Best bedding compound?

[LynnJr]

Yacko
The strips need to be very thin and they tend to hit about midway down the bolt handle mortise. First thing to look for on any H-S stocked rifle that throws a flier.

OP
I use a die grinder with carbide burrs at 30,000 rpm as well and aluminum just seems like a pain to remove material from. It clogs those $30 bits up very quickly so keep some steel handy to clean the burr.
When you put a max heavy varmint or #17 barrel into one of those stocks and free float the barrel you run into the barrel block again way down the forend. The fill material and the stock both sand easily it's the block itself that takes a little time.

[ar15barrels]

I use a die grinder with carbide burrs at 30,000 rpm as well and aluminum just seems like a pain to remove material from.
It clogs those $30 bits up very quickly so keep some steel handy to clean the burr.

Try a rotary file instead of a burr.
The rotary files I have will remove a scary amount of aluminum faster than you would imagine without clogging.

[desertrider]

Try a rotary file instead of a burr.
The rotary files I have will remove a scary amount of aluminum faster than you would imagine without clogging.

Note taken, thanks for the advice!

[fish45]

I've decided to try my hand at bedding a stock for the first time, and after watching several youtube how-to demonstrations it's pretty obvious that there's no general consensus on which brand is best.

AcraGlass

Devcon

Marine Tex

There are others I'm sure, but the above three seem to be the most popular. I'm leaning towards Marine Tex, but it was a coin toss type decision. Go, or no?

Also.... would the 2oz kit be enough for one rifle? I'm doing a Rem SA 700 BDL with a HS stock with aluminum bedding block, but I plan on grinding away maybe 1/8" or more of the aluminum as well as relieving the stock to allow for a thicker bed job.

Advice is appreciated.

If you've never done this before use whats easiest to work with. Don't skimp on release agent. After you apply what you think is enough, do it again. Clean the huge globs right away, the little stuff isnt that difficult to remove and can wait until its done.

I think you should decide what type of bedding job you want first. Free floated, pillar, or pressure bedding. Regardless of the type of bedding you want, the recoil lug needs to be bedded so there is full contact on the rear and side of lugs with a gap on the bottom and front of the lug. Bedding pillars into a stock does not make your gun pillar bedded unless the action is only touching the pillars. The correct way to pillar bed the action to the stock is to use bedding material to make pillars.

I personally like AcraGlas but thats just me. I know exactly how long I have to work with it, how much it will shrink, and how to use it for various techniques.

I would recommend the acraglass kit for your first time so that you have enough material to work with. It sucks your first time when you apply the bedding material unevenly and you end up with voids and air bubbles.

I know your stock has a bedding block in it, but consider getting a stock without one for bedding. It is best to apply the bedding material straight to the stock because the bedding block can still move within the stock, this is especially true if the only place the bedding compound is touching is the bedding block.

Good luck, hopefully it'll work out well for you.

[yacko]

If you've never done this before use whats easiest to work with. Don't skimp on release agent. After you apply what you think is enough, do it again. Clean the huge globs right away, the little stuff isnt that difficult to remove and can wait until its done.

I think you should decide what type of bedding job you want first. Free floated, pillar, or pressure bedding. Regardless of the type of bedding you want, the recoil lug needs to be bedded so there is full contact on the rear and side of lugs with a gap on the bottom and front of the lug. Bedding pillars into a stock does not make your gun pillar bedded unless the action is only touching the pillars. The correct way to pillar bed the action to the stock is to use bedding material to make pillars
.

The sides? I never heard of the sides.... only the rear, and everything else has a gap.

[pacrat]

ALSO;

I have used and did not care for "ACRA-GLASS" original. Very runny and sloppy.

The Acra-Glass GEL is a very good product.

[SharedShots]

Johnson's Paste Wax is a great release agent. No need to apply thick, complete coverage is the trick. Let the wax dry. On the barrel some clear Gorilla tape works wonders, it's thicker than other clear tapes but thinner than duct tape.

Bedding agent? They all seem to have worked well some just need different attention.

Some of the sloppiest looking bedding projects when I first started actually shot as good any the pretty ones. Don't fuss over it too much.

[Epaphroditus]

Release agent ... I used spray silicone stuff I normally use on vehicle door seals to prevent freezing during winter.

Easy to get full coverage but also easy to get everywhere and not so easy to clean up.

[fish45]

The sides? I never heard of the sides.... only the rear, and everything else has a gap.

Guessing you get most of your info from the internet then... There are actions that require full contact on the bottom of the recoil lug. If you don't want it on the sides then tape it off, its just a difference of technique.

[natman]

ALSO;

I have used and did not care for "ACRA-GLASS" original. Very runny and sloppy.

The Acra-Glass GEL is a very good product.

+1

The original AcraGlas was designed for repairing cracked stocks and is very runny so it will flow into cracks. It's not really usable for bedding unless you add a filler.

AcraGlas GEL is designed for bedding. It's the consistency of warm peanut butter before it sets. It has a long work time, can be dyed black or brown and is easy to work with. It's the way to go.


A can of Johnsons Paste Wax will last you a lifetime. Kiwi Neutral shoe polish works well also and is cheaper.

[ar15barrels]

The sides? I never heard of the sides.... only the rear, and everything else has a gap.

I agree.
The sides, front and bottom get gapped using extra thick electrical tape.
The rear gets full contact.

[God Bless America]

I've decided to try my hand at bedding a stock for the first time, and after watching several youtube how-to demonstrations it's pretty obvious that there's no general consensus on which brand is best.

AcraGlass

Devcon

Marine Tex

There are others I'm sure, but the above three seem to be the most popular. I'm leaning towards Marine Tex, but it was a coin toss type decision. Go, or no?

Also.... would the 2oz kit be enough for one rifle? I'm doing a Rem SA 700 BDL with a HS stock with aluminum bedding block, but I plan on grinding away maybe 1/8" or more of the aluminum as well as relieving the stock to allow for a thicker bed job.

Advice is appreciated.

Don't do that. Just skim bed the block. Aluminum >>>> any bedding compound.

I like Marine Tex and JB Weld. AcraGlas gel was OK. Steel Bed has metal granules in it as I recall, not good for skim bedding.

Don't ruin that stock, HS know what they are doing.

If you don't like the skim bedding, you can always break out the dremel and mangle the stock later.

[fish45]

Don't do that. Just skim bed the block. Aluminum >>>> any bedding compound.

I like Marine Tex and JB Weld. AcraGlas gel was OK. Steel Bed has metal granules in it as I recall, not good for skim bedding.

Don't ruin that stock, HS know what they are doing.

If you don't like the skim bedding, you can always break out the dremel and mangle the stock later.

[ar15barrels]

Put a dial indicator on one and see how much it moves.

Most people that argue that aluminum v block stocks are as good as an epoxy bedded stock would not even know what to do with an indicator if you gave them the indicator and showed them where to put it on the rifle and what to do to look for stress in the action...

[God Bless America]

... Saying a bedding block is better than actual bedding ....

Who said that?

I said to skim bed.