Tikka/Mesa Precision Bedding Fail ....Opinions

[ctfxd3]

Recently picked up a used Mesa Precision stock and wanted to bed the area around the recoil lug. Read a ton of threads on here and other forums, watched youtube vids etc and then decided to have a local smith do it instead of giving it a shot myself. I almost fell over when I went to pick the stock up and the smith showed his final product. Might be the worst attempted bedding job I have seen on any forum. The blue tape in the pic is from me attempting to smooth some of it out. But its a complete shit show. Action barely lines up on the recoil lug, he pretty much glassed right over the lug. Looking for advice on the best method for digging everything out and starting over.

 

[Rob5589]

Damn. All you can do is "gently" use a Dremel to grind it away. Bedding over the lug blows my mind. I'd be asking for a refund and money for a new stock if that one can't be cleaned up.

 

[darrenk75b]

Have a heat gun? Careful application of heat will allow you to peel the bedding off of the lug without grinding it and risking damage to the lug. For the rest, dremel it away and try again. It looks bad, but I've certainly corrected worse.

 

[Decker9]

Ime, on a tikka the lug should be in the lug slot in the action when it’s all put into the stock with compound (usually held with a tiny dab of glue for temporary hold).

I’d be asking for a refund, plus the cost of cleaning up the mess he left.

Bedding is actually really simple, if you do attempt it yourself, feel free to toss a pm and I’d be happy to give some pointers.

 

[Scotto]

I'd be asking for a refund and to have him clean it up, on his dime, to a point it can be redone. Or, as stated above, $$ for a new stock if it can't be salvaged Then take it elsewhere or do it yourself.

 

[HandgunHTR]

I agree with the other posters on your smith footing the bill to have this done right.

That being said, I have yet to have a Tikka where I have needed to bed it, whether in a factory stock, a Mesa stock, or a McMillan stock. I just don't see the reason for it.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Chisel for cleaning the top of the lug, then drill down beside the front and back faces with a very small bit, lots of holes, careful not to hit the lug itself, to loosen it up. Dremel out everything else that needs removed and redo it.

I do wonder if this smith is the same who ruined another tikka bed job about a year ago. That one was in Montana I think.

 

[ctfxd3]

Ime, on a tikka the lug should be in the lug slot in the action when it’s all put into the stock with compound (usually held with a tiny dab of glue for temporary hold).

I’d be asking for a refund, plus the cost of cleaning up the mess he left.

Bedding is actually really simple, if you do attempt it yourself, feel free to toss a pm and I’d be happy to give some pointers.

Thank you. much appreciated.

I'd be asking for a refund and to have him clean it up, on his dime, to a point it can be redone. Or, as stated above, $$ for a new stock if it can't be salvaged Then take it elsewhere or do it yourself.

I agree with the other posters on your smith footing the bill to have this done right.

That being said, I have yet to have a Tikka where I have needed to bed it, whether in a factory stock, a Mesa stock, or a McMillan stock. I just don't see the reason for it.

Not sure I want him taking possession of the stock again after seeing his work the first time around. I dropped the rifle off without having a chance to take the scope off. He gave it back to me with one side of my neoprene cover smeared with bedding compound.

Chisel for cleaning the top of the lug, then drill down beside the front and back faces with a very small bit, lots of holes, careful not to hit the lug itself, to loosen it up. Dremel out everything else that needs removed and redo it.

I do wonder if this smith is the same who ruined another tikka bed job about a year ago. That one was in Montana I think.

This smith is in New England. Should have known better and taken a shot at it myself.

 

[ctfxd3]

Was able to remove a good amount of material and free up most of the lug with a few small picks. Need to knock it down some more with the dremel.

 

[ridgeline]

Damn that's nasty! you will also need to to open up the action screw inlet holes for enough clearance around the action screws. At the moment it appears the action screws are threaded into the stock and that is BAD juju...

 

[Kimmo H]

That is a total disaster on the smiths part. You should get your money back from them atleast.

I would try to get the recoil lug out of the stock before doing that again. I've pulled stuck lugs by drilling M4 threads on the lug, and using a bolt with an inverted U shape bar as a puller under the M4 bolt.

I actually had a somewhat similiar project recently, where a stock was bedded with another action in had to be rebedded.
If you have acces to a milling machine it would make inletting much faster, but it can be done with a dremel.

