Glass bedding or new stock?

[grfox92]

I have a Winchester model 70 sometime from the 1970s I forget which year exactly. As the classic wooden stock. There are no metal pillars in the stock. The recoil lug is mortised out of the stock, just wood. Would I benefit from doing a DIY glass bedding job on the stock, or would it be more advantageous to buy a Houge pillar bedded or full bedded stock?

Midway has a single rifle kit for 15 bucks, I think it would be a good option being that I'm on a budget. I could shoot the rifle as is but for 15 bucks and a couple hours of my time on the weekend if doing a DIY glass betting job would be advantageous I would be interested in doing it let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Gary

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[XLR]

Pillar bed the wood stock and do a full bed at the same time. You will probably see better results with this! The pillars are a big deal to ensure the movement in the wood through different elements does not change your poi. Make sure your barrel is free-floated! I would recommend using steel bed. It does have a little longer working life (doesn't harden so fast) which is super nice for cleaning up!

I would also recommend if you can cut it just take it to a gunsmith and let them do the work. You will lose a night of sleep thinking about release agents with your first bedding job! There is an art to bedding a rifle and good custom builders normally have it mastered to create a quality stress-free bedding job.

BROWNELLS STEEL BED KIT | Brownells

What is STEEL BED? Simply the most-advanced, toughest- ever bedding and stabilizing, steel-bearing, epoxy compound for wood and fiberglass gun stocks. Designed specifically for GUNS, to give the incredible impact resistance that’s possible only by...

www.brownells.com

 

[Wrench]

Wood stocks that are legitimately stress free pillar bedded AND floated enough to prevent any contact under any conditions are going to be as accurate as the shooter.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Anything but a Hogue stock, those things are low grade dog food.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

I've used both Brownells AcraGlass and Scorehigh Pro-Bed. Acraglass was easier to work with (thinner) but I didn't like the AcraRelease release agent at all (arduous degreasing/application). The wax paste that came with the Scorehigh kit was a easier release agent to use. The Scorehigh is pre-dyed so touching up later is easy to color match but its thickness made it more difficult to push into all the places it needed to go. In the end, both results seamed effective.

I bedded the barrels (vice free-floating) and get a little pop when I pull either barreled action out of its stock (one's a Swedish Mauser and the other a 1917 Enfield--milsurps, of course!). I'm getting ready to do another Swede and that will get Accraglass but I'll use the Scorehigh release agent (wax).

Instead of metallic pillars, I opened up the action screw holes and let the bedding compound fill around the screws.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I went with a Boyd's custom stock. Great company out of SD and their stocks all come with glass bedding kits included. You can also get pillars installed for a nominal up charge. I'd never free floated or bedded a stock before and their youtube videos make it pretty easy. They are definitely going to cost you more than $15, but you get what you pay for.

 

[Wrench]

In my shop I used Devcon 10110 and Johnson paste wax. I am not a big fan of poured pillars because it can be a problem with wood stocks moving around due to humidity and the conditions that the pillars were poured....wood moves quite a bit. That's not to say that poured pillars don't work. If you do ppour them, wax the ever loving snot out of the threads on your studs. I am a fan of Hollands stud system....it pretty much solves everything.

 

[N2TRKYS]

How does it shoot now? It may not need anything.

 

[grfox92]

How does it shoot now? It may not need anything.

After most of the replies here this is what I'm thinking haha. There is a 300WM Tika or Bergara in my future and I plan on setting up the M70 .308 for my antelope gun / wife and kids gun.

I was hoping for a quick DIY project to improve the rifle. But as you point out I need more time behind the gun to really guage my abilities. I have been dry firing at 400 yard targets a couple times a week, prone off a bi pod and have been getting pretty steady. Just waiting for nicer weather and to finish my steel target stand to see how well I shoot out to 3 and 400 yards.

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[grfox92]

How does it shoot now? It may not need anything.

Hugely important think I forgot to mention in a brain fart moment. The main reason I have been thinking about doing it is because I noticed a small crack in the recoil lug on the stock and was thinking glass bedding it would eliminate any risk from that becoming more of a problem.

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[N2TRKYS]

Hugely important think I forgot to mention in a brain fart moment. The main reason I have been thinking about doing it is because I noticed a small crack in the recoil lug on the stock and was thinking glass bedding it would eliminate any risk from that becoming more of a problem.

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If the crack goes all the way through, then I would get another stock. If the stock had some sentimental value, I would try to salvage it.

 

[grfox92]

If the crack goes all the way through, then I would get another stock. If the stock had some sentimental value, I would try to salvage it.

It doesn't go through to the underside. It has no sentimental value either.

