what if i pillar bed my rifle?

[Redneckguy77]

i'm wondering i have an sps varmint in .308 if i pillar bed that stock will it make the barrel free float? if not can i just shave away the parts that touch the barrel or will that put to much stress on the pillars epoxy and the action area of the stock? thanks for the help

[hoghunting]

 If you pillar bed the stock, the action should fit in the stock just as it did before pillar bedding. Try scraping or sanding the barrel channel to free float the barrel as this will not stress the action bedding.

[Nobade]

That rifle has a plastic stock, doesn't it? If so, don't try to do any bedding on it. Trying to get epoxy to stick to a injection molded plastic stock is like trying to glue something to an ice cube. It's a waste of time and money, get a wood or thermoset stock first. You can go to www.probed2000.com to learn a lot about bedding and watch some videos and slide show presentations to explain the process.

[nomosendero]

If you just apply bedding compound, it likely will not stick. However, if you "rough up" the surface, the proper compound will stick & has been done hundreds of time with complete success.

[bubbinator]

I have a 1973 era Rem 700 .223 HB Varmint rifle delivered 1973 in .223.  It was "pillar bedded" by a dear departed friend from the USAF Marksmanship Unit, Paul Musser,  that has held zero  to this day in a factory Rem stock.  At that time pillar bedding was boring out the  action bolt holes and filling them with bedding material-we used Dev-Con- it mended motor blocks! I have seen some applications where actual metal pillars are set into the stock and bedded.  I acquired a Rem 700 SPS .308 w/ 26" bbl and a black/grey spired web stock in a trade.  I followed Paul's plans, Dremel Tooled the areas flat in the stock I wanted bedded, drilled out the action stock holes, greased it all to released per necessity and Dev-Con-ed it all.  I have basically a machinable epoxy/steel- filled stock that from 3" in front of the barrel lug. back to the rear action bolt is solid steel/epoxy. The barrel is free forward of the bedding.  There are some select loads that will give you change for .50 cents at ranges over 200 yds.

[victorcharlie]

If you just apply bedding compound, it likely will not stick. However, if you "rough up" the surface, the proper compound will stick & has been done hundreds of time with complete success.

Yes, I did one a couple of years ago.  I drilled a few 1/4" holes at odd angles to give the epoxy even more places to go after I roughed it up.

It's worked well for me.

[trotterlg]

There are lots of instructions on pillar bedding.  First you get some pillars (the hollow threaded lamp parts work really well) and grind the heads off some screws that fit the action so they are slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the pillars.  Drill out he action screw holes in the stock so that the pillars do not touch the sides of the hole.  Now, with the pillars installed on the action with the near headless screws and the action covered with a single layer of electrical tape, glue the pillars in the holes while holding the action in the stock with big rubber bands.  When the pillars are set, remove the screws and drop the action out.  Now you have pillars installed with about .010 clearance to the stock from the action for the bedding to go into.  There is epoxy made just for plastic, get some and, after putting plenty of wax on the action, coat the parts of the stock under the action with epoxy, put the action in and tighten it down with real action screws.  When it is set you will have a nicely bedded pillar installed rifle.  First read about it, but is not rocket science.  Larry

[Redneckguy77]

can i just sand out some of the stock to keep it from touching or will that put to much pressure on the plastic of the stock

[simplicity]

I just went through something simillar with a 700 VTR in 308 (they have the same stock) the front end of the stock there are two little tabs pressing against the barrel. I shaved them off to free float the barrel ( I also have a freidn that tryed doing the same thing to his sps stock and both of the stocks flexed up due to the way the cross bracing was. Also in my stock about half way there is no cross bracing where they had to input the panels and the stock was pretty easy to flex by twisting it with my hands alone. I ended up getting a bell and carlson full bedded stock.  Hogue makes a pillar bedded stock for not to much money. If it were me I would have saved myself the trouble and just have gotten the stock in the first place. It made a big improvement on the loads that I had trouble getting to group and the ones that already did It took alot of the work out of getting them to group good.