Newbie Howa 1500 Glass Bed. (Pics)

[MalleeFarmer]

Ok so I bit the bullet and glass bedded my howa 1500 .308 HB Stainless. The first gun I've ever glass bedded so I was nervous as a nun at the pub.
Anyway long story short it worked!!
So here are some pics of the finished job.

[MalleeFarmer]

I used Devcon Titanium Putty as the bedding agent. (Probably not ideal but I had it on hand)

Used Kiwi neutral shoe polish as the release agent it worked great I just used a metric s#!+£oad of it. (this was for me the most nervous part as if I glued the rifle to the stock that meant a new stock and I didn't want that)

I was so worried I fact that I tried to remove the stock from the gun before it had cured and the resin started to seperate (like when you stretch chewing gum) so I clamped it all back together and stressed out till it was cured and then hoped for the best. It came apart.

I used electrical tape to hold the rifle into the stock while it was during and later on I threaded the action screws in (coated in shoe polish) and firmed it up. I used masking tape to stop the epoxy getting onto the outside of the stock.

Also used play dough to fill in any holes in the action and stock I didn't want glued up and epoxied shut forever.

[MalleeFarmer]

Stock filled with playdoh

[MalleeFarmer]

Good job mate, so when is the shop opening?

Haha! It's not mate!
I just thought I'd put it on here if anyone hasn't done it but wants too don't be too worried if I can do it anybody can.

[Gwion]

Hey Mallee. Good job!

I've done about 5-6 bedding jobs now and have learned a few hard lessons. It is always a slightly nervous wait, isn't it!?!

Just a tip or two:
1/ I would scribe a square line across the forward line where the bedding supports the knox form (start of the barrel) and then bevel it of so it is making a clean and even contact as close to perpendicular to the barrel (bore) as you can get it. This will help with more consistent harmonics; imagine the buzzing noise you get when you have part of your finger forward of a frett on a guitar (sorry, bit of a muso so this is my best analogy).
2/ With a modelling file, clean up all the other angles that run perpendicular to the barrel/action so that they have a light bevel. This will halp prevent any light debris accumulating there and effecting the rifle's recoil & battery.

Just one last thing; the bedding looks a little thin at the tang end, so it may just prove a tad brittle and fracture. Also, I use strips of bike tube rubber, tied over the king screw areas to hold the action in place: this results in a stress free bedding according to Nathan Foster. I follow Nathans instructions on this process from his web site and books. Has worked well for me:
http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowled ... tions.html

22lr Sportco bedded 2x (not happy with the first so did it again)
Howa bedded 3x (1x Hogue stock, 1x Boyd in 223, 1x Boyd with new 7mm barrel)
Zastava M85 with Howa 223 barrel bedded x1

Well done, mate. Looks good.

[Gwion]

Here's a pic of the Zastava stock just after bedding. I have marked 'Here' in green on the areas i was saying to pay attantion to cleaning up or 'relieving'. It's obviously a different action but the principle is the same. Also make sure there is plenty of clearance in you mag well, so that nothing rubs when you screw it all back in.

Zastava Stock bedded relief points..jpg (82.86 KiB) Viewed 12417 times

[MalleeFarmer]

Cheers for that Gwion.
I will try to tidy up that bedding under the chamber. Yes the bedding on the rear tang is pretty thin I didn't remove any material to do the job so perhaps I should have!

[MalleeFarmer]

Also Gwion, how did you get the epoxy to stop so evenly at the front of your M85? I am thinking of doing my Mark X now too since I feel like I shouldn't cock it up too much after doing this one should I remove some material before bedding it?.

[Gwion]

Best to follow the link i put above. You will find detailed vids of the whole process.

