How far up the barrel channel do you bed your rifle barrel?

[rickyw]

I have bedded three rifles at home. On one, I bedded the entire knox of the barrel. On another, I bedded an inch down the barrel. And on another, a half inch.

I had a gunsmith say he beds the whole Knox, or if there is no Knox then just the first inch. I had another say he beds just 1/2” down the barrel. I recently had another one tell me he doesn’t bed the barrel at all, because as it heats up while shooting it swells. His opinion was that modern actions don’t need to be stress relieved by bedding down the barrel.

Thoughts?

 

[TaperPin]

I’m a firm believer this type of question is best answered on the target. If bedding or not bedding an extra couple inches onto the barrel makes a difference it should be easy to see with a simple couple of 5 shot groups stacked on each other. I bedded onto the barrel, shot it, then ground down the bedding on the barrel and shot it again. If it made a difference I couldn’t tell.

In fact I couldn’t tell the difference between bedding the full length of the action and supporting the receiver off the fiberglass or wood stock with a 1” wide strip of cereal box cardboard at the action screws. Glass bedding looks better and you don’t feel as ghetto, so I think it’s worth it.

Maybe some rifles respond to bedding part of the barrel and some don’t. Idk.

What is clear is it’s hard to disprove in people’s minds, much like pillars. A friend who is very pro pillar used to tell me regularly to add pillars to my rifles. I’ve offered to install them and bet a steak dinner they won’t make a difference - but he wasn’t convinced enough to take me up on it. Imagine if that were common - if pillars help, the gunsmith gets a free steak dinner and if they don’t the client gets a big ribeye and those warm towels at a fancy place.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s no harm in pillars or bedding part of the barrel, so if someone feels good about having it done that’s reason enough to do it.

 

[wapitibob]

I used to bed about an inch ahead of the lug, now I stop at the lug. I believe the chamber portion of the barrel, which heats up the quickest, would be ahead of any bedding unless you really extended it forward, I just choose not to do it to be safe. Can't prove it would expand enough to move, but I feel better not doing it.

 

[shooter7]

I've had great results bedding up just about 1" in front of the lug. I don't have any comparison data to prove it's the best option but it has yielded my best 10 shot group ever out of a custom built 260 Rem Rem 700. It was bedded into a HS precision with a bedding block. The bedding compound did make it fit much more snug than the block alone.

 

[Sadie]

I've been messing with rifles for 60 years and don't know what a Knox is.

 

[noKnees]

For a long time I would bed the first inch or so the barrel, my thinking being it would be more stable especially in more open action designs like mausers and rugers where I didn't think the action would be as stiff. Now days I shoot considerably more, and rebarreling a rifle to a second or third barrel happens. To facilitate this I stop at the front of the action so I can swap barrels without messing with bedding. All of my high volume guns are either 700 pattern custom actions or a tikka, so the actions a plenty stiff to support the barrel.

 

[wind gypsy]

Anything that needs bedding in front of the action is for the birds.

 

[Shortschaf]

I also don't bed anything further than recoil lug

 

[WSMHNTR]

I used to do the first inch of the barrel when I started but the last several has just been the action and stop at the front of the lug.

 

[rickyw]

I've been messing with rifles for 60 years and don't know what a Knox is.

My understanding, which I am happy to be corrected on, is that it is a name for the straight section of the barrel just before the taper begins. Otherwise known as the barrel shank, I believe

 

[doc holiday13]

Anything that needs bedding in front of the action is for the birds.

I'd go with this. Find a competition level chassis and tell me how much material in front of the recoil lug is making barrel contact

 

[rickyw]

Good discussion. Leaving the barrel channel alone saves hassle and bedding material

 

[SDHNTR]

I let it squeeze up as much as it does, then grind it back to the lug recess.

 

[SDHNTR]

I let it squeeze up as much as it does, then grind it back to the lug recess.

 

[Pilsner]

I have bedded three rifles at home. On one, I bedded the entire knox of the barrel. On another, I bedded an inch down the barrel. And on another, a half inch.

I had a gunsmith say he beds the whole Knox, or if there is no Knox then just the first inch. I had another say he beds just 1/2” down the barrel. I recently had another one tell me he doesn’t bed the barrel at all, because as it heats up while shooting it swells. His opinion was that modern actions don’t need to be stress relieved by bedding down the barrel.

Thoughts?

What exactly is a KNOX?

 

[Pilsner]

I've been messing with rifles for 60 years and don't know what a Knox is.

Thank you! Im only 35 years or so into this game and I had to ask as well.

 

[Pilsner]

My understanding, which I am happy to be corrected on, is that it is a name for the straight section of the barrel just before the taper begins. Otherwise known as the barrel shank, I believe

Any idea RickyW where the name comes from? Interesting piece of history I suspect.
To answer the original question I have only bedded the action lugs and free floated the rest. I kinda thought that this was industry best practices but... am I wrong?

 

[rickyw]

Any idea RickyW where the name comes from? Interesting piece of history I suspect.
To answer the original question I have only bedded the action lugs and free floated the rest. I kinda thought that this was industry best practices but... am I wrong?

My understanding was bedding the first part of the shank relieves stress on the action when it is torqued into the stock. Hence my question regarding the different responses I have received from different gunsmiths. Some do it, and one recently I spoke to does not. I’m just happy to learn here.

From what I can tell the term knox has something to do with the Nock family, who were London gunmakers, and it may have something more to do with Lee enfield rifles; but I just googled that. My apologies for using a vague term, that was just what one gunsmith I know calls it.

 

[Pilsner]

My understanding was bedding the first part of the shank relieves stress on the action when it is torqued into the stock. Hence my question regarding the different responses I have received from different gunsmiths. Some do it, and one recently I spoke to does not. I’m just happy to learn here.

From what I can tell the term knox has something to do with the Nock family, who were London gunmakers, and it may have something more to do with Lee enfield rifles; but I just googled that. My apologies for using a vague term, that was just what one gunsmith I know calls it.

No apologizes necessary - I truly value when I can learn some new term or fact about our little gun making world!