Bedding a springer action

[Rickenbacker]

I'm going to bed all my actions and not tell anybody.

[Shed tuner]

I'm going to bed all my actions and not tell anybody.

It'll come out anyways... sooner or later they'll sell their stories to the papers...

[vestlenning]

Nothing wrong with a little bedding to make things sturdy. No need to get fancy, epoxy and sawdust works fine.

[TonyL]

I'm going to bed all my actions and not tell anybody.

I bet your PCPs put up the least resistance, Phil!

[Artfull-Bodger]

No doubt we all have suffered stock screws coming loose, think of the shaking a springer gives a scope, then have a look at the video I posted above but pay attention to the action in the stock, there's a lot of movement going on with a springer.

Whilst centerfire rifles will have a vastly greater harmonic vibration that any springer, unlike a precharge the shaking a springer produces must have a detrimental effect if allowed to float about in the stock like they do.

The inletting on most factory stocks is extremely poor with minimal contact points between the action and stock, so my train of thought is simply if the action can be bedded properly so the clamping force is spread over the area of the tube this must limit any movement of the action, end result may improve the shot cycle, or may be an afternoon making a mess for little return, obviously it will have to be done properly with a glass epoxy compound, but once I have completed the mechanical modifications I'm interested in experimenting with this route just to see if there is any practical benefit.

After all I considered the fact I spend many hours making close tolerance parts and fine tuning a rifle and then just bung it back in the stock and do the screws up, the stock is an important part of the rifle, maybe it's time to take a closer look at the rifle as a whole , not just the mechanical side.

[Phil Russell]

I have heard of actions being bedded on an epoxy type base, applying the material then covering with cling film, securing the stock and letting the material harden. Remove action when material has set and tidy up any loose edges etc.
But I have never seen it used nor tried it.
Cheers, Phil

[vestlenning]

I have heard of actions being bedded on an epoxy type base, applying the material then covering with cling film, securing the stock and letting the material harden. Remove action when material has set and tidy up any loose edges etc.
But I have never seen it used nor tried it.

I have done exactly that - easy, nice results.

[PhatMan]

Hello to All,

The action of my Diana (Original) 35 has been glued into its stock with silicone mastic for about fifteen (15) years.

It has no fore-end screws, only the rear-action screw, and it shoots very well

(This happened because I loaned the 35 to a knob-head friend of mine, who stripped the fore-end screws, then decided to drill out the holes and tapped them for 1/4" coarse threaded bolts and then stripped those because there were too few threads )

Have fun

Best regards

Russ

[vestlenning]

(This happened because I loaned the 35 to a knob-head friend of mine, who stripped the fore-end screws, then decided to drill out the holes and tapped them for 1/4" coarse threaded bolts and then stripped those because there were too few threads )

Nob-head friends; everyone should have one!

[pelletcaster]

No doubt we all have suffered stock screws coming loose, think of the shaking a springer gives a scope, then have a look at the video I posted above but pay attention to the action in the stock, there's a lot of movement going on with a springer.

Whilst centerfire rifles will have a vastly greater harmonic vibration that any springer, unlike a precharge the shaking a springer produces must have a detrimental effect if allowed to float about in the stock like they do.

The inletting on most factory stocks is extremely poor with minimal contact points between the action and stock, so my train of thought is simply if the action can be bedded properly so the clamping force is spread over the area of the tube this must limit any movement of the action, end result may improve the shot cycle, or may be an afternoon making a mess for little return, obviously it will have to be done properly with a glass epoxy compound, but once I have completed the mechanical modifications I'm interested in experimenting with this route just to see if there is any practical benefit.

After all I considered the fact I spend many hours making close tolerance parts and fine tuning a rifle and then just bung it back in the stock and do the screws up, the stock is an important part of the rifle, maybe it's time to take a closer look at the rifle as a whole , not just the mechanical side.

Hi,

exactly my thoughts,

I've been bedding all of my springer systems (and some of my PCPs) in the stock using "neutraly curing" silicon.
"neutraly curing" because the acid types will corrode any metal contacting.

Firstly I check the seat of the system in the stock, if necessary I grind off excess material where contact points are too high - easily to be seen after a tin of pellets or so.
Then I degrease the stock bed with some brake cleaner and cover the visible upper sides/edges with some masking tape.
The system gets wrapped up in some kitchen foil - the thin PU-type. Some wrinkles don't do any harm.
S-o-m-e silicon gets placed in stripes along the main areas inside the stock.
System gets placed into the stock and stock screws get slowly tightended up (just right through the foil) in small consecutive increments over a periode of about 15 minutes to give the silicone enough time to spread out under the increasing pressure and fill all the gaps.
Don't overtight the stock screws. Take your time.
Let it all cure for a day or better two at room temperature.
Get the stock screws away and the system out of the stock. Silicone might cling little bit to the PU-foil but doesn't matter.
Clean excess silicone and masking tape.
Get rid of the foil.
Oil the system and place it back into the stock.
Tighten the stock screws as usual with the use of some loctite.
Let it cure overnight.
Then shoot and enjoy the difference.