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N0. 5. Aluminum Pillar Bedding for a more accurate rifle.
Do the 'Two Step"
Do the Bed Heads "Two Step" pillar bedding process, that is.
Aluminum Pillar Bedding for Accuracy, a step by step guide in 25 photos. The
following "Two Step" installation process is designed specifically to deal with the action flexibility described
in Gunsmithing Odds and Ends # 1.
Here
are the contents of the "Bed Heads" Aluminum Pillar Bedding Kit.
On the left, are the front and
the rear pillars. These pillars are 1/2" outside diameter, X 3/8" (.312") inside diameter. Next
are the Teflon sleeves, these sleeves are .312" OD X .250" ID. These sleeves play an important role
in the bedding process, as they center each pillar on its guard screw. Next in line, are the black plastic spacers which
also serve to center the guard screw within the pillar. Last, are the two steel spacer/washers.
Before
the first application of epoxy is mixed, these parts will all be assembled, and attached to the receiver by the trigger guard
screws, as seen in picture #16 below.
"Bed
Heads" Pillars in a Remington M-700 BDL
These pillars fit all M-700 rifles with a factory hinged floorplate,
and are in a factory wood stock.
These pillars also fit all M-700 rifles with factory hinged floorplate,
and that are being installed in an aftermarket fiberglass/composite stock such as a High-Tech, McMillan, or others.
"Bed
Heads" Pillars in a Remington M-700 ADL
While holding a pair of aluminum pillars in your hand, and contemplating "just what will these
things do"? It is easy to recognize their ability to resist compression by pressure from the trigger guard screws.
It is also apparent that these pillars will space your rifles action and trigger guard a particular distance apart.
These are two advantages, but with the "Bed Heads" Aluminum Pillar Bedding Kit, and the "Two Step" installation
process, you can have a third, very important advantage. Whether you receive this advantage or not, depends on How Your
Pillars Are Installed. If you complete your pillar bedding job in just one step, (by bedding both the action and
the pillars simultaneously, with just one application of epoxy), the exact location of your pillars within the stock will
be determined while Hundreds of Pounds of pressure are being applied by the trigger guard screws.
Your receiver will not have the strength to resist this pressure. The receiver will bend over the top of any
High Spots existing in the bedding surface, and between the trigger guard screws. These High Spots
will then be duplicated in your finished bedding job. This bend, and this stress, will be captured in epoxy.
Or, you can achieve that third advantage of a precise pillar location, (determined by an un-stressed receiver),
by installing the pillars in a Separate First Step, while using only a Few Ounces of pressure.
Accomplish this first step while the receiver is under No Stress and the pillars are in Perfect Alignment with
the receiver. Epoxy only the pillars into place in the stock while they are attached to the
receiver by the trigger guard screws, and the receiver is held Lightly in place by rubber surgical tubing.
Once the epoxy holding the pillars in place has hardened, these pillars will provide a Solid Foundation that will support
your receiver without pressure from any other spot in the bedding surface. After removing the barreled action, you can
be certain that this is true, simply by scraping away all the rest of the bedding surface! Scrape as deep, or as shallow
as you like. Just be sure that when you are done scraping, your barreled action touches nothing but the tops of the
two pillars. You do not have to be neat when you do this, you are just creating space between the stock and the receiver,
with the tops of the pillars left Standing Above the surrounding surface of the stock.
Do the Second
Step of this process by coating this scraped bedding surface with enough epoxy to replace the wood that you have scraped
away. Place your barreled action into this fresh bed of epoxy. Now, you will be free to use the trigger guard
screws to pull the receiver into place against its Already Solid Pillar Foundation. At the same time, the rest
of the receiver will be establishing its own resting spot in a bed of soft epoxy.
For the least amount of
stress in your action, install your foundation while using the least amount of force! This "Two Step" installation
process is designed to deal with the action flexibility described in Gunsmithing Odds and Ends #1.
| Picture #1 |  |
The first work necessary on the stock will be to float the barrel.
