Skim Bedding

[AxeHandle]

Let's talk this a bit. In the context of a full aluminum bedding block. Just the name sounds like we are making the action to the bedding block a 100% contact thing. A light coating over the mating surfaces of the bedding block and receiver. Sounds like roughing up the mating surface of the bedding block, coating it with a thin layer of bedding, putting a release agent on the action, torquing it into the stock, and then giving the skim bedding time to set up.

Does the bedding block really need to be roughed up or will a good cleaning provide a good surface for the bedding material to stick to?

FWIW I remember my gunsmith some 40 years ago telling me that a full bedding block stock still needed to be bedded. He didn't call it "skim," but sounds like what he was talking about.

[zeus]

You could use a piece of sandpaper if you wanted just to give the aluminum some “teeth”. Also, I wouldn’t torque it all the way down. Put some release on your screws as well in case you get some on them when you put it in and run the screws in. They don’t have to be bedded. I’ve seen plenty of them shoot incredibly well over the years but it will not hurt it either if you do it right.

[x101airborne]

I cut strips out of ruined bicycle tire innertubes and tie the receiver in the stock with light pressure. Then when I do the cleanup I clear the screw holes. Acetone on a rag will remove any oil or laquer on the aluminum. Unless the block is mirror slick it will have plenty of grip.

[bradshaw]

Nov 14, 2024 7:27:26 GMT -5 AxeHandle said:

Let's talk this a bit. In the context of a full aluminum bedding block. Just the name sounds like we are making the action to the bedding block a 100% contact thing. A light coating over the mating surfaces of the bedding block and receiver. Sounds like roughing up the mating surface of the bedding block, coating it with a thin layer of bedding, putting a release agent on the action, torquing it into the stock, and then giving the skim bedding time to set up.

Does the bedding block really need to be roughed up or will a good cleaning provide a good surface for the bedding material to stick to?

FWIW I remember my gunsmith some 40 years ago telling me that a full bedding block stock still needed to be bedded. He didn't call it "skim," but sounds like what he was talking about.

*****

Stan.... the term “skim bedding” is a new one to me.

My exposure to the ALUMINUM BEDDING BLOCK came through H-S Precision in Arizona. Late 1970’s. H-S Precision had just produced a center-grip thumbhole stock for the Remington XP-100. I dropped an XP-100 7mm IHMSA (7mm International) into it. The XP was a factory 7mm BR Rem rechambered to 7mm IHMSA with straightened walls----to not leave a minute step at the shoulder of the BR chamber. The 7BR is one of Jim Stekl’s bench rest cartridges built on the .308 Win shortened 1/2-inch. The 7mm IHMSA is Elgin Gates’ rework rework of .300 Savage, which has body taper. The IHMSA case has longer neck than the short-neck .300 Savage.

I had done a trigger job and installed a Bo-Mar rear sight and Redfield International globe front sight with .075” post. Settled on a load of Hornady 175 Spire Point; 30.8/H4895 or IMR 4895 (exact same result); Federal 210M primer. I had a shorter leade than some might prefer for so long a bullet, the idea being to take up a bit of air space and be able the chase the rifling.

Prior to heading out to a big championship, my last three shots were taken on a cardboard chicken----black on brown cardboard----Creedmoor @ 200 meters. Believe I came down 2-clciks on the Bo-Mar (from the ram setting), to not shoot over the smaller chicken. Three shots center-punched the chicken: 3x3=5/8” @ 200 meters. Barely over 1/2” at two football fields and two end zones.

That pistol tracked as steady as the XP 7mm Talbot (7mm/.308x1-3/4”) built for me by Skip Talbot. At the time I wrote up the H-S Precision fiberthane stock with aluminum bedding block. a couple of rifle builders told me the aluminum bedding block wasn’t accurate. While I can’t speak for rifle length barrels and bench rest, I feel somewhat qualified to praise or condemn silhouette accuracy. Less barrel whip or the relative absence of it is one of the reasons short barrel single shots tend to exceptional accuracy. A long rifle barrel may not be quite as happy.

