Gunsmithing Bedding the M1A in McMillan stock / rear pillar installation/ PIC Heavy

[cal50]

The following is a pic heavy & write up of bedding a Springfield M1A rifle using a regular coat-hanger to establish barrel tension. I typically used the "donut" fixture but wanted to try the coat hanger
method. I will loosely chronicle my bedding a new Springfield Super Match / rear lug receiver that is NOT threaded (yet) and pillar bed it into a McMillan stock.

This also give you an idea what is involved in bedding a McMillan stock and the work involved to fit it correctly.


Lets get started-

1) New never fired M1A Super match rifle~

2) A McMillan M14 stock.

The Mac stock I lucked into finding. I called McMillan and they had one "left over" in forest green color and factory inletted for my rear lug receiver.
I am guessing that Mac does not get a lot of orders for rear lug inletted stocks so it was my lucky day.

Note~ You will need a new stock ferrule, the MAC stock does NOT come with one so order one now unless you have one already

Out of the box-

Factory inletting-

Finish work for the McMillan stock is proper bedding and attachment of the front ferrule (VERY IMPORTANT), front sling attachment (easy) and butt plate install. The butt plate needs to be fitted a little. The stock has some of the stock filler spilled over into the recess where the butt plate sits. There was also some parting line glass from the mold halves that needed cleaned up. This is easily done with a hand file. I will set up and drill the angle hole for the rear sling attachment later. I drilled 2 holes for stainless steel screws to attach the front sling retainer. The opposite side of that will be milled out and a square piece of key stock ( 5/16 ) will be drilled & tapped and inserted into the slot.

Butt stock cleaned up a little~

Holes (I) drilled for front sling attachment~

Rear Hardware~

 

[cal50]

Front Ferrule~

This is an important item and consider it part of your foundation, if its screwed up count on problems down the road. McMillan does an EXCELLENT job on their stocks and inletting.
That being said we are all human and it warrants checking your stock for straightness, channel fit and squareness. No hurry and make sure its right before moving on.
I modded a standard stock ferrule to "NM" style with the added clearance. Some may make it larger or a different shape but the main task is clearance around the gas cylinder AND that its parallel and level to the stock once mounted. I modded my ferrule then steel bedded it after trial fit and checking for alignment. Once cured over night I used a hand file (rat-tail) to clear the stock and even it up with the steel ferrule. Cosmetics & clearance for your gas cylinder.


Modified Front~

This covers most of the stock initial fitting and whats needed to move on....

Once you have your stock hardware wrapped up you need to test fit your action in the stock. You want to make sure nothing is binding and you have clearance for bedding material where you want and need it. Since I am NOT using the trigger group to hold the action in place I want to make sure the alignment is correct that it WILL go together after bedding.


Front ferrule seated and action fits with no binding~

With the clearance you made in the front ferrule you should be able to wiggle / move around the gas cylinder up & down and side to side.
You do NOT want it rubbing or binding. Its fully seated and not sticking out or forward.

Action fits and trigger group lines up~

Test for mechanical function of hammer & trigger. You want to make sure the hammer does not follow the bolt forward when the bolt closes while the trigger is held to the rear. If it does your trigger group is likely to far away from the bolt. If so you need to remove material from the stock where the trigger group seats.

Per Mr.Gus Fisher (M14 Expert):

Take a pair good dial calipers and put them inside the stock. You measure from the two small bedding surfaces for the rear of the trigger housing up to the top of the stock where the receiver heel sits. This distance on an M1 Garand or M14 is supposed to be NO MORE than 1.725" and may be as little as 1.700". On some Armscorp's and LRB receivers I have run across, I had to bring this distance down to 1.690" because parts of the receiver were not to spec. If the distance is OVER 1.725", then you have to cut/par a little wood off the two small bedding surfaces in the stock for the rear of the trigger housing, until the distances 1.725" or less.