Begin this process by removing the bedding pad shown in picture #1. Coarse sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wooden dowel
is one way to do this.
| Picture #2 |  |
Be sure that enough wood has been removed from this bedding pad area that the barrel
with 5 wraps of tape on it will fit, and still have a little bit of clearance between the tape and the forearm.
| Picture #3 |  |
This tape will center the barrel in the forearm as the epoxy
hardens.
| Picture
#4 |  |
"Bed Heads" aluminum pillars are contoured on both ends to achieve form fitting, solid
contact with both the receiver and the trigger guard.
One end of each pillar
has a radius to match the radius of the receiver. The opposite end of the rear pillar is machined on an angle to match
the trigger guard.
Picture #4 illustrates the trigger guard while being supported only by the angled
end of the rear pillar. Notice how this angle supports the under side of the trigger guard assembly parallel to
the receiver, just as it needs to be when the rifle is fully assembled.
Bed Heads not only support
the receiver without stress, they even support the trigger guard without stress!
I know of no other
pillars being sold today that can make this claim. The right length, and with the right contour on both ends!
| Picture #5 |  |
How can the same length "Bed Heads" aluminum pillars fit all Remington M-700 BDL rifles, both short action,
and long action? One reason is in the trigger guard.
The front of the short action trigger
guard (on the left, in picture #5) is thicker and the front guard screw is longer, but the magazine box for both action lengths
is the same depth. Therefore, the pillar is the same length!
| Picture #6 |  |
Fortunately, for all of us wanting to install pillars in a Remington M-700
BDL, the magazine box depth has remained the same over the years.
On the left, is a .221 Remington
Fireball magazine box, which is the smallest centerfire cartridge Remington has chambered the M-700 for.
On the right, is a 300 Remington Ultra magazine box, one in a family of calibers which share the largest capacity cases offered
by Remington in the M-700.
Short action, or long action, big caliber, or small, they are all the
same depth, as you can see in picture #6. This gives us a standard to work to.
| Picture #7 |  |
Verify that pillars fit the action, and do this before they are trapped in epoxy.
As I said, the pillars must fit the action, and for the Remington M-700 BDL, fitting pillars to the action,
really means fitting pillars to the magazine box. When your rifle is assembled and ready
to fire, the magazine box must remain free to "float" between the receiver and the trigger guard as shown by the
arrows in photo #7 The amount of this magazine box clearance is determined by the length
of the pillars, and since all the Remington M-700 BDL magazine boxes are the same depth, all of the pillars for these guns
can be the same length. It's just as simple as that!
"Bed Heads" pillars
are sized to duplicate the average factory magazine box clearance of .030" to .040". This is why "Bed
Heads" pillars also fit most factory Remington M-700 BDL stocks.
A little later on in this
process, you will verify that the stock fits the pillars, it usually will, but if a small adjustment is necessary, you will
make that adjustment to the stock and not to the pillars. (as in picture # 12)
One caution, concerning the adjustable length pillars available elsewhere, these pillars can offer a very easy path to
the wrong conclusion. By that I mean, it is just so easy to adjust the pillar to a length which only fits the stock,
rather than to a length based on the reliable functioning of the action. Items such as
feeding from the magazine, reliable operation of both the safety and the trigger and of course, accuracy of the rifle itself,
can all be affected by relatively small variations in pillar length. Adjustable may sound
easy, but there is nothing easier than having pillars which are the right length and the right contour on both ends to
begin with. Do you have a fiberglass stock, or a semi inlet wood stock, and would like
to know exactly how much deeper the inletting needs to go? "Bed Heads" will provide the answer.
Do you have any kind of stock where the inletting is already too deep? "Bed Heads" will take the guesswork
out of repairing this problem.
| Picture #8 |  |
This
picture is for any of you who have not read Gunsmithing Odds & Ends #3, "Ensure Alignment of Aluminum Pillars"
I am just trying to show you how easy it is to drill an accurately located hole for your pillars.
