Pillar AND glass bed job ?

[379 Peterbilt]

I've heard of guys doing a pillar bed job. Also know guys who glass bed their rifles. But how common is it to have both style bed jobs done in the same rifle? Nothing to loose is there? School me please.

[gunnut69]

Glass bedding is the installation of an inert material into which the barrel and action are set such that they can produce the best accuracy. Pillar bedding is installing pillars or sleeves around the action screws so that the wood they go thru cannot be crushed over time causing the bedding to go sour. Unfortunately some use the terms interchangeably and a good bedding job should be done before installing pillars. It is the pillars place to take the constant crush load on the wood as applied by the constantly tourqued screws. You can certainly have glass bedding without pillar bedding and in the case of the mauser action there is not a lot lost. The front screw on a mauser action is surrounded by a steel pillar by design of the action. The rear screw has much less to do with accuracy and is usually reccomended to be only tightened not torqued as the front. Also the rear screw as supplied by the factory is surrounded by a steel sleeve. This was commonly thrown away but if retained eliminates the need for pillar bedding. All this designed by Herr Mauser in 1898, or a little before..

[379 Peterbilt]

Thanks 'nut. I know of the two bedding styes and what they entail as per "instalation" per se...I just wondered how benificial it would be to use both. In other words = My rifle will be getting a glassbed job, and I am inclined to add the pillars also. 

[gunnut69]

I tried to explain the benefits of the two procedures. The bedding process can be and usually is a real benefit to a rifles accuracy and stability. The pillar bedding process isn't really an accurizing process, it is a stabilization process. It allows the stock to aviod compression forces from the continuous pressure of the bedding screws. So while pillars don't make the rifle shoot better, they keep it shooting as it is for a longer time. It's one of the reasons pillars are not really that beneficial in synthetic or laminated stocks and also less than wonderful in the case of the mauser. Of course the mauser used pillars from the factory.. So if what your after is better groups bedding is really what you are looking for. Often pillar bedding includes glassbedding as part of the process??? Still pillar bedding is a pretty over rated thing in my view. Good luck and hope we been able to help.

[379 Peterbilt]

Thanks for the help gunnut. Much appreciated