Also~

This next one is a little hard to describe and understand. Take the trigger group out the stock and look at the stock between the two small bedding surfaces for the rear of the trigger housing. There is a groove between those two small bedding pads in the stock. Look for an indentation at the front of that groove. The indentation comes from the trigger hitting the stock when this groove is not cut high enough and does not allow the trigger to move enough so the sear can reset. It is easier to see the indent on a wood stock, though you may not see it on a wood or fiberglass stock. Put a little grease on the back of the trigger where it is just above the bottom of the trigger housing. There is a sort of a triangular shape there and grease the top of the triangle. Put the trigger housing back in the rifle and dry fire it a few times and then take the trigger housing out. If there is a grease spot left on the stock between the two small bedding pads, you have to cut at least the front of the groove higher so the trigger does not hit it.

Now that I am satisfied that my action fits correctly I did find one detail on my receiver that needed correction IMHO. My rear lug had VERY sharp edges on all 4 sides of the rear lug. This is similar to holding a chisel against the nice Devcon epoxy you are putting around it, not good. A few minutes on a 3M Beartex wheel gave me nice corner radii that leaves a nice round corner in your bedding. I will re-blue it later.

No threaded rear hole in lug.....yet.

Stock SHARP rear lug (BAD IMHO)~

The way it should have left the factory~ Smooth radius

 

[cal50]

Once I fixed this little issue its time to layout your stock. Get a SHARP lead pencil and put your action into your stock. Use the sharp pencil to trace around your receiver on the top surface of the stock. Once you do this remove your action and use painters tape to tape close to the line. This just makes cleaning up excess epoxy easier and keeps it off the stock.
I either use the trigger group or my fixture to hold it in place while doing the layout work.


Trace~

Traced Outline~

I forgot to show the difference in the standard stock Ferrule and the NM modded Ferrule.
A dremel tool and a small grinding point is what I used to shape it.

Stock USGI~

Modded to NM specs for clearance~

Painters Tape~ Keeps Devcon off of stock

I also applied tape to the forearm top surface where the coat hanger makes contact and the sides which I used a Sharpie marker & marked the location I will place the wire. I am using .090 diameter wire and the next thing is to test fit it and see how the action lies. I used a new piece of coat hanger and positioned it where I marked on the stock for a test fit.

Wire up front~

Rear or heel of action with the wire up front~

I tried a few different diameters of wire and for my barrel the .090 or larger is what I needed. This will be a rear pillar / rear lug gun when finished. I will use a clamping fixture to hold the action in
place while the bedding cures. Note that with a new piece of coat hanger wire all that is needed is hand pressure to seat the heel of the action to the stock. My fixture is just a piece of threaded rod bent like a "J" that hooks the action and a wing nut to snug it down. I am simply using hand pressure and NO WRENCH.

When I mentioned above that .090 wire is what I needed this is based off of the desired or target heel height of 1/2" above the stock for the correct amount of tension or pre-load.
I have tried a few versions of using straight wire and slightly bending one before inserting and seating the barrel and both end up sitting about the same heel height. If I bend a "V" in the wire it centers up nice. I like using a virgin straight wire and just seating my action. Since this is my 1st wire bedding job others with experience can chime in.

DO NOT RE-USE THE COAT HANGER WIRE. USE A NEW PIECE FOR YOUR ACTUAL BEDDING JOB.

 

[cal50]

Pull down fixture~

I prefer to use this method to pull down the receiver Vs using the trigger group.
I can control the force better using it and zero chance of having my trigger group stuck in place from Devcon.

In place~

I am pretty happy with how everything aligns and fits thus far.... A little more prep work.


These are the basic tools needed , minus a couple minor things I will mention. The picture sums it up. I am using Devcon steel putty. I personally like it the best of several I have used in the past. The Devcon steel putty stays where you put it and does not run. Its mechanical properties are excellent and its my 1st choice for bedding material. There are many others that I am sure work well but Devcon is my personal favorite. I have a new 1lb container and a partial container that is sitting next to the unopened one. You want to have enough epoxy to cover everything preferable in one shot. I have seen people do it in stages so what works for you is your call. I scribed a line in the rear lug pocket on the stock about 1/2" deep from the top. This is how far my rear lug projects on the receiver. Everything under that scribe mark and around it will be solid epoxy and a pillar through it at one point. I will need about a shot glass or more quantity just eyeballing the volume + whats needed to "butter" the horseshoe on top and around the receiver lugs and front section. Its better to have extra than not enough.