No expensive milling machine, or fancy drilling fixtures are necessary.
These
tools are available by clicking on: Shop on Line and then Pillar Installation Tools.
| Picture #9 |  |
After drilling nearly all the way through with the 1/2" dia. Bed Heads
cutter, as seen in picture #8, re-drill these holes all the way through with a sharp 17/32" drill. This drill
will center itself in the existing 1/2" holes so no drill guide is necessary.
| Picture #10 |  |
I like to add a little "texture" to these holes by running
a 9/16 X 12 tap through them. You can do just as well with a moto-tool and a small burr. Just "rough
up" the surface in any way that will create a "mechanical lock" for the epoxy.
| Picture #11 |  |
Use a "Sharpie" or a felt tip marking pen to mark the end of each pillar in a way that can be seen after the pillar
is dropped into the stock.
The front pillar has 2 marks. These 2 marks represent the direction
of the radius cut on the other end of this pillar. This radius cut must match the radius of the receiver. Therefore
these 2 marks must align with the long axis, or length of the receiver as they do in this picture.
The rear pillar has just 1 mark which faces forward, and is in line with the center punch mark on the side of the pillar.
This center punch mark faces forward, in order that the trigger guard be supported on the proper angle
(as in picture #4).
| Picture #12 |  |
In picture #12, we are preparing to find out if the stock fits the pillars. It usually will, but if any
small adjustments are necessary, you will make them to the stock.
The stock has been placed
over the barreled action, now place the pillars into the stock with the radius's facing down. When the radius of the
front pillar matches the receiver, this pillar can be rotated 180 degrees and the radius will match again. You
can install it either way. Once again, the rear pillar must be installed so that the center punch mark
on the side of the pillar is facing forward.
When you are certain that both pillars are in solid contact
with the receiver, and are facing in the correct direction, the ends of these pillars should be almost exactly flush with
the surrounding surface of the wood.
| Picture #13 |  |
In this particular
rifle, the front pillar was exactly flush with the surrounding wood.
However, the end of the rear
pillar was .015" below the surface of the surrounding wood.
| Picture #14 |  |
If either, or
both, pillars are below the surface of the wood , it will only be necessary to scrape a small amount of wood from
the bottom of the trigger guard inletting. The wood surface needs to be flush with, or slightly below the end of the
pillar.
The light colored area surrounding the rear pillar provides an example of where this wood needs
to be removed.
| Picture #15 |  |
After removing the trigger, fill the trigger slot, the bolt stop slot, & the trigger pin holes with modeling clay.
Also add a layer of masking tape to the bottom of the recoil lug, but leave all 4 sides of the recoil lug tightly bedded
(no tape). With a round receiver, the largest surface available to resist rotation is the side of this lug.
Now, it is time to apply some type of mold release.
For the best fit, use the release agent
which creates the thinnest build-up on the surface of the metal. Johnson's paste wax is my favorite. Apply
with a brush, a cleaning patch, or a Q-Tip. After allowing this wax to dry for a few minutes, buff it off with a soft
cloth, just like you would wax your car.
For a little extra peace of mind, I go through
this wax and buff sequence twice. Cover every surface where epoxy, in your wildest dreams, could possibly
go.
| Picture
#16 |  |
Here we see a "Bed Heads" Aluminum Pillar Bedding Kit, attached to the receiver by its
trigger guard screws.
For the third time, be certain that the center punch mark on the rear pillar is facing
forward (toward the muzzle of the gun).
In addition to the existing grooves in the pillars, I use a small
die-grinder to add a random pattern of "notches" in the sides of both pillars. This provides the epoxy with
a stronger means of mechanically locking the pillars in place.
Use a Q-Tip to wax the interior, and
both ends, of each pillar. Wax the two steel washers supplied in the kit. Wax the entire surface of both screws,
including the under side of the screw heads.
