Taping Recoil Lug When Glass Bedding

[longrange13]

When glass bedding a remington style action, is it better to tape off the bottom and sides of the lug, or the back or front of the recoil lug? I’ve seen all sorts of variations.

When a stock recoils, does the front of the lug make contact with the stock or is it the rear of the lug? My go to has always been tape off the bottom and sides of the lug and get a tight fit front to back.

 

[Browninglover1]

Back of the lug is where you should always maintain contact. I typically give 2 layers of tape on the bottom and 1 layer of tape on the sides because it makes it way easier to get out of the stock. If the lug is tapered it's hardly an issue, but on some of the straight lugs if you don't get some side to side clearance they can be a real PITA to get out of the stock.

 

[XLR]

Tape the front, bottom, and sides of the action. You should also put a layer of tape on the bottom of the barrel to make sure you don't have any contact there. The only spot you want contact is on the back of the recoil lug.

 

[hereinaz]

Agreed^^^
Contact at the back of the lug and action screws at proper torque is enough for precision with a good glass bedding job. Contact at the front only makes it hard to get the stock off for maintenance, IMO.

 

[Decker9]

A couple / few wraps of tape near the end of the barrel helps keep everything in line and helps with the free float. Iv always put 2 pcs of tape on the bottom of the lug and 1 on the sides and front. I once did tape only on the bottom of the lug, a nice snug fit but was a real pain to separate when I took things apart.

 

[hereinaz]

A couple / few wraps of tape near the end of the barrel helps keep everything in line and helps with the free float. Iv always put 2 pcs of tape on the bottom of the lug and 1 on the sides and front. I once did tape only on the bottom of the lug, a nice snug fit but was a real pain to separate when I took things apart.

That is a great tip as well, to put some wraps of tape around the barrel at the forend so that the barrel is centered. Make sure that the barrel channel is properly cut and that the tape matches the gap all the way around the barrel.

That helps keep the action oriented in line with the entire line of the stock. I bedded one where I didn't pay attention and the bedding forced the barrel to the side. I wasn't paying attention and when I tightened the action screws it put movement and torque to the side and the barrel stopped the movement only when it hit the side of the barrel channel. It was a Savage action if I recall, so the back end of the action is a little wonky to bed because the rear action screw is in front of the trigger.

 

[BBob]

It was a Savage action if I recall, so the back end of the action is a little wonky to bed because the rear action screw is in front of the trigger.

I floated the tang on the two screw actions.

 

[DJL2]

Tape/relieve the muzzle/front side of the lug, both sides, and the bottom. The back of the lug is what does the job on a R700, so that and the bottom of the action are what need perfect metal-to-bedding contact. Relieving the front, sides, and bottom ensures that the lug doesn't pinch in the bedding, particularly if you get debris (e.g. pieces of the bedding shaved off when inserting the barreled action into the stock) trapped between the lug and the lug recess.

If you be a Tikka, or other floating lug design, the FRONT of the lug contacts the action under recoil - so, the reverse.

 

[seand]

The last few 700s I’ve just taped the bottom of the lug. Folks will argue about it but they seem to shoot well tight. Folks seriously talking about taping the back of the lug should really not be working on their firearms.

 

[Wildhorse]

I just tape the barrel two wraps to maintain floating and everything else just gets sprayed down with liquid wrench to keep it from sticking extremely tight fits no chance at all of play and easy enough for me to get it out.

 

[wapitibob]

Tape only the front and btm. A recoil lug taped off everywhere but the back is sitting in space and you just as well not even bother.

 

[bradb]

Cut the tape with a nice flat hammer, tapping around the lug. Way easier then a knife

 

[HeavyForCaliber]

The philosophy is that the parts of the gun that are in compression during recoil should always be in full contact (recoil lug, scope mounts, etc.). Secondly, there should not be anything in the bedding which can hang up the action from returning to the exact same spot after every recoil to avoid issues like double-grouping, which is where the clearance comes in.

As @DJL2 noted, front/back taping can be different for different recoil configurations. For Rem 700/Savage, the back of the lug has to be in full contact with the stock's bedding. Round receivers (Rem 700/Savage) should self-center, so I've never had an issue with clearancing the other four sides of the lug (square-bottom actions have additional considerations side-to-side). It's also prudent remove any burrs that might hang up the lug/receiver, and when you're done, remove any lettering or other impressions from the bedding. I tape the front and bottom of the recoil lug with 2 layers of electrical tape, and 1 layer on the sides. Then I use Kiwi shoe polish on the tape, receiver, and barrel as a release agent.

I once did a crooked bedding and had to grind it out. Since then I too wrap masking tape around the barrel at the tip of the forend to keep it centered.