A picture is worth 1000 words, hopefully not all swearing....

My receiver is almost ready to go. I already cleaned it and removed the oil and any dirt. I filled the potential problems area's with plumbers putty. I am not sure what its made of but I have a container that is old enough to vote and its unchanged. Like a soft batch cookie I found cleaning the refrigerator whatever they put in there keeps it soft forever, spooky. My rear lug had a void that epoxy could seep through. I filled the entire void with plumbers putty. Its just roughed in now and I will smooth it up before applying the release agent. I use the "old reliable" KIWI neutral shoe polish. I use my fingers and rub ALL the exposed metal on the receiver inside and out, TWICE. I use a Q-tip rolled in polish to get the corners and places my sausage finger cant reach. You can see the milling / cutter marks on the sides of my receiver. These only appear bad and are more cosmetic than any issue to worry about. If you had any large voids I would fill them with plumbers putty or at a minimum hit it with release agent well. I have never had any problems using 2 coats of release agent on reasonable smooth surfaces.

Once I get a block of time I can be sure I will not be interrupted (IMPORTANT) I will mix epoxy and throw down the mud (Devcon).
The other items that are handy are a good supply of Q-tips, paper towels and liquid WD-40. Once I mix the Devcon and get it ready to apply I have my stock and action already in stand by. I will spread the Devcon to cover all areas that I want bedding material. Once this is done I will position my NEW .090 diameter coat hanger wire under the barrel and insert the action into the stock but not fully seated just yet. I have my clamping fixture at hand and ready. I will squeeze the action down to the stock by hand then attach my clamping fixture and snug the wing nut. Position the action the same way as your test fit. At this point you are basically done bedding and now you start cleaning up. Some guys like to wait 20 minutes or so but I am careful not to move the barreled action or disturb it. I start wiping the excess Devcon off with Q-tips, lots of them. Once you get the bulk off use the WD-40 on a Q-tip to clean up any excess on the stock and smooth the squeeze out areas. Under the stock by the receiver legs I just smooth the excess and will clean it up on the mill or use a dremel tool depending how fancy I want to be. You have a generous window to work before the Devcon sets up but its good to have your materials at hand. Get a trash can and ditch the cell phone.

 

[cal50]

I added a little more plumbers putty to exposed areas of my receiver ( just in case). I smoothed out the putty and applied Kiwi clear shoe polish (release agent) to all exposed receiver metal inside and out. I rolled a Q-Tip in the clear Kiwi and hit all crevices, twice. Set action action aside and its ready to go in a few minutes.

Check the stock one more time.... Blew out the bedding area with air hose to remove any dust or loose junk.... laid out my coat hanger pieces with a few spares, never know.....


Devcon measured~

Mixed and ready to apply~

I spend about 5 minutes mixing the Devcon. I have about X2 the amount needed but too much epoxy is better than not enough. Once mixed I let it sit a few minutes then started putting it on / in the stock. I started with the rear pocket / horseshoe area followed by the top surfaces then the sides. You have generous working time so no need to panic. I mix it smoothly and try not to whip it up and get air trapped in the Devcon. You are mixing epoxy, not making butter.

Quantity wise I have around 3 shot glasses (volume) of Devcon mixed up and that was more than enough.
You can "paint" the inside fiberglass surfaces of the stock with the extra. I always set some aside and make sure it cures correctly.

Now that I have epoxy in hopefully all the right places its time to insert the action into the stock. I stand the stock up vertical and hook the gas cylinder metal onto the stock ferrule and let its weight pull down. I lower the action towards the stock and stop above it. Its at this point I insert a new piece of coat hanger on the mark I made on the stock. Now I gently guide the action into the stock and let is settle down. At this point I scrape the obvious excess Devcon away from the lug area and drop it in the trash.

