Old CW4
BANNED
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
- Messages
- 870
Should you happen to attend a major bench rest rifle competition, one topic sure to start arguements is how to best bed a rifle action in a stock. This is akin to arguing religion or politics with the affictionados. There are, to my current knowledge, three basic methods to bed rifle actions to stocks. They are:
1. Free floating. The action is bedded with either careful fitting of action to wood or use of epoxy, etc, and the barrel is left free of any contact.
2. Partial bedding. The action is bedded as in one, above, but only a small portion of the barrel toward the end of the stock is in contact with the stock.
3. Full bedding. The action and entire barrel are in contact with the stock.
And now concering bench rest shooters. All we shooters owe a lot of gratitude to this fraternity. No one on the planet is more dedicated to rifles and shooting than the benchrest folks! Many of the improvements in rifle accuracy we have today can be traced directly back to these 'one hole for ten rounds' folks.
I am not a bench rest shooter but my father and a brother were but I don't have the dedication and patience. For those of you unaware of this 'sport,' a match can go something like this:
The shooters take their positions at cement or wooden firing points. They have X number of hours to fire ten rounds at a target which may be between one and four hundred yards or even more distant.
Behind each target with its tiny bullseye is a mechanically driven paper tape or disk which slowly rotates during the match and becomes a 'tattle tale' to ensure the required number of rounds, usually ten, were fired.
The shooters, using their carefully hand picked rounds or even reloading round by round as they shoot and measure the changing humidity, temperature, wind, and so on, adjust each round for the conditions and then carefully fire.
The result after ten rounds or so is often a target with ONE hole in it! The judges use an optical device to determine which shooter had the smallest hole and will be declared the winner. Kid you not. These competitors fire ten shots at sometimes incredible ranges into one slightly enlarged bullet hole!
Think about that the next time you brag about one inch groups at 100 yards. Some of these matches have been won by shooters firing ten shots with 30 cal bullets and coming up with a single hole that measures something like .318 or .320 after firing ten .308 diameter bullets! They know what they're doing and when they talk, I listen.
So, back to bedding. Over the years and after talking with some of the bench rest fraternity, I've come to prefer the free floating barrel. The action is solidly bedded but the entire barrel from the action forward is free of any stock contact and the usual test is to slip a dollar bill under the barrel and be able to run it the length of the stock with no contact. What's the best method? I truly have no idea. Like I said, you can get an arguement going at a benchrest match by posing that question....
I do know that the Browning/Winchester 'Boss' system has gained some favor in past years. This system consists of an eccentric cam at the muzzle which can be rotated and thus tuned for various weights and makes of cartridges. For example, you can adjust the Boss dial for the difference between a light and heavier bullet by resetting the threaded cam and, supposedly, the different weight bullets will then impact at the same point. I haven't personally tried this but it does make theoretical sense since the eccentric 'Boss" weight at the muzzle helps to control barrel 'moment' when firing. Moment, is defined as the flip and twist, the 'whip' of the barrel as the fired bullet is propelled down it at high speed and under great pressure which results in varying movements of the rifle muzzle.
As for bedding. Use a kit from a reputable commercial supplier, carefully follow the instructions, and have fun. You can make a mess or you can come up with a greatly enhanced rifle. I accept no responsibility for your results and what you attempt is solely up to you......
1. Free floating. The action is bedded with either careful fitting of action to wood or use of epoxy, etc, and the barrel is left free of any contact.
2. Partial bedding. The action is bedded as in one, above, but only a small portion of the barrel toward the end of the stock is in contact with the stock.
3. Full bedding. The action and entire barrel are in contact with the stock.
And now concering bench rest shooters. All we shooters owe a lot of gratitude to this fraternity. No one on the planet is more dedicated to rifles and shooting than the benchrest folks! Many of the improvements in rifle accuracy we have today can be traced directly back to these 'one hole for ten rounds' folks.
I am not a bench rest shooter but my father and a brother were but I don't have the dedication and patience. For those of you unaware of this 'sport,' a match can go something like this:
The shooters take their positions at cement or wooden firing points. They have X number of hours to fire ten rounds at a target which may be between one and four hundred yards or even more distant.
Behind each target with its tiny bullseye is a mechanically driven paper tape or disk which slowly rotates during the match and becomes a 'tattle tale' to ensure the required number of rounds, usually ten, were fired.
The shooters, using their carefully hand picked rounds or even reloading round by round as they shoot and measure the changing humidity, temperature, wind, and so on, adjust each round for the conditions and then carefully fire.
The result after ten rounds or so is often a target with ONE hole in it! The judges use an optical device to determine which shooter had the smallest hole and will be declared the winner. Kid you not. These competitors fire ten shots at sometimes incredible ranges into one slightly enlarged bullet hole!
Think about that the next time you brag about one inch groups at 100 yards. Some of these matches have been won by shooters firing ten shots with 30 cal bullets and coming up with a single hole that measures something like .318 or .320 after firing ten .308 diameter bullets! They know what they're doing and when they talk, I listen.
So, back to bedding. Over the years and after talking with some of the bench rest fraternity, I've come to prefer the free floating barrel. The action is solidly bedded but the entire barrel from the action forward is free of any stock contact and the usual test is to slip a dollar bill under the barrel and be able to run it the length of the stock with no contact. What's the best method? I truly have no idea. Like I said, you can get an arguement going at a benchrest match by posing that question....
I do know that the Browning/Winchester 'Boss' system has gained some favor in past years. This system consists of an eccentric cam at the muzzle which can be rotated and thus tuned for various weights and makes of cartridges. For example, you can adjust the Boss dial for the difference between a light and heavier bullet by resetting the threaded cam and, supposedly, the different weight bullets will then impact at the same point. I haven't personally tried this but it does make theoretical sense since the eccentric 'Boss" weight at the muzzle helps to control barrel 'moment' when firing. Moment, is defined as the flip and twist, the 'whip' of the barrel as the fired bullet is propelled down it at high speed and under great pressure which results in varying movements of the rifle muzzle.
As for bedding. Use a kit from a reputable commercial supplier, carefully follow the instructions, and have fun. You can make a mess or you can come up with a greatly enhanced rifle. I accept no responsibility for your results and what you attempt is solely up to you......