Re: Bedding scope base on Remington 700?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tripwire</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lostinperiphery</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> i think i may've made it out to be worse than it is.... if i tighten the FRONTS only, the rear is only a few thousandths too high... the problem was, the rear part of the reciever isn't parralel with the front, so when i tightened the rear only, it made the front ANGLE up.
I think I should be able to tighten the front and bed the rear with success... tighten the rear, and bed the front, not so much!
does this sound more typical?
I'm still interested in any specific input on how I should bed this base, thanks! </div></div>
Lost....buddy,
Ignore what most of these morons are telling you, you answered your own question by figuring out what's going on yourself. This is a typical situation with 700's, you don't need to go machine anything.
Now how to bed it....
Devcon steel is about as good as it gets. Use release agent on the rifle, and let the epoxy stick to the base. I like to rough up the contact areas on the base with a dremel stone to make sure it's going to stick. Basically just remove the majority of the blueing/coating with a slow moving dremel stone, not changing any of the geometry, and making sure I don't frig up any of the outer edges. Do it by hand with sandpaper if a dremel makes you nervous.
Make sure you've put release agent (I use automotive paste wax) on the screws, and in the screw holes on the base, and in the threaded holes in the reciever...use tooth picks and Q-tips to get the release agent in the holes but it won't hurt a thing if you actually let the threaded holes in the reciever fill with wax. Put release agent all over the reciever so it covers an area much larger than the base covers. Some people use masking tape, I find that's pointless if you are being professional to begin with. Be patient, be neat, do all the release agent work in advance of mixing the epoxy.
Bed both the front and the back to make sure it's a good fit on both. Obviously now that you have figured out what is really going on, the rear is the area you are trying to correct the most bad on. So, the front will end up with just a skimming of epoxy. Keep that in mind as you apply the epoxy, put more on the rear, less on the front. When you apply the wet epoxy to the base, keep it back away from the screw holes, and make sure you apply it all the way out to the outer edges.
The reason for keeping it back away from the screw holes is that you do not want the epoxy in the way and starting to ooz into the screw holes as you are first putting the base in place. If you've applied enough epoxy to begin with then it will fill that void properly as you complete the last steps. Put a little more on than you think you will need, you dont want to back up and have to pull it back off. That makes a miserable mess.
Now to put the base in place. Set all the base screws down in their holes, make sure you have all the right lengths in the right places. The 20 MOA that I just installed on a 700 had two longer ones in the rear, a shortest one in the very front, and a medium length in the second hole back.
Put some light shining on the reciever so you can see in under the base as you do this. I just grab the neartest kid and give 'em a flashlight. Very carefully lower the base down so the loose screws line up with their holes. It helps to have the driver already in one of the front screws. Start a front screw with at least one thread but no more than that yet, while holding UP on the base. Don't let the wet epoxy fall down onto the reciever, you need to keep holding UP on it until all the screws are started.
Next, start the second front screw the same way, only one thread. Then start the two back screws with only one thread. Now, with a digit on the front of the base let the wet epoxy down onto the reciever, Don't put ANY pressure on the back with your fingers. Use a driver and very slowly and carefully turn the front screws down until you feel the very first sign of it hitting bottom. There is NO torque at all here so don't try to actually tighten them. Just let them hit bottom and stop.
Next turn the rear screws in a little so that the screw heads are into thier countersinks but DO NOT bottom them out. With your gap on the rear of the base being what you are trying to fix you don't want ANY stress induced there. All you are doing with the rear screws is making sure of their alignment in their countersinks.
When this is all done you should have quite a bit of epoxy oozed out on all four sides of the base's contact points front and back. Hopefully you remembered to take the bolt out before starting so take your light and look inside the reciever to make sure there's no wet epoxy hanging down from the screw holes. If you kept it away from the holes on the base when you applied it, there shouldn't be any.
Grab a handfull of Q-tips and wet one end with WD-40, just hold 'em in a bunch and spray 'em wet. Lay 'em out on a paper towel. Take a wet Q-tip and swipe some ooz off the joint between the reciever and the base. I use a Q-tip only once, pitch it, and grab a clean one for another swipe....thus the requisition for a whole handful. It will smear so you don't want to keep smearing it because you use a swab that's covered with epoxy, the point is getting the ooz off so use a fresh one for each swipe.
The sides and the very back are easy to clean. The inside under the base and the very front are the hardest. Usually I have to use a folded paper towel wetted with WD-40 to clean the very front. If you are patient while doing this you can end up with a very neat clean job. When cleaning the rear of the base be careful not to drag any of the epoxy out of the gap, the WD-40 prevents this so make sure you do not use a dry swab to clean anything.
When you are satisified it's right, and it's clean, and your joints are professional looking, let it cure. Let an hour pass then take your driver and turn the screws out a little (1/4 turn then back to where they were) to make sure you didn't glue them in. Let it set until you are sure the epoxy is hard.
After it has set up hard I usually remove the screws one at a time leaving three still in, and make sure the holes are clean. It may take a tap and a drill bit or two to clean them up but that's no big deal. Usually you can twist them with your fingers to get any errant epoxy out that's not supposed to be in there. If you did it right then there won't be much anyway.
The next day go ahead and torque the screws down to what they need to be, you are done. Blow the action out with an air hose and do an obligatory cleaning of the action, chamber, and barrel to make sure nothing bad is left in there.
Detailed enough? </div></div>
very well explained. the video above will show and tell you about the same thing. i am more a visual learner, so when watching someone actually do it i dont have to come back to the computer constantly to get the next step.