Once I wipe any major Devcon away I squeeze by hand the heel of the action firmly to the stock. I now attach my clamping / holding fixture and tighten.

The bedding is now done for better or for worse. If you did your prep well you have nothing to worry about but I still do just a little.

My front wire is in the same place as my test fit and all looks well.

 

[cal50]

Clean up time----

Once you place the action into the Devcon you should have a lot of squeeze out. You WANT squeeze out becasue that means you should have 100% contact.

I start the clean up by wiping away the excess Devcon with dry Q-Tips. I do this over a trash can to wipe and drop. I use a LOT of tips to my wife's dismay....

Try to NOT move or disturb the barrel or action from this point on.
I prefer not to move it around but you can if you are careful. If moved handle by the stock , NOT the barrel or action.

Start wiping with dry Q-Tips~

When you get most of the Devcon off use Q-Tips soaked in WD-40 to clean up the remainder of the Devcon. Rub a wet Q-tip on the action and along where the stock and receiver meet to smooth out the Devcon line. Wet tip followed by dry one until clean. When you think its clean take a 5 minute break then come back and look again. Seems there is always a little more you find with fresh eyes. I focus on the receiver metal #1 and the contact point between stock and receiver a lesser degree. Believe me it cleans up a lot easier and faster while the Devcon is not cured (wet) with WD-40 Vs. cleaning it off your action when the Devcon is dry. It can be done but is slower and SUCKS. Ask me how I know this.....

For inside the receiver I use a small scraper and scrape away any major excess Devcon squeeze out and ignore the rest. Once the stock and action are separated I can better clean up.
I will leave it set over night / 24 hours then remove the action (fingers crossed).

 

[cal50]

Here is the action removed from the last Devcon bedding from my above post. I did some minor clean up but am NOT finished. I am not satisfied with the area above the left action lug and I have a small void to fill near the front / top surface. I will likely skim bed the "legs" of the receiver. I did mill clearance for the mags catch and clearance for the roll pin retainer.

I have more hand work to blend and make it pretty.

Can you tell its a Springfield??

 

[cal50]

I can skim bed the receiver "legs" and that will give me something to keep busy on. Right now I need some 1/4-28 Stainless steel socket head cap screws X 1 1/2" long (Ordered). This will be the screw I use for the rear lug. Right now my rear lug is NOT tapped. I will wait until I have the screw in my hand to measure and machine a pillar.Since I can position it (pillar) where I want I will center the hole near the back side of the trigger groups slot. I will set the stock up in the mill and indicate it in then drill a 1/4" hole through. Once through I will insert the action into the stock and use a 1/4" transfer punch to transfer a mark on the rear lug where to drill and tap my 1/4-28 hole. Once this is done I can machine a pillar and put the stock back in the mill and counter-bore a pocket to accept my pillar. I will make the pillar from stainless steel and Devcon it in place flush with the surface the trigger group rests on.


This is how much space you have for a pillar~

Adding the thickness of the lug means I want a fastener 1 1/2" which I can shorten for clearance. I will drill the hole through the lug.

A side by side of what Devcon covers........


As received-

Mudded up with Devcon~

Looks different now~

My tooling arrived so back on topic~

I was held up by needing some stainless steel screws and a new 1/4-28 tap.Since I am taking a slight detour from completing the bedding ( I needed to remove the action to layout the rear lug position) and machine the correct hole and counter-bore in the stock I will complete these then finish my bedding. I like stainless steel hardware. Its virtually maintenance free and you really do not need to do much for it or to it. A note about stainless steels~ If a magnet sticks to it, it can stain or rust becasue it contains iron. 300 series stainless steels are non-magnetic, will not rust and will likely outlive any owner. Gun series stainless like 17-4 can be heat treated for additional strength at the trade off of corrosion resistance.

My 1/4-28 socket head cap screws are 300 series and non-magnetic. I also needed a new tap. I prefer OSG / Greenfield taps. Use good tooling for good results.

Now that I have the screws that will anchor my rear lug I can machine a pillar / bushing for it that mounts in the stock area under the trigger group.

