Quote Originally Posted by jpdown View Post
I now use a Dremel tool and small router to open up the holes for pillars. I've tried to do it with a hand drill, but the bit will grab and crack the laminate wood if not very careful. Since you have a drill press, I would go with the lamp rod or smallest diameter pillar you have. All the pillars do is stop the screws from compressing the wood. Stress-free bedding the action and recoil lug are the important steps. Put two rounds of tape around the screws to center them in the pillars. Attach pillars to the action. Get the action, attached pillars, recoil lug, barrel and tang positioned correctly in the stock. Use tape to center and free float the barrel and tang in the stock. Bed the pillars into the stock and then come back and bed the action and recoil lug.

Thank you! I worked on it this morning and used the drill press and a 3/8" Forstner bit. Worked well...just some tiny tear-out. The holes weren’t quite wide enough for the lamp rod to pass through (although I could have screwed the rod in place). So I took a Dremel with a sanding drum and opened it up a little more.



I think I will follow your two step process (bed the pillars, then bed the action), but I have a couple questions.

1) To bed the action I believe I’m supposed to relieve the wood behind (by a 1/4") and below (by 1/8") the recoil lug. Do I need to do this BEFORE I epoxy the pillars in place? I am thinking I should remove under the recoil lug now, and behind the recoil lug after the pillars are in place.



2) Is it OK to follow your steps to epoxy the pillars without the bottom metal in place (that is, should I worry about alignment with the bottom metal and trigger guard)?