
I can recomend that you make a bedding around the front of the reciever , going from the magazinewell to 5 cm out under the barrel, without tightening the screws more than just light, in the beddingproces. then you have a long and firm bedding, that support the action, making the rifle reliable and without tendence to change POI according to how hard you tightening the screws.
The blowup might have caused the lower counterhold for the lugs to be setback, so it wouldnt support the bolt anymore.

This looks like two seperate things
1: case head burst
2: bending/binding the action in bedding.

burst case surprises me, btw.

Yes, you can bend an action if you torque it down very hard while bedding it (which bends it) and then you torque it hard when putting it back in.

If it where mine, i would try a skim bed, lightly torquing the action into the stock, in effect filling any gaps from the first bedding (if those are present) ... remove it normally

then, after a couple days, but the action back into the newly bedded stock and tighten normally.

if this clears up the problem, GREAT

if not, I would be suspect about the rework after a botched (assumed) first attempt at the build of the gun.

jeffe

Flip, provided the bolt still cycles, here's another quick way to tell if the action is sprung.

Pull the barrelled action from the stock. Remove the bolt and clean the bore. Insert a unprimed case in the chamber. Point the barreled action towards a light colored wall and look through the bore from the muzzle end. You will see the image of a target in the bore, the rings that form the image are called diffraction rings. If the barrel is straight, the rings will form a perfectly concentric image. If the barrel is bent the image will be distorted. You will need a good clean image in order to proceed with this test.

Now, get yourself a wooden dowel and turn it to fit snuggly in the rear end of the bolt tunnel. You need to drill a small hole approximately .125" dead center in the dowel for this portion of the exam to be accurate. With the plug in place, again, look down the bore from the muzzle. ANY missalignment between the axis of the barrel and the receiver will soon become VERY apparent.

Thanks all

The gun is with the gunsmith 100 km away so I can't test it, but I have just gone ahead and told him to swap he action and rebed it, hopefully it will be okay. I can see that you can bend an action but still not sure that I did it.