The Bushing / Pillar machine~

And with the magic of time you get a new stainless steel bushing / pillar-

 

[cal50]

Now that I have a bushing / pillar and screw in hand I can machine the stock. I set up my stock in my milling machine and I indicated it in ( aligned ) using the factory McMillan inletting cuts. I am trusting them that the factory cuts are parallel to their rear lug pocket. I used a dial indicator and indicated off of the flats so they are square and parallel. I kept the bedding tape on my stock and used paper between the vise jaws to protect the stock finish. Once I got it positioned I then used an edge finder or "wiggler" if you are a toolmaker type to find the center line of the slot and set that as zero on my digital read out. Positioning the bushing the other way I eyeballed it closer to the rear of the gun but NOT to cut into the pistol grip area when counter-bored.

Dial indicator in use~

Once indicated in you use a center drill / spot drill to accurately start the hole then drill through using a 1/4" or .250 drill bit.

Once you drill the hole through you remove the drill and I used a 1/2" endmill to counter-bore the "pocket" for the pillar / bushing. Doing it now means its centered the perpendicular to the thru hole.

If you measured correctly your bushing will fit flush and be straight as an arrow.

Bushing test fit (Ignore the Devcon )

See if the screw fits......

Flipping the stock over the hole I drilled through is centered up pretty well and that was a concern. If I did not have the stock positioned correctly the hole would have ended up somewhere unfavorable to me. Some drill from both sides but I am using this hole to position the rear lug tapped hole I will drill and tap shortly. I will insert the action into the stock then use a 1/4" transfer punch to mark the hole location. I basically will slide the transfer punch in the 1/4" hole i drilled then strike it with a hammer to transfer a punch mark where I will drill & tap the 1/4-28 hole in the rear lug.

(That is IF I can find my 1/4 " transfer punch)

Once I have the rear lug tapped I will then finish bedding around the receiver "legs" and actually torque the rear lug / pillar bolt to assist. I have to do some reading to see what the "popular" or correct torque value should be.

 

[cal50]

In the final stretch now......

Tonight its "Tap the lug" night. After I get a threaded hole in the right spot I can then do the final bedding on my rifle and wrap it up.For those that do not know what a transfer punch is you shall see.... A transfer punch is a precision center punch. Its designed to slide inside a hole and transfer the center point to the surface on the other end. In my case I drilled the hole thru from the bottom of my Mac stock into the rear lug area ( .250 / 1/4" diameter). I wanted to then insert my action into the stock then use the transfer punch to mark where I drill and tap the real lug mounting hole. It worked out pretty good but not perfect. IMHO if I ever do another one I will drill the hole from both ends and meet in the middle.

After measuring the side to side position the transfer punch mark was .030 off center. Since I do not want to purposely drill a hole off center on my receiver I will add clearance to the thru hole in the stock. I had planned to open it up anyway but it bothers me when things are not what I planned.

I will open up both sides and equal amount and blend.

A Transfer punch~

Punch in hole~

Business end~

How you "transfer" the mark~

Once you get the punch mark on the receiver you can then accurately drill the 1/4-28 tapped hole. You set up the receiver as before by indicating it in so its level and square. I use a piece of reamer blank ground to a sharp point. It's this sharp point I use to position it to the punch mark on the receiver I made with the transfer punch. I only have to align it one direction becasue I used my edge finder or wiggler to find the center of the lug off of the receiver. If you have a keen eye you can get it within or under .005. You put the the pointed blank in the spindle and crank the table around to center it. Once I find the center I zero my readout on the mill. I already have the correct drill, tap, center drill and chamfer tool laid out. Always double check your tap drill size BEFORE drilling the hole. Also its good to have only the correct tooling at hand so no mix up. Don't ask me how I know this....

Center Drill~

Hole drilled and chamfered~

Tapping the hole~

I always start my tap's while its in the machine,they are ALWAYS straight this way. I start them by hand then remove and hand tap, less chance to break a tap when done by hand. In the pic I use a spring loaded tool in the spindle to keep pressure on the tap handle and start it by hand for a few full threads. Use a good cutting / tapping fluid. The Springfield receiver machined up nice and I can tell the steel is of a good quality becasue of the cutting chips produced.

