Start off doing a search on this thread.. We've been over this several times, but glad to help if we can.. In a nutshell// once the barrel is free of contact with the channel, relieve the wood around the recoil lug, in front back and both sides. Include an area in front of the recoil lug for at least a couple of inches. This will provide a stabilizing rest for the barrel and provide more area to tie the recoil lug bedding into the stock. I usually only bed the rear to provide a stabil resting place for the rear of the action and usually do that after the front bedding is installed. The action should not move as the action screws are tightened. I have used many types of material but prefer Brownells AcraGlass Gel. It's an easy 50/50 mix and readily available. It also has excellant strength characteristics, hard enough to tresist deformation yet not so hard as to shatter.. The precedure for prepping the action and stock for the bedding material requires relief cuts for the bedding material in the stock and filling hollows and ares where you don't want the material to flow with modeling clay(oil based). The entire metal area that may even POSSIBLY come in contact with the bedding must be coated with a release agent or the bedding will act like a powerful glue..bonding the barreled action into the stock permanently.. I use paste wax as a release agent. There are several materials that can be used including the agent contained in the Brownells kits..which lays down a skin on the metal. I much prefer simple paste wax.
Once the action is immobile the barrel can be handled several ways.. left free floated(except for the few inches in front of the recoil lug), bedded with upward pressure on the front of the barrel or total contact bedding of the barrel. The latter was fairly common practice with come of the older mauser and mannlicher sporters.. and can produce a remarkably consistant weapon.. My favorite 300 WinMag is a custom built on an American enfield action(winchester) and bedded front to back. It was built by me in the mid '70s and almost never requires any movement of the scope from year to year. It has hunted in the wetest deer season I've ever hunted in, constant rain for 7 days and it has never moved.. I had the barrel throated long for 200 grain flat based bullets and the only failure was a Speer HotCore bullet that disintegrated in the chest cavity of a 10 point buck. The deer was about 90-100 yards and never even flinched. Dad's rule saved the day,, 'if you shoot' assume it was hit'. I tried tracking but it was futile, no blood, then at about 60 yards from where it was shot. blood. Another 40- yards or so and there was the deer.. The bullet failed on the overlapping ribs, just behind the shoulder and near the spine... It shot right where it was supposed to, just needed a better bullet. I switched to Nosler partitions (200 grains) and have not found one back as of yet.. just dead deer.