There are three other things that I am trying to illustrate
in this picture.
#1. The pillars are in perfect alignment with the receiver, because they are being
held in place by the trigger guard screws.
#2. The pillars are in perfect alignment with the trigger
guard screws, because they are being held on center by the teflon sleeves.
#3. This perfect alignment
is being accomplished while the receiver is under no stress.
How do we maintain all three of the
above conditions while planting those pillars in a bed of epoxy?
Achieving the first two conditions
shown in picture #16. is easy, we just leave the pillars attached to the receiver during the bedding process.
It is in the 3rd requirement of a stress free receiver, where this installation process differs from others.
Rather than trying to bed everything at once, or even doing the receiver and pillars at once, I believe
that the pillars should be epoxied in place by themselves as a separate step. The less epoxy involved, the less pressure
on the receiver. Once the epoxy holding the pillars in place has hardened, you have a solid foundation to build
on.
For the least amount of stress in your action, build your
foundation while using the least amount of force!
| Picture #17 |  |
Carefully
mask the action area of the stock, as you see in the following pictures.
Marine Tex is mixed at a
ratio of 5 to 1. For this portion of the job, I mix 5 1/4 teaspoons of epoxy, and 1/4 teaspoon of hardener.
This is enough to epoxy the pillars in place in the stock. Wal-Mart sells a set of stainless steel measuring spoons
that work well for this.
Spread about 1/2 of this material on the pillars (as you see in picture #17).
Place the other 1/2 of this material in those two 17/32" holes that you drilled in the stock. For the best adhesion,
I "rub" this material into the bare wood surface of each hole. Also, I am fairly careful to prevent
any of this epoxy from remaining on the stocks bedding surface.
| Picture #18 |  |
Hold the barreled action in a horizontal position by clamping the barrel in a vise with padded jaws. Hold the barrel at a point in front of the forearm.
Bring the stock up from under the barreled action and guide the epoxy coated pillars into their epoxy
coated holes in the stock.
Attach the stock to the action with tubing as shown in picture.
| Picture #19 |  |
I just want to show another perspective on the location of the surgical tubing, relative to the stock,
the action, and the trigger guard screws. The epoxy on those trigger guard screws has totally hardened by this time,
but if you did a good job waxing those screw heads and steel washers under them, just a light tap with a hammer and a
punch will knock the whole mess off in one chunk.
| Picture
#20 |  |
Here is an example of how clean the screw heads can be after
those hardened gobs of epoxy have been knocked off.
Now, you can remove these screws, and the
barreled action will lift right out of the stock.
| Picture
#21 |  |
Here is the first view of your solid foundation.
In addition to the pillars shining through, you may also notice the dark stained Remington original
finish which surrounds these pillars, and the small amount of epoxy used to install them.
I
leave this finish in place up to this point, because I do not want to do anything that will alter the receivers location,
or depth in the stock.
| Picture #22 |  |
Now that the pillars are firmly
in place, the next step will be to scrape some wood from the receivers entire bedding surface in the stock. The exact amount of wood that you remove will be up to
you, but the plan is to remove enough wood so that you can re-install the barreled action, complete with trigger guard and
trigger guard screws, and the only contact will be between the receiver and the tops of the "Bed Heads" pillars.
Neither the barrel, nor the receiver, should contact the stock at any other point. The receiver will be supported
by aluminum pillars which rise above the surrounding area, and closely encircle the trigger guard screws. The location
of this support is the most critical ingredient necessary to produce a stock bedding surface which will conform to the receiver.
The farther that support for the receiver strays
away from the guard screws, the more leverage there is available to bend, or stress the receiver when the guard screws are
tightened.
Based on this principle, the fix seems to be, provide solid support
as close to the guard screws as possible.
Now, on to that application of epoxy
in a way that maintains the precise, full contact, stress free, support of the receiver.