If all goes well you get a mounting hole that will last past my lifetime.

Its a Springfield with a tapped lug ?....but Springfield never made any.....

Not show was trimming the 1/4-28 stainless steel screw to the proper length. I just slipped it in the stock with my bushing (under the trigger guard) and let it stick thru into the rear lug bedded pocket. My rear lug measures 3/8" thick so the screw should not stick up more than 3/8" or it could be a problem with your bolt travel. I needed to trim and chamfer about .190 thousandths from the thread length and

re-chamfer.

I test fit everything again by putting my action into the stock and tightening down the rear pillar and it works without binding or surprises, need to re-blue the rear lug radius.

Now I can go back and do the final finish bedding of my rifle and re-blue the radius I put on the real lug corners.

 

[cal50]

The final steps and now my bedding project is complete. I wrapped up the remaining "to do" things to complete the stock. My front sling attachment in now in place as well as the remaining stock hardware. I used stainless steel socket head cap screws and 5/16 (.312) Key stock for retaining them. Its a simple job to mill a 5/16" slot in the stock. The key stock has two tapped holes that the screws attach to.

Its secure and can be easily removed if needed.

Screws-

Inside the stock attachment-

This will be a competition gun and a slippery butt stock is a bad thing. I used the spray stick crap and its more of a dirt collector IMHO. I went to Lowes and picked up a roll of adhesive backed traction tape. You have a LOT in one roll but it's durable and leaves no crap on your gun if removed. Trim to size with scissors then peel and stick.

From Lowes-

On the butt-

The stock is done-

 

[cal50]

Here are some final shots of my bedding. I had extra Devcon mixed up and I like to "paint" the exposed fiberglass stock areas for a uniform appearance.

 

[cal50]

This wraps up the stock hardware and the stock is ready for the action. I thoroughly cleaned and greased my new rifle. I greased the bolt roller and all areas that are supposed to be including the stock / ferrule contact point. Once lubed up I placed the action in the stock, torqued the rear lug screw and put the trigger group in place. The trigger group was already stripped, cleaned and lubed prior.The upper handguard was too long and touching the face of the receiver (bad). There was clearance everywhere else so I was good there. I use dial calipers and scribe a line around the rear lip of the handguard. This gives you a reference line to go by. Its a 20 second job on a belt sander. Sand until you hit the line, deburr and you are done.

Touches receiver = Bad

Scribe a line-

Line-

I am not a huge fan of the brown color handguard so I hit it with some green Fusion paint I had. I am not a huge fan of the green either.....but it works and fits now. I put a dab of RTV silicon on the front and rear tabs to retain the handguard so it stays put. This keeps it from contacting the receiver or moving around.

RTV~

Dab in Front-

Some in the rear~

Handguard now clears receiver = Good

 

[cal50]

The final item with a USGI NM flash hider with lug ( I hate the neutered ones)

The twins~

This was an overview of what you can expect "to do" if you bed your own stock or contract it out and have it done for you.


A few thing's I learned along the way~

When test fitting your stock and action BEFORE bedding test for mechanical function. I mean make sure when cycling the op rod and action that the hammer cocks and drops properly. I only tested for proper trigger group lock up and alignment of the action prior to bedding. What I learned after bedding it was the deck height was slightly long. When you pull the trigger the hammer drops BUT if you hold back on the trigger and cycle the action the hammer followed the bolt when it locked up. It would cycle fine if you pulled the trigger, released it then cycle the op rod.

I milled .025 off of the trigger group seating area and the problem is now solved. This was a new gun from a wood stock that was never fired. I should have measured the bedding deck to trigger group length and jotted it down. I am at 1.705" and function correctly.


I like the coat hanger bedding method a LOT. Using the wire I mentioned I have what I would call a moderate amount of draw pressure. Not really heavy and not really light.

Drilling the thru hole for the rear lug pillar / bolt is best done from the top AND bottom directions of the stock. I added clearance but drilled from one side only ( bottom ).

