Mauser bedding

05 September 2017, 06:48

Canadian reloarder

Mauser bedding

I may have to bed my Parker Hale 1200. I've bedded Win 70, Rem 700 etc, but never a mauser. Is there anything special I should be aware of. I'm kind of nervous about the rear action bolt, as it passes through the trigger housing. Wouldn't want to break it removing the barreled action later. Hopeing speerchucker and dpcd could jump in on this TKS CR

05 September 2017, 07:20

speerchucker30x378

Don't bed the rear tang. Simply glue in the steel tube that the trigger rests on. Then bed from the rear of the mag box forward. Give it about 4 coats and buffs with Honeywax Mold Release Agent to fill all of the voids and machine marks in the receiver. You have to bed the 1200 with the trigger attached. I don't use the trigger guard floor plate assembly on 1200s when bedding. I use bedding bars so there is no risk of gluing the lower in. I have one with a slot milled in it for the trigger to go through for the 1200. I just don't have a picture of it. But you get the idea.

Hoopty bedding bar1 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

Hoopty bedding bar2 by Rod Henrickson, on Flickr

05 September 2017, 07:30

Canadian reloarder

Thanks SpeerC. Just what I needed to know. Great pictures

05 September 2017, 08:24

dpcd

Of course, Speer speaks Canadian much better than I do, but obviously, he has done some bedding. Here is how I do it on Mausers. I use Acraglas Gel, only. Dyed brown. I do bed the trigger guard bearing surfaces, BUT I do not try to bed it and the receiver together; I bed them separately. The main thing is not to bend the tang as it is very easy to bend. Some techniques call for just clamping the barreled receiver in and not using any screws during the bedding process.
When you bed an aluminum trigger guard/mag box you do have to be careful as it will break.
I use Johnsons paste wax for release agent, since 1970.

05 September 2017, 08:35

speerchucker30x378

You should try MarineTex Tom. That stuff goes rock hard with no shrinking and mills like aluminum with no melting with carbide end mills. Also, I have taken left over Acraglass, Devcon, Micro Bed and MarineTex and dumped it into my solvent tank for a few days. (kerosene or JetA, lacquer thinner and sewing machine oil) The MarineTex comes out of it a bit shinier and happier. The others, not so good.

05 September 2017, 16:16

p dog shooter

quote:
Originally posted by speerchucker30x378:
You should try MarineTex Tom. That stuff goes rock hard with no shrinking and mills like aluminum with no melting with carbide end mills. Also, I have taken left over Acraglass, Devcon, Micro Bed and MarineTex and dumped it into my solvent tank for a few days. (kerosene or JetA, lacquer thinner and sewing machine oil) The MarineTex comes out of it a bit shinier and happier. The others, not so good.

I well remember that if I ever decide to soak my guns for days in any one of them.

05 September 2017, 16:48

MNR

Marine Tex is my go-to epoxy as well when working with synthetic stocks or factory wood stocks with poor wood-to-metal fit. When it comes to the stocks I make I use clear acra-glass (definitely not the gel). I know some don't believe any bedding compound should be used on a custom stock, but when there's near 100% contact with the metal and stock the layer of acraglass is so thin and without blemishes that it simply looks like a coat of varnish on the inside of the stock. This process does not cover up the detailed inletting work, and offers some extra stability to the stock.

05 September 2017, 18:54

dpcd

Never had a problem with Acraglas gel for a few decades now; but I am always open to new things. Been thinking about rifle storage in jet fuel anyway. Should prevent rust.

05 September 2017, 19:58

speerchucker30x378

quote:
Originally posted by p dog shooter:

I well remember that if I ever decide to soak my guns for days in any one of them.

Well, unless you wipe your guns down 100% dry after cleaning you are essentially soaking your bedding in solvents and oils for years on end. A properly done glass bedding job will fit air or oil wick tight. As soon as you screw down parts with a light oil film into the bedding, it is immediately transferred to the bedding compound. Throwing the bits of hardened compound into the solvent tank (probably not the best test) gives me a possible 5 year look-ahead in just a couple of days. I have seen a lot of epoxy bedding jobs that have gone soft in the case of Acraglass or chalky in Micro Bed and it's simply caused by contact with oil and solvents.

05 September 2017, 23:48

Canadian reloarder

dpcd, mnr thanks for the input. as I said to speerc I am afraid of the rear action bolt that goes through the trigger housing, but speerc doesn't bed the rear tang just the pillar which I will do, so that takes care of that. I have some accuraglass as dpcd likes so I'll use that if I need to do it. I've used it in the past with good results.

05 September 2017, 23:53

Canadian reloarder

MNR, Could you tell me what it is with the gel version that you don't like. TKS

06 September 2017, 00:23

ramrod340

quote:
Never had a problem with Acraglas gel for a few decades now

Once I switched to the gel I haven't stuck an action

Nor have I had to clean out glass from areas it isn't supposed to be.

I use nothing but the gel.