Basically i use a plastercine dam where i want the bedding to end under the knox-form. This dam determines the finished height of your barrelled action. I screw everything together with all voids stopped and the dam in place. This mocks it all up to finish height (use grease proof paper so knox-form releases from plastercine). Using strip/s of cardboard forward of the dam also help to ensure your barrel is centered in the barrel channel and so properly floated. After mock up, i cut the dam nice and square to finished length of bedding.
I also use the more liquid epoxy mix, so it flows into voids more evenly, but that putty seems to have worked fine for you.
Nathan Foster suggests at least 1.5mm (60thou) depth/thickness to bedding for rigidity, toughness and durability. To ensure correct finish height and good depth in tang area, leave a small amount of original material where the tang bed meets the trigger well. This is your height datum. Remove material under and behind the tang for adequate depth/thickness. This also helps to add 'tooth' to the stock so that your bedding has a good mechanical bond to the stock and dosen't shock loose under recoil.

[MalleeFarmer]

Cheers for that link Gwion. I just bedded my Mauser using most of the techniques that the kiwi discribed and it came up a treat. I also floated the barrel by using tape so the chamber is bedded but the barrel isn't. Sorry I didn't take picks I might disassemble it and take some pics later. The whole rifle feels more solid and finished even before bedding it didn't feel solid the rifle feels as if it's one piece now. I'm a happy camper. My Mauser is now finished.

Rebarreled in .308, stock refinished with pale boiled linseed oil, Bushnell Elite 3500 3-9x40 on a Warne/Leupold mount/rings, replaced the poor non adjustable military style trigger with a timney and finally glass bedded it!!

[Gwion]

Nice one. He does do a good job of explaining the whole process, doesn't he? Look forward to pics.

[MalleeFarmer]

He does. Couple great videos. I don't have one of the bedding finished as I was too excited about putting it back together and shooting it. This is my second 3 shot group with the rifle the first was not too bad but first shot was a flyer so went out to about an 1-1/4 inch second as you can see is about 1/3 inch. I was shooting about 1 - 2 inch groups before hand. That load is 165gr SST over 44.5gr AR 2208
Edit: group at 100m

[Gwion]

Looking good, Mallee. I'd be doing a couple of other test sessions just to confirm if that first shot is really a flier or a reliable cold bore POI. Not uncommon for a rifle to have first shot from a cold barrel shoot to a different point of impact. Same can be said for freshly cleaned barrels/bores. Probably no big deal depending on target size and distance but just good to know what your rifle does on its first, cold bore shot.

[MalleeFarmer]

No it definately wasn't a cold bore shot as I had sighted in first. But you make a good point about seeing where my cold bore impact is. Here are some pics of the bedding you can see in front of the chamber it looks a bit rough as that was taped to ensure the barrel was free floated the epoxy didn't quite make it to the playdoh dam so the end looks rough. The recoil lug was relieved to the front sides and bottom to ensure it sits on the flat of the action not the lug when tight. Also the back of the rear tang is relieved to make sure that the recoil doesn't transfer to the wrist of the stock and split it. Cheers for the advice and vids much happier with this than the Howa guess I should have asked first.

[p3seven]

I finished bedding my Howa 1500 last week. I used Nathans kit. Also pillar bedded as per Nathans suggestion using an Arrow shaft.

After cleanup it was a squeeze getting the action back into the stock.Took it to the range and as the barrel heated it began to string vertically. 1st shot dead on the rest climbed vertically till my five shots went up 2 inches in 1/2 inch sequence.

Dismantled and with sandpaper and the Dremmel grinder, excavated more room in front and sides of the recoil lug and lightly sanded the sides where the action fitted tight near the safety and the bolt release.

Back to the range yesterday and 3 shots in 1/2 inch at 50 m. 3 shots in 3/4 inch 100 m. Very happy chappie.

[MalleeFarmer]

I finished bedding my Howa 1500 last week. I used Nathans kit. Also pillar bedded as per Nathans suggestion using an Arrow shaft.

After cleanup it was a squeeze getting the action back into the stock.Took it to the range and as the barrel heated it began to string vertically. 1st shot dead on the rest climbed vertically till my five shots went up 2 inches in 1/2 inch sequence.

