Pillars vs pillars & skim bedding vs glass bedding vs pillars & bedding

Are we over thinking this? I keep thinking of the guy in Canada who fitted an alum. block to the barrel, just ahead of the action and then bolted the thing to the stock. Floated barrel and action. http://www.accurateshooter.com/guns-of-week/gunweek075/

I have always installed pillars and bedded the action because I am a little afraid of the notch in the back pillar reducing bearing surface. However if the recoil lug is bedded correctly, would it make any difference? The action screws really don't do anything but keep the stock from falling off, they shouldn't absorb any recoil. I use a 1/2 inch alum. spacer for my pillars and epoxy them into a 5/8 hole, then I bed the action and wind up with 3 or 4 Sq. inches of bearing surface. If I just used the pillars, there would be < 1 sq inch bearing. The recoil lug is supposed to handle the recoil.

What are you guys with "honest" quarter minute guns doing? I am beginning to think the bedding is a waste of time and might even be detrimental.

Ya, I know......way too much free time!

Bill

That's Jerry's rig with the barrel block... And in my opinion proper bedding is paramount , the more surface area you can get the better hence the barrel block.

It's got to to with vibrations and harmonics... The more surface area i can use the greater the harmonics are dampened regardless of whether or not the recoil lug is what takes the brunt..

Good topic to discuss regardless ;)

Patch, You think there are harmonics in the action? Seems to me as if we are trying to dampen or eliminate the vibrations and harmonics in the action by bedding. Harmonics in the floated barrel, I understand. They are set up by the explosion (pressure) and the bullet spinning down the barrel. Maybe that is the reason the BR guys glue the action into the stock, to eliminate the harmonics in the action. I never looked at it that way....should we bed the tang?

Bill

I believe there is yes... The harmonics don't just simply stop where the barrel and recoil lug meet the action ... With regards to bedding the tang area here is what I think on the subject , I typically do float mine but I have also seen stocks that shot extremely well with the entire area bedded for full contact. Perhaps it is due to where the last rearward screw is in relation to where it is clamping and the available surface area at that point , unless it is absolutely perfect along with the pillars then there will be stress induced... And this is the problem as you know yourself , the rearward pillar is in a less than optimum place being that it has to be notched. I'd say if you have an area where you know you cant get 100 percent good contact then it is going to give you problems hence why a person cane "Tune" the action so to speak by playing with torque values on the rearward screw.