Kimber 8400 Adv. Tactical bedding?

[CCook701]

I've owned my Kimber 8400 for a few years now. I purchased it from a friend and let it sit in the case for about 8-9 months. I finally decided on a FF leupold scope. My biggest issue was that it didn't have a detachable box mag. I was able to get in touch with CDI gun works. I got my bottom metal and I took my stock off to send it away for in-letting to fit the bottom metal.

Now I assumed that the Kimber was aluminum pillar bedded...

I took the rifle apart and shazam. No pillars, not aluminum. At first I was thinking what the hell? I looked closer and saw their glass bedding as well as coating for the action.

I was confused as to why it didn't even have aluminum bedding. I contacted my FFL who is also a good friend. I showed him and asked if he had any other FN/Kimber rifles in stock.

He had a FN SPR A5M. We tore that rifle down as well and found it also didn't have any type of aluminum bedding/pillars.

Now is this something specific to these 70 actions? Or just something the companies are deciding not to do? Every 700 i've owned has had bedding or ATLEAST pillars.

Has anyone added pillars to the rifles or know a good gunsmith who can install them?

My rifle shoots great, but if it can shoot even better with something as simple as the aluminum pillar bedding. Would be awesome.

Thanks

 

[Chui]

Contact GA Precision and George will take care of you.

 

[Temp9]

From Mr. Dick Davis of McMillan.

Actually, metal pillars into gunstocks has been an old practice for about 110+ years now since Paul Mauser starting putting them in his military rifles about 1895 or so. Wood stocks change dimensions with humidity changes in the air. On some of the early rifles going into desert climates the wood would shrink down so much that the actions would get loose in the stocks and litterally rattle up and down and the guard screws would work loose. So he put a protusion on the front of the trigger guard that touched the bottom of the action and put a steel pillar around the rear guard screw so that at least the guard screws would stay tight I've seen 100 year old mausers where the wood has shrank and worn down to where the action will move up and down in the stock 1/10" or so but all the metal is held tight together with this metal to metal to metal contact.
Anyway, custom gun builders started putting pillars into wood stocks for this purpose. In synthetic stocks pillars are installed in the stocks to keep excessive guard screw tension from compressing the stock material. Wheather they are necessary depends on the material and the G.S. tension. I don't know of anyone who has ever give a recommended G.S. torque setting for a stock except H.S. Precision. Normally suggested G.S. torque recommendations are made by the barreled action makers and Remington, Savage and most others set their factory guns about 30-35" lbs at the factory. The USMC set the M40A1's at 65 in. lbs. but they used steel bottom metal, pillars and grade 5 scoket head cap screws. I personally have seen the heads pop off factory G.S.'s or the threads strech at this level. We set this about 35 in. lbs. in our shop.
Also, pillars have nothing to do with bedding an action to a stock. Pillars are to compensate for stock shrinkage or compression, and bedding is to reduce all the manufacturing tolerances which all items have to basically zero. You can put pillars in a stock without bedding it, and you can bed an action to a stock without pillars, as they each serve totally different functions.
All the about is just my humble opinion, yours may vary.

So if your stock is already bedded, and you don't have an issue with compression, pillars are not needed in the slightest.

 

[CCook701]

From Mr. Dick Davis of McMillan.



So if your stock is already bedded, and you don't have an issue with compression, pillars are not needed in the slightest.

I did mis-speak as well as not being clear with my question.

By bedding I meant bedding the pillars into the stock VIA epoxy or various ways. Rather than not having any type of glass bedding or aluminum bedding and only pillars.

I'm going to have pillars installed into the rifle for the fact that the rifle isn't a safe queen. It sees use more often than most of my rifles. My biggest concern was to keep that metal on metal after my rifle is inletted for the bottom metal. A saftey precaution. I'm sure everything will be fine.

I appreciate all the info and help.

 

[Temp9]

Ah, I see. So the rifle has no pillars and no bedding to begin with?

Installing pillars while glass bedding is a simple matter, and if you don't have any bedding at all, I would recommend glass and pillar bedding at the same time. If you're planning on sending the rifle off for a DBM inlet, I would just have the smith performing the inlet also perform the pillar/glass bedding. Or get the DBM inletted first, then do the bedding after.

 

[CCook701]

Yes. You're right.

I'm having CDI pillar/glass bed the rifle as well as inlet the stock. Also I've been looking for a 30 MOA rail for the kimber and I'm not having very much luck. I've thought about a 0 cant rail with a 30 MOA scope mount that way I can swap between my REPR and the Kimber.

 

[jabels]

Look up Murphy Precision for the rail. I know he only has 0,10, and 20 MOA listed, but I'm pretty sure he will do a custom cant for you quickly and at a reasonable price.

 

[CCook701]

Thank you brother. The rifle has shot amazing before the bedding usually 1/2 moa at 500 depending on how decent my shooting is... I'm hoping I'll get a little more out of my scope with the 30 moa rail.

 

[19Scout77]

If you are getting 2.5" groups at 500 on a regular basis, you should not touch a thing.

 

[Genin]

I agree with 19Scout77. Do not mess with what's working so well.

 

[CCook701]

Installing pillars and a DBM shouldn't make a difference. I have a few groupings and I'll post the new groupings after I get the rifle back!

 

[midmoguy]

I know that EGW makes a 20 MOA base because i just bought one of these rifles and it came with it. I cant comment on the quality since the rifle is currently in the mail to me.

 

[CCook701]

I know that EGW makes a 20 MOA base because i just bought one of these rifles and it came with it. I cant comment on the quality since the rifle is currently in the mail to me.

The stock rail that Kimber ships these with is 20 MOA. I'm looking to get that extra 10 MOA. I emailed the guy at murphy precision and I'm waiting for a response.