Dismantled and with sandpaper and the Dremmel grinder, excavated more room in front and sides of the recoil lug and lightly sanded the sides where the action fitted tight near the safety and the bolt release.

Back to the range yesterday and 3 shots in 1/2 inch at 50 m. 3 shots in 3/4 inch 100 m. Very happy chappie.

Got too be happy with that. I am yet too shoot my Howa since bedding it I may find the same issue as you since I never relieved the recoil lug so I'll shoot it one day soon and find out. Hope I don't have to attack it with the die grinder.

[ebr love]

Good work mate.

Didn't run into any trouble with mechanical lock in getting the action out? That's where most people hit a bump in the road.

[MalleeFarmer]

No I had no trouble at all just a scare when the Mauser wouldn't pull out of the stock because the masking tape was stuck to the Devcon and the barrel where I free floated it. But it came apart with a slight firm tug.

[sarki]

Top job Mallee

[scotty87]

Just finished bedding mine howa in a boyds laminate stock, my first go at bedding a stock.

Used P7 2 part epoxy from bunnings and kiwi neutral shoe polish as the release agent.

this epoxy seems pretty good, real thick and goopy cleans up with metho and cotton buds.

I pulled the action out of the stock at 9 hrs just cos I wanted to put the action back in the safe before heading to work this morning. Turned out alright only one air pocket, albeit a big one.









its at 24 hrs now and nice and hard, going to let it cure for 7 days before shooting it.

[Gwion]

Looks pretty good, mate.

In pic number two, top side to the right you can see a knob of epoxy. You don't want that there! Take it off nice and smooth to flat surface on the right angle. I'd personally also take off that random bit in the last pic so that the rear tang sits flat with nothing to interfere with it during battery.

Also, don't forget to use a pointing file or such to relieve those seemingly minor daggy bits where the flats of the action and the barrel meet the recoil lug. The mag well might need a little shaving so that the internal mag doesn't foul and rub on it. If you want to get fussy, make the area supporting the knox form (where the bedding ends forward of the recoil lug) a straight line across (harmonics can be a bitch that way). That air bubble shouldn't create any issues.

[scotty87]

gave it a bit of a trim, will have to file or dremmel the ridge or bits off, it trims up quite easy with a hobby scalpel blade.

[Gwion]

Looking better. I'd still bevel the corners where the recoil lug meets to about 1mm instead of a sharp corner. Also, be sure there is good clearance all around your action screws.

Sorry. Not nit-picking, just trying to help. Hate you to go to all that effort and then wonder why it isn't shooting as good as expected.

[scotty87]

Looking better. I'd still bevel the corners where the recoil lug meets to about 1mm instead of a sharp corner. Also, be sure there is good clearance all around your action screws.

Sorry. Not nit-picking, just trying to help. Hate you to go to all that effort and then wonder why it isn't shooting as good as expected.

Cheers mate all tips are helpful, will help me to do a better job on my next one. Im going to spend some time on it this weekend, I didn't tape the recoil lug so I think your right that I should relieve there, I was too nervous to take away too much stock material.

Thinking I should have bedded a little further along the barrel channel too but it was still free floated when I test fit the barrelled action last night.

[Sender]

Just finished bedding mine howa in a boyds laminate stock, my first go at bedding a stock.

Looks like it'll do the trick

[Gwion]

All good.

[Supporter]

But it came apart with a slight firm tug.

Better than the freezer and hammer stories you read

[tony308]

other than the bedding,how was the fit of the boyds stock?....looks like a boyds?

[Kai]

I decided not to relieve the recoil lug on my howa 1500, it popped out fine, and shoots really good

[MalleeFarmer]

other than the bedding,how was the fit of the boyds stock?....looks like a boyds?

Do you mean how was the standard boyds fit from the factory? It was a good fit but bedding made it better!