Rem 700 trigger pins, bedding pillers.

[Argonaut]

I have a Remington 700 Varmint model in .222, It was made about 1968. I bought it used,  but like new with a weaver K12 in redfield mounts on it.  I plan to free float the barrel, (I checked with a spacer and it shoot better that way.) and glass in the action.  I was thinking of piller bedding it and would like to know if it is really worth the trouble, or is this just one of those things we rifle people obsess about?   I live in the pacific north wet and humidity levels are high most of the year, but if you travel east of the cascades  the air is much drier, but that is were the best places are to hunt and shoot at something further than 75 yards away.

Regarding trigger pins, on a m700, are the tappered? or can they be driven out either direction? In others words is it best to drive them out toward the safety or away from it?

Thanks.

[gunnut69]

Pillar bedding was developed to maintain a good bedding job. The puillars stop the action screws from compressing the wood between the action tube and the bottom metal, over time. So their value is subjective. A good bedding job will last a very long time and is well worth the trouble and expense, usually.. In fact the varmit special you have should be free floating as remington didn't to my knowledge put pressure points on the heavy barreled rifles. Driving the pins in and out to the left allows capture of the bolt stop and it's spring.. Its the route to go.. A link to a diagram is attached below..

http://stevespages.com/ipb-remington-700.html

[Argonaut]

thanks much for the info.  Just for the sake of knowledge, this remington is box stock, other than someone trying to adjust the trigger, (badly as the firing pin dropped when the safety was released) it is just like remington made it and it has a pressure pad about one inch wide and it starts just to the rear of the front white line spacer on the BDL style stock. So apparently, they didn't free float them in the late 60's.

[Argonaut]

After doing a little more research I don't believe I will bother with the piller bedding, I just had a little piece of titanium I was itching to make into something.  Since this rifle is a .222 I don't really have to worry about excess torque on my action screws. If I have a problem with shifting zero, I can always put in Pillars later. I would enjoy getting a new stock sometime in the future for it that looks like a Marine M40 sniper rifle, circa 1968.