Tips on bedding FN Mauser in a new Fajen stock

[pbslinger]

I got a 50 year old unfinished project, an in the white FN Deluxe action barreled with a sporting contour 22-250 barrel, and a tiger maple Fajen beavertail forearm stock with a rollover cheekpeice.

The stock is rough inletted and I'll be bedding the action and completing the contouring and don't have good reference books on how to do it.

I surmise I should bed before shaping, any other tips or suggestions?

[nolongcolt]

Its not neccessary to bed first, though it can save some grief of having to spend so much time protecting the finished stock from goopy messes. Volumes have been written about bedding but its not that complicated really. I even wrote an article for Gun World some years ago about how to do it. If you get Brownells Acra-Glas or the gel version which I prefer, it gives basic instructions on what is needed to properly bed an action. All you really need do is remove enough wood and it can be done roughly- to fill with compound, to form the "bed" of the rifles action and sometimes a few inches of barrel if preferred, I usually do. The recoil lug area is the most important as that is the area most stressed by recoil and often is found cracked if not bedded especially with heavier kickers. I had a great shooting Ruger 77 .338 Mag that I bedded for that reason alone, strength. Shot even better afterwards and most rifles respond well to a good bedding job. Its sort of daunting the first couple of times but you soon get comfortable with it. Always use enough release agent or you will be sorry. But a gun that wont part from its bedding can be thrown in a freezer if one is around big enough, and the two halves will usually part when cold enough. Give it a go.

[pbslinger]

I must have my terminology wrong, I was not referring to glass bedding, but bedding the action in a rough inletted stock. Maybe that is just completing the inletting.

I got the bottom metal done today, went smooth except one problem. Since my stock is a beavertai fore end target stock, it goes out straight and flat from the bottom metal. Since most stocks and bottom metal angle up towards the muzzle, the front of the bottom metal is recessed. I suppose I will make a shallow sloping chamfer around the front of the bottom metal with a radius around the round tang on the front.

Another problem is the barrel channel is roughed out of square with the stock, so I will have to correct it when I inlet the barrel.

[nolongcolt]

Well yes, I thought you were talking about glass bedding, as usually "bedding" the action means with glass. No worries.

[bradshaw]

pbslinger.... nolongcolt stears you right on bedding. To get your INLETTING started, light pencil lines and a caliper and a comb type contour gauge help. For BEDDING, modeling clay is a big help in containing the epoxy mix.

As the Mauser 98 hasn't the rigidity of a Remington M700, Winchester M70, or Sako, among others, bedding the chamber along with the receiver bridge and ring reduces flex. Pillar bed action. Bed trigger guard assembly separately. After bedding has cured, relieve the rear radius of the tang----just as the Mauser brothers did----to prevent splitting through the wrist.

I like Marine Tex epoxy as well as Accraglass and Accraglass Gel. Devcon is popular with some fine shooters.

Remove trigger assembly before bedding. Sleeves for guard screws are fashioned from slit drinking straws; prevents screw contact with stock. A half-moon of leather or cardboard helps center barrel float in forend as epoxy sets.

Besides helping to maintain ZERO, bedding helps keep oil away from wood.
David Bradshaw

[Lee Martin]

I use Devcon exclusively. Tough as hell and easy to spread. I'm bedding a Siamese Mauser in 50 Alaskan right now. I'll take some pictures and post the steps.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[pbslinger]

I appreciate willingness to share glass bedding information, I've done this several times. This is the first time I have installed an action in a semi inletted stock. I'm learning a bunch and enjoying the work.