bedding a M700 tutorial

L

logstove

New member
Most of my rifles are M700. I want to attempt to bed one of the rifles and see if this factory rifle improves. I say this because I have two rifles that have custom barrels and been tuned and they shoot good even with factory loads. Just something I always wanted to do. I do have a few questions such should I buy the pillars and the kind of bedding material I should buy. My only gripe is I hope I do not screw up and get the action stuck in the stock and basically have no way to remove the action. (my refrigerator is the standard model so a rifle can hardly fit in there).

Any online videos or documentation I should look at?
 
Tons of video's on Youtube showing how to bed a rifle. I use Acra-glas gel. It works good for me. There are a lot of different bedding compounds to. I can get the gel local so I use it.
 
I would look at some tech articles on sites like 6mmbr and snipers hide and do some reading and then YouTube some rifle bedding techniques. It's not too bad. I did a factory 700VLS in 243 and it really brought that rifle to life. I just used Brownells Acraglass and it worked good. Lots of guys use Steel bed or Marine Tex. I did not pillar bed my rifle since it was a laminated stock and it worked out great. If you just have wood stock I would prob use pillars.
 
The Score-high drilling fixture is worth renting (or owning if you'll bed a lot of 700's), otherwise, be sure to drill the pillar holes such you can shim the action to square it and hold it centered in the inlet as the pillars are setting. I like to use tape shims in the barrel channel to suspend the action when setting the pillars, then use shims to set the action bedding above the pillars, and THEN open the barrel channel and use layer on layer of tape to a uniform barrel free float.
 
I bedded a 700 swift into a full aluminum bed HS. I used bed heads from Ernie the gunsmith to eliminate as much action stress as possible. I put a magnetic base dial indicator on the barrel and put the indicator on the bottom of the forearm. Shims come in various thicknesses and you shim until you are just above the bed .005" or so and there is the least amount of indicator travel when the front action screw is snugged and loosened. I think the same could be done with pillars.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: varminter .223Use studs in the action not the factory screws or compound will get up into the lug area when set in.
I use the longer rear screw in the front also. You can get it started threaded in the action before the action touches the bedding compound, so it keeps out the excess bedding.
 
Originally Posted By: varminter .223I bedded a 700 swift into a full aluminum bed HS. I used bed heads from Ernie the gunsmith to eliminate as much action stress as possible. I put a magnetic base dial indicator on the barrel and put the indicator on the bottom of the forearm. Shims come in various thicknesses and you shim until you are just above the bed .005" or so and there is the least amount of indicator travel when the front action screw is snugged and loosened. I think the same could be done with pillars.

The bedding should be the contact point, not the pillars. I've used the pillar shims from EtGS, but they really should only be used temporarily as the bedding sets to ensure the pillar is not making metal to metal contact after the shim is removed. No sense in glass bedding if you end up putting shims under the action then to remove contact - in that case, all you've done is turned your action into a bridge.
 
Originally Posted By: VarminterrorOriginally Posted By: varminter .223I bedded a 700 swift into a full aluminum bed HS. I used bed heads from Ernie the gunsmith to eliminate as much action stress as possible. I put a magnetic base dial indicator on the barrel and put the indicator on the bottom of the forearm. Shims come in various thicknesses and you shim until you are just above the bed .005" or so and there is the least amount of indicator travel when the front action screw is snugged and loosened. I think the same could be done with pillars.

The bedding should be the contact point, not the pillars. I've used the pillar shims from EtGS, but they really should only be used temporarily as the bedding sets to ensure the pillar is not making metal to metal contact after the shim is removed. No sense in glass bedding if you end up putting shims under the action then to remove contact - in that case, all you've done is turned your action into a bridge.
After the stress has been eliminated with the shims I then bedded with jb weld. I only torque action screws to 10 inch pounds and then stick the barrel through a board with a hole in it which is clamped in a vice so the stock is hanging from the action. Remove after 6 hrs, clean up and let cure. Reinstall at 35 inch pounds. If you don't shim out of the bed the highest spot of the bed is where the action will hit which causes stress. By shimming above the bed you can eliminate any stress and attain stress free contact points on the bed heads. When the bedding compound is applied and the space between bed and action is filled, the action is only torqued to 10 inch pounds until dry. It leaves a near perfect stress free bed as checked with the indicator again when finished. From what I understand. 002" or less deflection is acceptable and considered properly bedded. This rifle would shoot 3 touching then throw 4 and 5 out close to .7 to .9". After bedding it now is a consistent .5 to .6" 5 shot rifle.
 
Last edited:


Write your reply...
Back
Top