Bedding a Boyd's stock???

[petemacsydney]

just ordered a boyds thumb hole stock for my Tikka T3. looking forward to getting rid of the plastic factory stock!
my question is... do any of you bed the action on a boyd's stock?
cheers
p

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[Stevo]

I pillared and bedded a Boyds thumbnail for my T3 just on 12 months ago, only had the synthetic stock on it for about 2 months and didn't even shoot it with the Boyds before i bedded it. I haven't done it before so it was more of a project trial but i believe i did a pretty decent job of it and it shoots a charm.
I dremeled it out to make some room and give the devcon something to bite into, left a real small part untouched at the rear of the action to keep height and taped some insulation tape around barrel to give it the clearance ahead of the action, used some newspaper and playdough to stop it getting into the action and some kiwi shoe polish as a release agent, Machined up some pillars and epoxied them in at the same time. It was a bit of a 'just have a go and see' but im happy with how it came out.

[Yelp]

The factory inletting on them is pretty good by all reports.

If you want to give it a go just for the sake of giving it a go like Stevo, best of luck, but should fit good for straight shooting out of the box pretty well.

[RDobber]

If it were me I would definitely try it as before going to the effort of bedding.

Two mates shoot Tikkas who've both replaced their Lite stocks with Boyds. Both shooting 3/4 MOA hunting loads.

[petemacsydney]

If it were me I would definitely try it as before going to the effort of bedding.

Two mates shoot Tikkas who've both replaced their Lite stocks with Boyds. Both shooting 3/4 MOA hunting loads.

very good point, i will try that!

out if interest, what hunting projectile are your mates using?

[petemacsydney]

I pillared and bedded a Boyds thumbnail for my T3 just on 12 months ago, only had the synthetic stock on it for about 2 months and didn't even shoot it with the Boyds before i bedded it. I haven't done it before so it was more of a project trial but i believe i did a pretty decent job of it and it shoots a charm.
I dremeled it out to make some room and give the devcon something to bite into, left a real small part untouched at the rear of the action to keep height and taped some insulation tape around barrel to give it the clearance ahead of the action, used some newspaper and playdough to stop it getting into the action and some kiwi shoe polish as a release agent, Machined up some pillars and epoxied them in at the same time. It was a bit of a 'just have a go and see' but im happy with how it came out.

please excuse my ignorance, but what are pillars?
cheers n thx!
p

[newsteadvic]

please excuse my ignorance, but what are pillars?
cheers n thx!
p

Steel or aluminium tubes that are fixed into the stock for a better mate to the recoil bolts of the action. Good video here:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/learn/lea ... ?lid=13254

[Jack V]

Pillars are generally metal tubes or blocks that support the action through any bedding material . they usually start at the solid metal of the action and continue through to the trigger guard base plate or hinged floor plate . This way the tightening weight of the action screws is taken mainly on the metal pillars not the bedding material .
There is quite a few variations on ways to pillar bed. My advice to OP is get a professional to do it . A recognised accuracy gunsmith . Later on when you know more you can have a go at it .

[Jack V]

[quote="newsteadvic"][quote="petemacsydney"]

please excuse my ignorance, but what are pillars?
cheers n thx!
p[/quote]
Steel or aluminium tubes that are fixed into the stock for a better mate to the recoil bolts of the action. Good video here:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/learn/lea ... ?lid=13254[/quote]
There should be no real linear recoil taken by the action screws . That is the job of the recoil lug . The pillars should have clearance between the action screw diameter and the pillars internal diameter so no binding or touching can take place along the shaft .
A pillars main job is to give more rigid support than a bedding material can give and allow tight screw pressure without crushing any stock or bedding material.
This all helps long term accuracy potential .

[petemacsydney]

thx guys, pillars seem a bit beyond my experience.
i'll see how standard fit goes then see what i need to do
cheers p

[Warrigul]

thx guys, pillars seem a bit beyond my experience.
i'll see how standard fit goes then see what i need to do
cheers p

Don't let the perceived difficulty of pillar bedding put you off, it isn't much harder than filler bedding and the consistancy you get is worth it.

I am a lazy shooter/loader etc and I wouldn't bother with it if I didn't see tangible benefits.

[Jack V]

Everything is easy when you know how.

It would be a mistake to screw up a good stock with inexperience. My advice is try the Boyds stock as it is. If it shoots ok then use the old stock to experiment on first and learn how to do a proper job. Switching back to the old stock to see if accuracy has got better or not.

