Hope I didn't ruin a good rifle

[txfireguy2003]

Started my first rifle bedding job this morning following directions found here and on Sniper's Hide. Technically, I guess I've been working on it for a while, doing prep, but today was the day to mix and apply devcon. Well, first, I mixed up 2.5 spoon fulls of resin with 1 spoon full of hardener, as per directions. I've read that this amount should be more than enough....not so, I had almost zero squeeze out, crap! Had the wife come in and hold the barreled action while I applied another batch....great, equal squeeze out all the way around, perfect. So I start cleaning up and glance down inside the action....what the.....? Apparently, the pressure pushed some of my modeling clay out of place, into the action, and devcon squirted in behind it, nearly filling the area between the barrel and bolt face, where the bolt lugs lock in! CRAP! I think I saved it, sacrificed a ton of q-tips, pipe cleaners, a 12ga barrel swab, many cleaning patches, likely a cheap cleaning rod as well, but I think I got out all out. Cross your fingers with me please. I used a lot of wd-40 as well, hopefully I didn't ruin the bedding under the action, but if so, I'll grind it out and try again.

One lesson learned, and the reason it took so much epoxy.....when you fill the magazine area with clay on a bdl style rifle, be sure to put something underneath the clay to keep it from pushing out the bottom. I've probably got a 1/2" thick block of epoxy under my action now that I'll have to grind out, we'll see when I pop the action out.

[JakeGraves]

Work the bolt a couple times while epoxy is still green. It will break up anything in the lug recess.

[txfireguy2003]

Thanks for the tip!

[Stick1]

Plenty of release agent EVERYWHERE and don't put modeling clay in the action next time. I only put clay in the gas vent and trigger pin holes. You want to leave open areas for the excess to flow, and the mag well is the easiest place to clean it up.

[txfireguy2003]

Yep, I did 3 coats of release agent on the outside of the action, didn't figure I needed any in the chamber area! :-D. I think I got it all out though, only part that concerns me is right around the barrel threads (od off barrel threading, id of action threading, at that junction is the only area I couldn't get pretty clean.

[bboswell]

Hope it works out OK

[az2tx]

Plenty of release agent EVERYWHERE and don't put modeling clay in the action next time. I only put clay in the gas vent and trigger pin holes. You want to leave open areas for the excess to flow, and the mag well is the easiest place to clean it up.

This

[bboswell]

Plenty of release agent EVERYWHERE and don't put modeling clay in the action next time. I only put clay in the gas vent and trigger pin holes. You want to leave open areas for the excess to flow, and the mag well is the easiest place to clean it up.

What release agent do you use?

[HOYTPRO2001]

I use 1/2" square of masking tape over action holes then putty all the other spots.

[M16]

I use Kiwi wax shoe polish in neutral.

[txfireguy2003]

I used the shoe polish as well. I should have also mentioned, this is not your standard R700....It's a Winchester M70, however, the process is basically the same.

The excess Devcon is now medium hard, so I wet a razor blade with wd40 and trimmed the tiny bit of squeeze out that was left, and it all peeled away from the metal just fine. I then went ahead and removed most of the clay and it looks like this may turn out okay after all. There is no excess in the magazine well to speak of, looks like I may have to do a small amount of grinding around the trigger inlet area, but that's about it I think. Assuming the action pops out like it should in the morning, I think this is going to work out fine.

[Stick1]

Glad it is looking ok. I have used hornady one shot case lube as a release agent on 100's of bedding jobs without issue. Being an aerosal spray, it gets in every little hidden area which is good insurance. Lol

[bboswell]

Glad it is looking ok. I have used hornady one shot case lube as a release agent on 100's of bedding jobs without issue. Being an aerosal spray, it gets in every little hidden area which is good insurance. Lol

Thanks. Wax works but is PITA

[Coach W]

Following. I think we all know at this point how I do it. Lol.

Sounds like you'll be good.

One trick I started doing was building up a ridge of play dough in the mag well that sticks up into the action of the rifle. Just enough where it keeps it from making a trough and sends bedding material to the sides where it is needed instead of in the magwell where you have to cut it out later.

Also I fill the inside of my action with play dough for added insurance.. push it in about an inch towards the chamber and fill the tang... that way you can't get that ooze up there and get a mechanical lock.

[txfireguy2003]

Yep, that's pretty much exactly what I did CoachW. Where I messed up, being a Winchester, the action screws are 1/4-32....try and find anything else with that thread pitch for your guide bolts! So, what I did, since I'm only going to be using 2 of the 3 action screws, and one on the longer ones was damaged anyway, I cut the head off of the damaged one. I used that one screw as my guide screw to make sure the holes lined up and to keep everything level, square etc. I put it in the tang hole, and plugged the middle hole and front hole on the action and stock with clay. I guess I didn't get enough clay in the action, because it pushed right through from the pressure of the epoxy. The next problem may be epoxy in the action threads, but if that happened, I think I can order a tap and clean it out.

Going to pop it out in about an hour.