Bedding the Scope Rail - Why? and How To

[ssentz]

Can someone explain....

1.  Why you bed the scope rail.  Does it somehow affect accuracy?
2.   The procedure for bedding the scope rail.

[fish280]

it simply removes one possible glitch that COULD cause accuracy issues - uneven matching of rail and barrel/receiver surfaces.
it's easy to do. remove rail. use coarse sandpaper to roughen the underside of the rail where it contacts the barrel/receiver. use a release agent such as paste wax or pam in a thin layer on the receiver/barrel, and on the screws. mix up a little batch of jb weld or other epoxy compound good for bedding. spread this evenly on the rail underside, but keep compound away from screw holes. mount scope rail. snug screws good and tight. remove excess compound from edges. let dry. you are good to go. :wink:

[32-20 wcf]

I do like fish says, with one added step.

I put masking tape on both sides of the mount, all the way to the end that doesn't touch the barrel. Stand the rifle up and "dribble" the epoxy into the overhang area, till its even with the end. Wait about 30 minutes ans remove the tape. At this time any leaks or overruns can be trimmed with a razorblade.

[Badnews Bob]

You might want to try Magnum steel, Its a putty style of epoxy instead of liquid. It works the same way but you just knead a piece  to mix it up then apply it to the scope base and install the base, you can then trim the excess off with a plastic knife or a razor blade before it dries, you can smooth it some with a wet finger to make it look better. It sets up in about five minutes after it sets up hard it can be drilled and sanded and painted. I think its easier to use than JB. Avalibly at most parts store and places like Lowes.

[32-20 wcf]

Bob is right, I tried some of the "putty" style for bedding an old Savage recently and it worked great.

[ccy465]

I use the putty also and prefer it to a liquid epoxy.  I simply used paste shoe polish as a release agent on the barrel and scope rail.  Easier to use and no mess.  I found no need to sand any parts because I did not want the putty to be permanent, just fill in any gaps under the mount.  The rail screws should be the attachment not the epoxy.  Use non permanent 'Loc-tite' on the rails mounting screws.

One other step not mentioned is to fill the gap area between the forward end of the mount and the barrel.  This gives a rock solid mount for the base, especially when large and long scopes are used.  When it drys just use a black Sharpie permanent marker pen to color the epoxy.

I also make a rubber gasket for around the barrel stud for the forearm to rest against.  Do not over tighten the screw on the forearm.  Just snug the screw and back off a hair.
 
If you have a wood forearm you will find that the metal attachment at the rear is secured with two screws.  This is the weakest link of the forearm because of the screw hole to grain alignment.  I used the two part liquid epoxy here and in the screw holes.  Really firms up the fit.

With all of this done refrain from resting the rifle on the forearm when shooting.  You will find that best accuracy is obtained when resting the rifle under the metal section of the action forward of the trigger guard.

You may want to polish the chamber for ease of extraction.  Use Flitz for this and go easy because you don't want to change the dimension of the chamber just polish it a little.

Another thing, remove and clean the extractor/ejector.  It comes from the factory with heavy grease that can gum up quickly and give extraction problems too.  Use light oil and reassemble.

Once the scope is mounted refrain from slamming the action shut.  The NEF can be a reticle separator with hard closing of the action.

Have fun with your NEF,
Chris

[Mac11700]

Or...if one wishes to save a-lot of time and trouble...one can simply purchase an Ultra scope rail...it has a srew you adjust down on the front.. to make contact with the barrel and lock it into place with 2 set screws on the rails side...you will still need to do the bedding trick if you don't want the gap between the rail base and barrel...but the flex situation will be eliminated....


Mac