I love working with Devcon 10110 steel putty, its by far the best compound I have ever used and seems to hold up very well.

Bedding the M1A is similar to putting ceramic floor tile down. Its not quick and easy nor hard to do but time consuming and each step needs to be done correctly before moving on.

After torquing the rear pillar screw use a punch and make an alignment mark on the screw and pillar. If in the field and you need to remove it you can get it close without a torque wrench.

My rear pillar / bushing is Devcon secured in place.


Now to get a day above freezing temperatures to hit the range.

 

[jefds12345]

A+ on the write up, now I want to get back into the M1A platform.

 

[McLarenross]

Wow man! Thats a great write up. I knew that more went into the bedding on a Garand or M1A but I didnt realize it was that different. Thanks for the very detailed post with all the good pictures.

 

[cal50]

Thanks and pictures do help out a lot over written descriptions.

If you are trying to improve your M1A good quality parts is a great start. How they are assembled ( National Match tuning and fitting) and proper bedding is as important. The bedding and barrel tension is VERY important and I have heard of several people that look for a "drop in" solution but that is a long shot (pun intended) if you are looking for the best accuracy from your rig.

Hopefully this gives guys an idea what is involved in bedding the rifle, what a rear lug receiver looks like and pillar bedding it.

The standard Springfield Armory super match does not have a tapped / threaded rear lug. Its extra work to fit and bed one properly. The rear lug and pillar bedded rear lug may not make the rifle any more accurate but it should extend the life of my bedding and that is why I decided to do mine.

 

[monteboy84]

Fantastic work and write-up, makes me want an M1A....

-matt

 

[Emilio]

Great write up, thanks.

 

[E. Bryant]

Fantastic work and write-up, makes me want an M1A....

Same here! This was a great lunchtime read; now, time to keep my eyes open for the right project gun.

 

[madppcs]

Im bookmarking this! Excellent job! All of us in M14 land thank you!

 

[cal50]

The M1A still has a following and Springfield is still building rifles and backs their products, that's a good thing.
Hopefully this thread helps anyone that has a rifle that they want to make improvement on themselves or gives them an idea what is involved for the bedding aspect anyway.

 

[jbell]

Very nicely done on both the bedding and the thread! One question if I may. Why did you not have the pillar go completely through the stock and bed it into place so that the lug was sitting on the pillar and not sandwiching the stock in between? My last rear lugged M1 was that way, but it was a full custom job with a lug added to the SA recever and the lug was longer/taller, and had the heaviest profile Krieger barrel you could squeeze into the rifle and still maintain proper clearence. It shot very good, but then again for the price it should. Let us know how the SA Super Match shoots.

 

[cal50]

Very nicely done on both the bedding and the thread! One question if I may. Why did you not have the pillar go completely through the stock and bed it into place so that the lug was sitting on the pillar and not sandwiching the stock in between? My last rear lugged M1 was that way, but it was a full custom job with a lug added to the SA recever and the lug was longer/taller, and had the heaviest profile Krieger barrel you could squeeze into the rifle and still maintain proper clearence. It shot very good, but then again for the price it should. Let us know how the SA Super Match shoots.

Thanks for the kudos~

My pillar is strictly an anchor point for the head of the stainless steel screw that pulls the rear lug down, the entire bearing surface that the lug sits on is solid Devcon.
I like my pillar fully supported by a very thick sandwich of material and that assures it never pulling down deeper into the stock under tension or moving.

I have seen others use long pillars and either make them flush with the lug or add clearance so the rear lug is not touching the pillar. I feel any threaded rear lug and pillar is a benefit and a rear lug without pillar bedding is really kind of a waste. I used a pull down tool / fixture when I bedded it and that left me with a large , solid flat surface of Devcon for the lug to sit on. If my pillar is flush, slightly below or WAY below the rear lug should still sit flat on the bedding and that is the goal.

I am not claiming by any means that this way is "best" but just one way to do it.

 

[buckey]

Great post - thanks for sharing!!