Dremel away untill you can make the gun feed well, mag to lock up right and to get everything straight and lined up. Then make temporary bedding supports under the barrel. Release agent on both the barrel and the stock, put some mud between and assemble the gun as you want it to sit if after bedded.
Let the supports set, break free the action and then generously inlet the whole underside of action, so that the action floats in the air supported by your bedding supports.
Put a piece of tape on the recoil lug, and put a drop of super glue on that side and glue the lug in to the action, pushing it forwards in the slot. I use a dead head bolt on the front screw hole to protect the hole and as a guide the get the action in the right spot and straight with the bottom metal. Remember to apply release agent on this bolt, or you'll be in trouble getting things apart.
Clean up as usual, remove the tape from the recoil lug and use a chisel to clean the back side of the lug. Snap out the bedding supports. Usually they pop right off when you tap a chisel / screwdriver under them gently.

Here is a few pics for reference of my way of doing beds for Tikka action. This stock had to be opened up more than I'd want to get the previous bedding compound out, but it shows the idea. It isn't the only way to do things, but this method has yielded me good results on 30 or so Tikkas, and it also works for true pillar bedding.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

You have to get that lug out before you try to bed it again, otherwise it will end up covered in epoxy and not in contact with the action.

 

[ctfxd3]

That is a total disaster on the smiths part. You should get your money back from them atleast.

I would try to get the recoil lug out of the stock before doing that again. I've pulled stuck lugs by drilling M4 threads on the lug, and using a bolt with an inverted U shape bar as a puller under the M4 bolt.

I actually had a somewhat similiar project recently, where a stock was bedded with another action in had to be rebedded.
If you have acces to a milling machine it would make inletting much faster, but it can be done with a dremel.

Dremel away untill you can make the gun feed well, mag to lock up right and to get everything straight and lined up. Then make temporary bedding supports under the barrel. Release agent on both the barrel and the stock, put some mud between and assemble the gun as you want it to sit if after bedded.
Let the supports set, break free the action and then generously inlet the whole underside of action, so that the action floats in the air supported by your bedding supports.
Put a piece of tape on the recoil lug, and put a drop of super glue on that side and glue the lug in to the action, pushing it forwards in the slot. I use a dead head bolt on the front screw hole to protect the hole and as a guide the get the action in the right spot and straight with the bottom metal. Remember to apply release agent on this bolt, or you'll be in trouble getting things apart.
Clean up as usual, remove the tape from the recoil lug and use a chisel to clean the back side of the lug. Snap out the bedding supports. Usually they pop right off when you tap a chisel / screwdriver under them gently.

Here is a few pics for reference of my way of doing beds for Tikka action. This stock had to be opened up more than I'd want to get the previous bedding compound out, but it shows the idea. It isn't the only way to do things, but this method has yielded me good results on 30 or so Tikkas, and it also works for true pillar bedding.

Appreciate the detailed response. Going to spend some more time tonight digging the lug out.

You have to get that lug out before you try to bed it again, otherwise it will end up covered in epoxy and not in contact with the action.

Agreed. Spoke to the smith this AM and it sounds like he didn't remove the lug the first time. Wasn't getting contact and then decided to just glass over the lug so it would make contact. He is sending me my $ back.

 

[ctfxd3]

Spoke to Mesa Precision and they are telling me the stock cant be fixed due to how much material would need to come out in order to get the recoil lug out. Thoughts on this?

 

[Eleven]

You now have a professional opinion on the extent of the damage (not fixable) and the ’smith admitting to the faulty work. ’Smith should pay for a new stock.

 

[Wrench]

Take a soldering iron (big weller) and heat the lug. You may have luck heating pliers to cherry and grabbing the lug. You need it to heat soak to about 400* and it'll slide out.

 

[HighUintas]

@ctfxd3 if you do round 2 yourself, look up Nathan Foster of ballistics studies. He's got some great how tos for bedding a Tikka.

I did my own following his instructions and it worked very very well.

 

[SW hunter]

Thats surprising he returned money. Thats respectable.
I background a gunsmith about like a hunting guide. Just because a smith CAN do a job doesn't mean he SHOULD do the job. I have way more confidence in a shop that turns down work than one that claims to do it all. But in small towns theres limited options.

Maybe I’m wrong. IMO theres a lot of specialized skill sets that dont necessarily overlap in gunsmithing.

 

[Wrench]

This was a 101 job that went bad. Smith should have hogged it out and started over after version 1.0.

We've all tried to make a correction and learned this lesson.....but to let it leave the shop is mind blowing.

 

[ctfxd3]

This was a 101 job that went bad. Smith should have hogged it out and started over after version 1.0.

We've all tried to make a correction and learned this lesson.....but to let it leave the shop is mind blowing.

Agreed. He knew it was sloppy work when I confronted him about it. I was reluctant to let him "try again" after seeing his work the first time around. Should have just given it a shot myself. Highly doubt he's going to do anything to make it right/contribute towards a replacement at this point.