Conclusion
Set a base line: shoot the aluminum bedding block as-is. If the base line settles all particulars, leave it alone. An “improvement” made without a base line cannot be verified..
David Bradshaw

[zeus]

Nov 14, 2024 8:02:58 GMT -5 x101airborne said:

I cut strips out of ruined bicycle tire innertubes and tie the receiver in the stock with light pressure. Then when I do the cleanup I clear the screw holes. Acetone on a rag will remove any oil or laquer on the aluminum. Unless the block is mirror slick it will have plenty of grip.

I use surgical tubing typically as I’m bedding the pillars in at the same time on occasion. It holds very well.

For the HS stocks, you would probably be fine bedding the lug and the tang area. Those would eliminate any “walking” and would be very minimal work and cleanup

[hunter01]

It needs to be roughed up for proper adhesion. I use 80 grit sand paper. You also dont torque the action down or you will be inducing the stress you are trying to relieve. Electrical tape works perfectly to hold the barreled action to the stock. A couple wraps around the barrel at the end of the forearm is advisable as well to keep it from pulling away at the tang. Cut some long sacrificial action screws that will help align the action holes during the process.

[AxeHandle]

Best personal experience with bedding was with a late 70s Remington Varmint Special 22-250 in the 80s. Looked stock except for the Canjar trigger and a 24X Leupold with an eighth minute dot.. That thing would shoot flies off the target at 100 yards. Running with the 200 yard Heavy Varmint record holder, tool and die maker, Earl Case, and a High Power Rifle High Master class shooter and gunsmith, Richard Garrison, during those years. Gun would shoot a good group every time, but the group would move based on temperature and humidity. The consensus was float the barrel and glass the action. We did, and the group moving went away.

Flash forward a few years and we were building a custom XP100 using the HS Precision stock with the aluminum bedding block. Richard said bedding block is nice but... glass bed the action. We did.

[bradshaw]

Stan.... in silhouette either your pistol tracks sun-up to sun-down or you change it. My H-S Precision thumbhole center-grip did exactly that on the aluminum block unadorned. To epoxy bed it would have guided the lilly, and thrown it over the 4-1/2 pound limited on Unlimited pistols. In IHMSA we shot guns not theories.

A hint on bedding a center-grip pistol: the most consistent “full float” epoxy bedding includes the chamber section of the barrel, since the trough for trigger linkage minimizes contact patch for receiver ring. The rear action screw has minimum draw. On a couple of George Petersen’s thumbhole center-grips (Western Gunstock) I omitted the tang screw and they tracked fine.

In those days there were no sighters; you took to the line cold.
David Bradshaw

[potatojudge]

I'll second Bradshaw's experience in that you're likely to find satisfactory results regardless of bedding.

I've got a few actions simply installed in H-S stocks and they shoot great. Great to me might be just ok to you, but I've got 1/2 MOA rigs without bedding and that's on hunting rifles (but with good barrels, there's no stock that'll make a bad barrel shoot obviously).

FWIW my H-S pistol has a 1/3 MOA guarantee, does shoot phenomenally, and is in an H-S mid-grip stock that is factory bedded. So the factory beds their own stocks.


That said, the general opinion is to bed in addition to the blocks and I think you've got good advice on how to do that above if you decide it's worth the cost and effort.

Lots of voodoo in the rifle world. Blueprinting an action is big business, but probably not useful and definitely not economical. Not surprised many recommend bedding stocks like these. Easy job that keeps the doors open.

[Thunderjet]

The main issue with skim bedding is the bedding is so thin it breaks apart easily. Care must be taken when removing the action out of the stock,

[AxeHandle]

On bedding material... With an application this thin why not mix up some JB Weld, lightly coat the bedding block mating surfaces with it, cover it with some plastic wrap, strap in the action, and let it set up?

[potatojudge]

I’d look to accurate shooter for how-to

forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/remmy-700-hs-precision-stock-bedding-job.4054203/

forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/bedding-an-hs-precision-stock-with-the-aluminum-bedding-block.4120448/