Rem 700 Bedding Problem

[parshal]

Oh, I should add that I changed from a 140 grain Partition to a 140 grain A-Frame. They were shooting an average 3400 fps with a slightly sticky bolt. No issues opening, just slightly more pressure than an empty chamber. We'll see what happens at 95 degrees as well as when I've got the thing "back to normal".

 

[KMD]

KMD,

How much material are you removing from the stock? And how do you ensure that you remove an even amount of material so that there's not a cant from front to back or back to front?

Very nice stick BTW!

When bedding with pillars, I want to remove enough material, so that the action is resting solely on the pillars and not contacting the stock at all. Most DBM systems include pillars which are factory milled to the perfect height to insure proper feed & function, so that makes things simple...

Basically, I 'eyeball it' and make sure enough stock material is removed below the pillar height, so the MarineTex can fill that space evenly under the action. It doesn't have to be smooth, and, as Shrek mentioned, I drill into the stock in some spots, to create a mechanical lock for the bedding to 'grab' the stock. You can see that in the other pic, behind the recoil lug...

To set the action height without pre-sized pillars, I build up the barrel with wraps of masking tape until the ejection port of the action is perfectly level in the stock. Also, I will keep a small part at the rear of the tang area full height, so there is a contact point at the rear of the action. Very important for keeping everything even during curing!

Here's a pic, bedding a Seven into factory lammy stock. The tape in two spots, and tang contact insure the action is set at perfect height in stock...

And here's how my homemade 'stock-makers' screws orient the barreled action with the BDL bottom metal...

As long as you wax those screws with release agent, they will break free and screw right out!
Ready for final sanding. Again, not a pretty mill job, but functionally sound!

Every new bedding job offers an opportunity to improve, and it's rewarding to see a rifle shoot well after the work is done!

Hope the OP can get squared away, good luck!!!

 

[parshal]

I finished rebedding it this morning. It's fully bedded from the tang back to the magazine well and the tang. I chose not to bed in front of the lug since the rifle shot so well with the HS Precision stock and nothing was touching the barrel in that stock. I figured I'd try to keep it as similar as possible. I did have it bedded in front of the lug but I still had the same amount of barrel "drop" when the action was loose in the stock. I removed that material and nothing changed in that respect. The tang area looks better than before except for a small area near the trigger well where there was a bubble. Still enough coverage for a good base, though.

I did figure out that the action/barrel is slight rotated in a clockwise fashion when viewed from the butt. It's ever so slight but that's what's causing my trigger to touch the trigger guard area. It also shows in the tang area with the left side being a few .001 "higher" than the right side. I'm guessing I'd have to drill out the screw holes a lot more and do pillars to get it perfectly straight. Before my OCD gets the best of me I'm going to shoot it now and see how it shoots. I'll see how the longer screws affect it as well.

I did use a dial indicator on the fore end and moved the front screw. The indicator measures in .0005 and it looks I have less than .002" movement when the front screw is moved.

 

[Cahunter805]

Are you hand loading or factory ammo? Switching bullets could be another reason its not grouping well.

Since rebedding I would say you need to start over with load development and fine tune for your current setup.

 

[parshal]

Handloads. I started with the load it liked to keep things as close as possible. This last time out I used the same loads and tried the new bullets to check for pressure.

I'm planning on shooting again tomorrow since the new rebed. I'll be checking pressure on the new loads as well. The longer screws won't be here until later this week and I'll shoot it again.

 

[Cahunter805]

I would suggest a ladder test with the a frame and powder of your choice. Then fine tuning seating depth. The bedding should be functional but I agree it doesn't look the best.

 

[parshal]

I would suggest a ladder test with the a frame and powder of your choice. Then fine tuning seating depth.

Yep, that's what I did last time. 62, 63 and 64 grains. I never shot the 64 gr loads as the pressure on the 63 was high enough. I've got 62 and 63's loaded again for further testing along with the original load to test the rifle.