I have seen experienced machinists screw up bedding jobs because they just did not know all the pit falls.

[wheedle]

Don't let the perceived difficulty of pillar bedding put you off, it isn't much harder than filler bedding and the consistancy you get is worth it.

I am a lazy shooter/loader etc and I wouldn't bother with it if I didn't see tangible benefits.

You reckon pillar bedding has a significant benefit over just regular bedding you mean?

You're mostly doing hunting/culling right? Not competition?

[beepar]

I have seen experienced machinists screw up bedding jobs because they just did not know all the pit falls.

Managing the bedding compound's the thing that always worried me.

Either bonding everything together or locking it in mechanically.

[Jack V]

A really good standard bedding job cam be just as accurate as a pillar bedding job on the same gun . Where the pillars can be better is in maintaining accuracy longer . Also higher screw torque can be used on metal pillars as opposed to soft wood or flimsy plastic stocks which can sometimes produce better groups . When removing the action for maintenance etc. the pillars allow a more precision replacement of the action and more precise torque to be achieved . Beddings ability to resist crushing over time is only as good as the strength of the stock under it if no pillars are present . In a solid strong laminated wood stock pillars may not give much additional benefit but it's hard to say in every case . Supporting heavy barrels is a problem in some stocks and pillar bedding can help.

[Jack V]

Managing the bedding compound's the thing that always worried me.

Either bonding everything together or locking it in mechanically.

:|

Yes it can be difficult . The secret is to do a really thorough job of applying release agent even way above the stock line . Clean up around the outside before it hardens . Monitor the bedding material for hardening and remove the stock when it's hard but not fully hard , then clean up all over and refit the stock with mild screw pressure and leave to fully cure . Make sure you understand what clearances need to go where for the particular action as that makes it much easier to pop out . Use cut sections of electrical tape to create such clearances as required . If the recoil lug is set in with no side or front clearance tape it can be very hard to pop it out . Some like Rem 700 and Win Mod 70 can have base clearance also . It's different for different actions.

I wrap the barrel with two tape bands to centre and position the action in it's original position in the stock . I attach the pillars to the action and hold it all in with tape to get a stress fee position . Don't forget to remove the action screws before attempting to separate the action and stock . If the pillars are too long and stick out at the seating position of the floor plate or trigger guard you can mill them back to stock level using a case trimmer head in an electric drill or set the stock up in a milling machine . Go gently.

[shazz]

Managing the bedding compound's the thing that always worried me.

Either bonding everything together or locking it in mechanically.

Something you could try... I've see guys practice by just inletting a regular piece of timber. A foot of 2x4 or whatever.

You don't have to do the inletting with much precision because you're bedding it obviously. Just rough it out and give it a go.

Worst case is you waste a few $ worth of wood and bedding compound and can just crack the timber off if required without potentially wasting a stock on the practice run.

[Gwion]

Agreed. Try the Boyds as is. Practice bedding on your factory stock (you'll need a spare recoil lug because it gets fixed into the bedding on Tikka's floating system).

Plenty of people say the Boyds stocks shoot well.

I pillar and epoxy bedded my Howa Boyds from the get go but had some practice on the factory stock first. Also bedded an old 22lr a few time to practice and get it right. Biggest tip i can give is DONT PANIC. Take your time. It does take time to do it right but it's not rocket science.

Here is a link that help me out a heap. Also used the dude's product to bed the rifle.

Good luck and have fun.

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowled ... pound.html

There is also info on the ins and outs of bedding Tikkas; just look around the sight.

[Warrigul]

You reckon pillar bedding has a significant benefit over just regular bedding you mean?

You're mostly doing hunting/culling right? Not competition?

Yep, I only compete once or twice a month at most nowadays and have sold off most of my good gear, I have only kept a .308 and a 6BR, the rest are military or hunting.

Pillar bedding is definately worth the extra work for the consistency, even for a hunting rifle though I have never seen any need to fiddle with TIKKA's, but if there is a useful benefit to be had why not have a go?

[wheedle]

Pillar bedding is definately worth the extra work for the consistency, even for a hunting rifle though I have never seen any need to fiddle with TIKKA's, but if there is a useful benefit to be had why not have a go?

Cool, thanks.

[RDobber]

Pillar bedding is definately worth the extra work for the consistency, even for a hunting rifle though I have never seen any need to fiddle with TIKKA's, but if there is a useful benefit to be had why not have a go?

Not trying to ring the Tikka bell here too much but agree. I've had a few and all shot more than well enough for hunting out of the box.