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[Crghss]

I free floated & bedded my Winchester 1983 model 70 264 win mag. Also put in a mcarbo trigger spring. Now it shots MOA and I rate myself as an average shot.

 

[SDHNTR]

I’d put most any M70, even a pushy, over any new budget production rifle out there! Fix up the old gal and give her a new lease on life! Leave the plastic junk for the Instagram wannabes. The hunting world needs more old school today!

Bed the stock. You can do it. It is an easy DIY project you can do with minimal tools and experience if you take your time, use lots of masking tape on the stock exterior, modeling clay for the recesses, and LOTS OF RELEASE AGENT. That flat receiver is easy to work with and a great platform. There’s even a ton of YouTube vids to help you. You don’t really need pillars if you bed the whole action, but they don’t hurt either. Yes, you could also address the crack at the same time. If it were me, I’d even hog out the forend, drop a stainless steel rod in there for stiffness and then fill up with JB Weld. Sand it all smooth with some sandpaper around a deep socket. Seal off any exposed wood with TruOil and you’ve got a great stock that fits right and is mostly impervious to elements. You have nothing to lose, I say give it a shot. You’ll have pride in a job well done once finished.

 

[grfox92]

I’d put most any M70, even a pushy, over any new budget production rifle out there! Fix up the old gal and give her a new lease on life! Leave the plastic junk for the Instagram wannabes. The hunting world needs more old school today!

Bed the stock. You can do it. It is an easy DIY project you can do with minimal tools and experience if you take your time, use lots of masking tape on the stock exterior, modeling clay for the recesses, and LOTS OF RELEASE AGENT. That flat receiver is easy to work with and a great platform. There’s even a ton of YouTube vids to help you. You don’t really need pillars if you bed the whole action, but they don’t hurt either. Yes, you could also address the crack at the same time. If it were me, I’d even hog out the forend, drop a stainless steel rod in there for stiffness and then fill up with JB Weld. Sand it all smooth with some sandpaper around a deep socket. Seal off any exposed wood with TruOil and you’ve got a great stock that fits right and is mostly impervious to elements. You have nothing to lose, I say give it a shot. You’ll have pride in a job well done once finished.

This is the encouragement I was looking for. Thank you very much. The barrel is currently free floating. I sanded it by hand and checked it with a dollar. Is there any such thing as too much free float? Can I go to town on it to ensure there is plenty of room for the barrel?

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[sndmn11]

This is the encouragement I was looking for. Thank you very much. The barrel is currently free floating. I sanded it by hand and checked it with a dollar. Is there any such thing as too much free float? Can I go to town on it to ensure there is plenty of room for the barrel?

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You can put all the float you want, you still need foreend strength.

Get one of these and follow the destructions. https://scorehi.com/store/#!/Winche...own-Pro-Bed-2000/p/52737060/category=13830050

Piloted counterbores can be found in Amazon for $40.

 

[SDHNTR]

This is the encouragement I was looking for. Thank you very much. The barrel is currently free floating. I sanded it by hand and checked it with a dollar. Is there any such thing as too much free float? Can I go to town on it to ensure there is plenty of room for the barrel?

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You can go to town with floating and it really only affects cosmetics if you open the barrel channel too much, but I do recommend stiffening the forend and preventing it from warping or twisting, as I suggested above.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

If it were me, I’d even hog out the forend, drop a stainless steel rod in there for stiffness and then fill up with JB Weld.

Just curious as a DIYer who likes to mess with wood stocks: I've read about reinforcing with all-thread and other metal rods, but why not save some weight with carbon fiber tubes/rods through the fore-end and wrist? Wouldn't that provide all the stiffness and stability without extra weight?

 

[SDHNTR]

Just curious as a DIYer who likes to mess with wood stocks: I've read about reinforcing with all-thread and other metal rods, but why not save some weight with carbon fiber tubes/rods through the fore-end and wrist? Wouldn't that provide all the stiffness and stability without extra weight?

Maybe so. It’s just in my case, if it’s a wood stock, I’m probably not too concerned with weight to begin with. Steel rods are easier to find.

 

[mmw194287]

Just curious as a DIYer who likes to mess with wood stocks: I've read about reinforcing with all-thread and other metal rods, but why not save some weight with carbon fiber tubes/rods through the fore-end and wrist? Wouldn't that provide all the stiffness and stability without extra weight?

Head to the local archery shop and ask for a bunch of arrow shaft off-cuts of varying diameters (so you can sleeve them when you need a longer tube). I did that a couple years ago and walked out with a small grocery bag full of free carbon tubes to play with. Worked great on a factory Sako stock.


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