06 September 2017, 00:41

tiggertate

quote:
Originally posted by speerchucker30x378:
You should try MarineTex Tom. That stuff goes rock hard with no shrinking and mills like aluminum with no melting with carbide end mills. Also, I have taken left over Acraglass, Devcon, Micro Bed and MarineTex and dumped it into my solvent tank for a few days. (kerosene or JetA, lacquer thinner and sewing machine oil) The MarineTex comes out of it a bit shinier and happier. The others, not so good.

My favorite too; I've actually used it on a boat hull which may one of the few times I used the right tool for the job.

06 September 2017, 00:45

MNR

quote:
Originally posted by Canadian reloarder:
MNR, Could you tell me what it is with the gel version that you don't like. TKS

Sure thing. Brownells sells both regular acraglas and the acraglas Gel. The Gel version is thicker and sometimes easier to use because it doesn't run out of areas you're trying to put it. My only issue with the gel is that it dries with a murky tint hence why most people dye it either brown or black. When I'm just skim bedding a wood stock I want to see the figure of the wood underneath so I stick with the regular acraglas which, when done thin enough, enhances the figure underneath. If it's too thick it will tend to have bubbles in it and overtime turn very yellow. The regular acraglas also seems to harden up a little more than the gel.

06 September 2017, 00:49

MNR

Nothing wrong with either. Just my preference for a specific use. I think speerchucker made a very good point in regards to solvents and their effect on some epoxies. Something to consider.

06 September 2017, 02:33

speerchucker30x378

quote:
Originally posted by MNR:
Nothing wrong with either. Just my preference for a specific use. I think speerchucker made a very good point in regards to solvents and their effect on some epoxies. Something to consider.

Just between you an me, I used to use Acraglass runny but some years ago I switched too US Composites #635 thin epoxy for skin bedding gluing cracks. It's a hi-tech laminating epoxy and it works very well. I now use West Systems #105 epoxy for gluing cracks and skin bedding. The West System is just as good with one advantage. There are two hardeners available for the resin. A fast set hardener which hardens semi brutally hard with a bit of flex and a light amber color and the slow hardener which hardens dead clear as gin and hard as stone. Both of those epoxies are just as good as runny Acraglass and are a lot cheaper and they don't have the shelf life, crystallization problem that Acraglass has. Of course you can just nuke Acraglass runny to break down the crystallization structure if it occurs. But it's a pain in the ass.

But don't tell no one ! ! ! !

06 September 2017, 13:47

MNR

I think you meant to use the PM feature of the forum. Quick delete the post before everyone sees it

Thanks for the tip. I'll check out the West Systems epoxy. A cheaper runny epoxy alternative to acraglas would be nice to have.

quote:
Originally posted by speerchucker30x378:
quote:
Originally posted by MNR:
Nothing wrong with either. Just my preference for a specific use. I think speerchucker made a very good point in regards to solvents and their effect on some epoxies. Something to consider.

Just between you an me, I used to use Acraglass runny but some years ago I switched too US Composites #635 thin epoxy for skin bedding gluing cracks. It's a hi-tech laminating epoxy and it works very well. I now use West Systems #105 epoxy for gluing cracks and skin bedding. The West System is just as good with one advantage. There are two hardeners available for the resin. A fast set hardener which hardens semi brutally hard with a bit of flex and a light amber color and the slow hardener which hardens dead clear as gin and hard as stone. Both of those epoxies are just as good as runny Acraglass and are a lot cheaper and they don't have the shelf life, crystallization problem that Acraglass has. Of course you can just nuke Acraglass runny to break down the crystallization structure if it occurs. But it's a pain in the ass.

But don't tell no one ! ! ! !

06 September 2017, 18:04

speerchucker30x378

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MNR:
I think you meant to use the PM feature of the forum. Quick delete the post before everyone sees it

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MNR:

Oh, not to worry. I never posted the incantations that have to be preformed to keep the stuff from EXPLODING while it's hardening. I'll EMail you that part, in coded, Egyptian hieroglyphics. LOL

10 September 2017, 20:44

Bill Leeper

On Parker Hale rifles, I used a guide screw with a little flange on it to hold the stripped trigger housing in place. Later, I started just using a steel or aluminum pillar. Regards, Bill.

13 September 2017, 05:44

lockingblock

Has anyone use Bisonite? It's a compound used to repair high pressure boilers and similar, close to Marine Tex in plasticity, but uber strong and extremely chemical resistant.

I believe it's what Dakota uses and a lot of hard use competitive/military precision rifles are bedded with it.

It also machines very cleanly...so the folks who are bedding and then machining an inlet into the bedding seem to like it.

13 September 2017, 16:14

kcstott

I'm a big fan of Marine Tex being in San Diego I have a marine supply down the road that open on the weekends and they sell the stuff from sizes as small as the dual packs or a big as a five gallon bucket. I don't even want to know what a five gallon bucket runs when when a Pint kit is $50