 

[parshal]

It shot better this time but not where I want it. Longer screws will be here tomorrow and I'll test again. I've also got some R22 powder on the way to try the other load that worked well in this before the change.

Here are some targets from 2002 when I was developing loads. The R22 averages 3100 and the 7828 was 3300 fps.

 

[Cahunter805]

Just curious. What is your range setup? Bags? Bipod? Prone?

Also what cleaning products and process do you use?

 

[parshal]

Those targets were shot with sand bags at, basically, a table. After 7-10 shots I run a patch of Kroil through the barrel and then 1 - 3 patches of JB bore paste. Then, a patch or two of Kroil and two dry patches. I did use Sweet's recently to see how much copper fouling I might be missing with the JB. There was some light bluing that came clear in 5 - 6 patches.

I used a lead sled the last time out and have on on order. Much easier to remove myself from the equation using one of those.

 

[wapitibob]

If that's factory action/barrel combo, which I assume it is since your scrubbing it with JB's, an inch @100 is as good as can be expected. You'll get nothing but grief trying to make a 1/2 minute shooter out of it. I've been there.

 

[parshal]

Yep, everything is factory except the trigger. I'm not trying to improve upon the groups that I pictured above, I just want the same with the new stock. If the a-frame is a little less accurate I'm still OK with that. The rifle shoots better than me already.

 

[wapitibob]

I found putting forearm pressure back under the pencil barrel cut my group size down once I bedded my barreled action to a new stock. Business cards worked for me then I formed a piece of navcom and layed it in the stock channel and tightened the action down once I figured out how much pressure it liked.

 

[parshal]

I will try that, too.

 

[Ironman8]

Parshal,

Have you tried to shoot for groups with a fouled barrel? And by fouled I mean 50+ shots without cleaning.

 

[Ironman8]

Also, KMD, Shrek, and others, thanks for the feedback on bedding. I'll be doing a bedding job here in the next couple months and the info provided will definitely help.

 

[parshal]

No, I have not. I figure that I'd be shooting from a fairly clean barrel when hunting. I wanted the first shot from a clean barrel shot to shoot I. The same place as the follow up shots. If not, I'd just leave a fouling shot in the barrel before the hunt.

Do some rifles shoot better with that much fouling? I can't imagine leaving the barrel that dirty for that long. I rarely shoot more that 25 shots in a session.

 

[Sam Millard]

No, I have not. I figure that I'd be shooting from a fairly clean barrel when hunting. I wanted the first shot from a clean barrel shot to shoot I. The same place as the follow up shots. If not, I'd just leave a fouling shot in the barrel before the hunt.

Do some rifles shoot better with that much fouling? I can't imagine leaving the barrel that dirty for that long. I rarely shoot more that 25 shots in a session.

Maybe not "better", but usually more consistent. My rifles generally have 200-300 shots down the tube before hunting season without cleaning and are left that way through the season.

 

[Ironman8]

Maybe not "better", but usually more consistent. My rifles generally have 200-300 shots down the tube before hunting season without cleaning and are left that way through the season.

This. Pretty much the general consensus. The round count between cleaning will depend on your particular rifle, but just keep track of your accuracy and when it starts to drop off, clean and start fouling that barrel again. I never go into a hunting season with a clean barrel.

Sam can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the bigger issue is stripping the copper out of the barrel.

 

[Cahunter805]

Most factory barrels take at least 8-10 shots to settle down in my experience if not more. I always hunt with a fouled barrel and clean it when I'm done and gonna store it. My custom rifle has easy 200 rounds and no cleaning and still shoots 1/2moa. I've heard of guys going 400+ without any real cleaning besides maybe a oil patch to protect it when storing. Your rifle will tell you what it likes but as stated keep shooting until accuracy becomes worse and then clean.

Also have you tried to tune this load yet? Seating depth can be a critical part of accuracy.