When you are sure the outside of the stock is protected by masking tape, all appropriate metal surfaces are protected by a
release agent (wax), clamp the barreled action in a vise that has padded soft jaws. Hold the barrel at a point ahead
of the front of the forearm.
Now, mix up enough epoxy to bed the recoil lug, and to replace
whatever amount of wood that was scraped out of the stocks entire bedding area, as shown in picture #22.
After spreading this epoxy in the stocks recoil lug and bedding area, bring the stock up to the barreled action from underneath.
Since your solid foundation is now in place, you can attach the stock to the barreled action with the trigger guard screws.
Tighten these screws only until you feel the receiver contact the tops of the pillars.
Now the
remainder of the receiver will be free to find its own resting spot in a bed if soft epoxy, and without pressure from any
other spot in the bedding surface. This is an important advantage.
After the
epoxy has completely hardened, remove the front and rear guard screws. Use a plastic hammer or leather mallet to
rap the underside of the barrel, just in front of the forearm. This is to break the barreled action free from the epoxy.
With one hand, you must figure out how to both pull up on the barrel, and push down on the forearm.
With the other hand, put upward pressure on the receiver, by pulling up on the partially inserted bolt body, while simultaneously
pushing down on the stock.
"Rock the recoil lug up and out of its cavity by alternating this
upward pressure on the barreled action from front to rear, or from one hand to the other.
Note!
before you start this process, work out a plan in your mind about how you are going to keep the barreled action and the stock
under some degree of control if they come apart unexpectedly!
After
removal of the barreled action from the stock, remove all excess epoxy. Try to make your bedding job look like the example
in picture #23.
At this point, you may also want to tidy up the appearance of the trigger
guard inletting by filling any low spots with epoxy, or if you are satisfied with the appearance in this area, go ahead
and remove the masking tape.
| Picture # 23 |  |
Bed Heads feature a teflon sleeve which centers the pillar around the guard screw during the
installation and epoxy hardening.
Now is the time to remove these sleeves and leave a nice concentric
space between the guard screws and the pillars. No more filing one side of an off center pillar for guard screw clearance.
| Picture #24 |  |
This is the completed bedding job. You can see where I scraped the inletting, at the
bottom of the recoil lug to provide a little clearance in that one area, but I leave the rest of the lug tightly bedded.
The barrel had several wraps of tape in front of the recoil lug, so it is completely free floating.
How to check your work!
(or anyone else's for that matter)
Measure the amount
of receiver stress before doing any work on the bedding. Then, of course, measure the receiver stress
again after you have completed the bedding job. This way, you can put an actual number on the quality of your bedding
job.
| Picture #25 |  |
It was easier for me to take a picture of this setup while the rifle was laying down in the horizontal position,
but you will conduct the receiver stress test, and take both indicator readings while the barrel is pointing straight
up.
You can conduct another test by zeroing the indicators dial while the rifle is horizontal,
as in Picture #25. Now carefully point the barrel straight up and take a second reading on the dial. This will
show you how much effect the weight of the magnetic base has on the barrel and the indicators reading.
By the way, one layer of tape on the magnetic base will prevent the barrel from being marked.
Now,
the real test, with the barrel pointing straight up and both trigger guard screws tightened to 30 to 35 in. lbs., zero the
indicator. Next loosen the front guard screw, and check the indicator, make a note of this new reading, and re-tighten
the front guard screw, repeat this sequence a few times or, until you are comfortable that you have an accurate reading.
Now repeat this process with the rear guard screw.
The most common numbers that I see
at this point, and numbers that I believe represent a good job, are .001 to .002 on the front screw, and from .000 to .001
on the rear screw.
Remember Ernie's Rule:
For the least amount of stress in your action.
Build your foundation while using the least amount
of force!
No liability is expressed or implied for damage or injury which may result from
the improper installation or use of this product.
(Instructions above are for information only, do not add to cart)
Item #2005
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