Author Topic: anyone tried bedding the lug to the forearm? (Read 1011 times)

fish280 · « **on:** February 09, 2005, 12:20:36 PM »

here's a question for all of you handi-techs: anybody ever bedded the barrel lug to the forearm lug hole with acraglass or jb weld or such? i wonder if this wouldn't do something nice for the harmonics as opposed to the o-ring trick.

i noticed on my '06 handi the forearm hole is ever so slightly off center to the lug. the lug appears to be as plumb as possible; really well done at the factory under the new marling management. a slight enlargement of the forearm hole to get it on centers with the lug, plus bedding to keep it there, might provide a perfect barrel/forearm alignment with a layer of tape or two on the barrel right at the front of the forearm.

whatsay ye? (this question also is posed in my "promising handload" thread.) many thanks for your brainpower.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2005, 12:33:43 PM »

Check out Fred M's site...

http://www.angelfire.com/ma/ZERMEL/tweakultra.html

stiff neck · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2005, 03:22:18 PM »

My forearm hole is also slightly off center as well. Just enough to slightly skew the forearm to one side so it's not "free floating". I'll have to either sand away one side of the forearm to float it, or re-drill the forearm hole and bed it.

Anybody else done this?

Donaldo · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2005, 05:07:13 PM »

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2005, 05:46:26 PM »

Be careful, and sure don't do it with the barrel on the action. There has to be enough clearance for the forearm to pivot off and on. You can bed the forearm and the hole to the barrel off the action, take it off straight down, and open a minimum clearance with a round file.

Do it with the barrel on the action, and you'll be taking the forearm off with a chisel

fish280 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 10, 2005, 01:46:28 AM »

aha, dj. now there is a little tip that is way, way, way valuable. would not have occurred to me in a million years - until afterwards. i think i might be able to come up with a method that does not get jb into the hole itself. i only want to create a perfectly mated pad on which the lug
BASE rests, not the threaded shaft. the hole itself can be lightly re-shaped so there is no pressure from one side of the forearm or other. i will put on my thinking cap, get out a pencil and paper and my handi. i do NOT think like an engineer. :roll:

fish280 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 10, 2005, 04:40:26 AM »

hey outlaw:

i had jb'd the forearm spacer yesterday. it was plumb loose when i got back from the range, shifting around on the back of the forearm.

made my pad this morning from elmer's carpenter glue mixed into a matrix with some very fine sawdust. the elmer's should have a tiny bit of "give" but not near as much as an o-ring. i used three layers of masking tape on the barrel near the forearm front to guarantee a bit of clearance.

i also used a round file to slightly enlarge the hole in the forearm so the lug would not bear anywhere on the sides. i could see shiny spots where that was happening, and shifting the forearm to the left looking from the rear of the rifle.

how about gluing an aluminum pillar in the hole itself, and switching the factory forearm screw to a hex head machine bolt mated perfectly to the pillar? i think i may try that if the pad doesn't shrink groups. the pillar at the very least would keep the mounting screw/bolt from compressing the wood of the forearm over time.

Donaldo · « **Reply #7 on:** February 10, 2005, 05:34:18 AM »

I have done the bedding of the fore arm lug. I did a pillar bedding type job. I also took pics and as soon as I get a chance to go to the range to check things out I will report on it and how I did it. I think this shows more promise than anything I have yet seen on the fore arm problem. I can already see one refinement to what I have done that might make it better but will try what I have at this time before making an additional change. As they say..... stay tuned. :lol:

quickdtoo · « **Reply #8 on:** February 10, 2005, 06:04:31 AM »

mag41vance · « **Reply #9 on:** February 10, 2005, 06:54:16 AM »

That would be fine for a handi that only has only one barrel. But a handi that has several barrels would require a matching fore-end bedded for each barrel. The tolerances on the Handi are not such that it would be interchangeable if glass bedded.

fish280 · « **Reply #10 on:** February 10, 2005, 08:05:50 AM »

so true, mag. i've got two handis. i'd tend to get the whole thing rather than a barrel anyhow, so it 't'ain't an issue with me. 'sides, the little pad could be knocked or chipped out anyway.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #11 on:** February 10, 2005, 08:37:19 AM »

One rifle can have many barrels fitted, if you bed a forend to one barrel, that forend won't likely fit any other barrel on that frame, sooooo, in essence, you would need a forend bedded for each barrel that you use on that one frame.....or....just buy multiple handis, each a different caliber. :wink:

fish280 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 10, 2005, 10:03:23 AM »

ain't no tee-tee contest here 'bama outlaw, that i can see.
your thoughts are much valued.

i'll pull my forend this evening or first thing in the morning. may go ahead and do the piller thing but keep the same screw. if it bottoms on the piller AND the edge of the hole in the wood, it won't compress. i do like the idea of keeping the simple slotted screw in case something weird happens in the woods. ain't gonna carry no allen or star wrench. can always use a knife blade or coin in that slot.

fish280 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 10, 2005, 10:58:26 AM »

mine is phillips head, too. what a dork. i meant phillips head, not slot, and a knife still could be used to turn it out or in.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #14 on:** February 10, 2005, 11:23:18 AM »

I find consistency in accuracy when I use a torque screwdriver to tighten the forend screw, that way no matter what the weather, temp or humidity is like, the screw can be tightened to the exact same torque. Same for my other rifles.

Donaldo · « **Reply #15 on:** February 10, 2005, 06:16:29 PM »

Well I just wrote the most brilliant comprehensive piece of literature possible on the subject of "Bedding the Handi Forearm". But I have been having problems when I click submit, stuff just goes poof. It says I have to log on again then everything is gone when I go back. Anyway I made up a brass collar out of a piece of brass pipe nipple that just fit over the barrel lug. Made it the right length for the forearm thickness. Epoxyed it in place in the forearm. Had to drill out the hole to 1/2 inch. Now the screw compresses on the brass pillar. No way can you over tighten it. The idea came from that info Quick has from some book. That guy did an epoxy pillar. Since I had pillar bedded a couple of my bolt rifles, I thought why not on the Handi. Well it seems to work OK, but that load I had worked up that equaled the WW45JHP in 223 now shoots 2.5 inch groups. It was 27.0 W748/52SMK/CCI200 primer/WW cases. But.....28.0 grains, same same is back to under 3/4 inch at 100, just like the WW45JHP stuff. Also it does not seem to be so critical as to where you rest the forearm now. But the work goes on...it rests now with additional epoxy under the forearm in hopes that it will like a more varied diet.

fish280 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 11, 2005, 04:29:31 AM »

yeah, donaldo, i like the metal piller idea best. the elmer's matrix didn't work. that's all scraped out. i really eyeballed the forearm. whole thing was machined askew by the factory. bunch o' sanding now has the forearm lying straight on the barrel when put in place, no stresses anywhere. i'll probably piller with a short piece of aluminum arrow shaft, lightly radiused on the lug end to closely fit the underside of the lug, just like those pillers on cylindrical bolt gun receivers. the piller will be centered in jb weld to lock it on axis to the lug. i'll also fill the forearm lug hole with jb so the lug itself will be perfectly aligned with the now straight forearm. i'll use tape to guarantee a bit of clearance up front.