pillar bedding the front action screw

[blackdog]

When bedding the front action screw do you recess the pillar and snug the screw tight to the pillar or put some sort of cap on it flush with stock? I'am a little confused about the way its done.

[thomae]

There are a number of different ways to do it. Search for "pillar bedding" and you will probably come up with several helpful threads. I like the pillars to be just a bit proud of the stock where they contact the action/receiver. This allows room for bedding material as a "shim."

The bottom line of properly pillar bedding, if I am not mistaken, is to have metal to metal to metal contact.
Action screw head (metal) meets up with the metal pillar, which extends and contacts the metal receiver. Some folks put an escutcheon on the bottom, but that is essentially a fancy metal washer for aesthetic purposes (good looks) that goes between the pillar and the head of the action screw.

Once you have all that metal to metal contact, there is much less movement when you torque down your action screws.
Subsequently, bedding the action creates a form fitting "cradle" for the action and keeps it from wobbling front to rear and side to side, if done properly.

The end result should be no movement (or minimal movement) between action and stock.

[jpdown]

I run two round of tape around the action bolts to center it in the pillars. Coat the taped bolts in release agent. Attach the pillars to the action. Open your stock holes from the top to accept the pillars. Drill hole only deep enough to accept pillar. Not all the way through the stock. You can still access the bolt head from smaller bottom hole. Place barrel action in stock and make sure it centers and is floated. I use several rounds of tape around the barrel and under the tang to make sure the barrel, action and tang are floated. This should place your pillars at the correct height in the stock. With the pillars still attached to the action, bed them in the stock. Tape the action in the stock for a stress free pillar bedding. Cean up any bedding around the bolt head using a Q-tip. When the bedding is cured, remove the bolts and the action. Then come back and fill in any voids and bed the action if desired.