Gunsmithing Bedding the recoil lug, stuck

[LoanHarvey]

Hello, I bedded just my recoil lug with JB Weld in the original wooden stock. I used Remington oil as a release agent, and the barreled action is now pretty stuck in the stock. Little embarrassing, but I could use some suggestions to get that separated without bending or breaking anything. Suggestions?

 

[jugi16]

Put in the freezer? Next time use clear shoe polish.

 

[stenger]

Freeze it and kiwi shoe polish

 

[jsthntn247]

Do a little reading next time before you try something you've never done.

 

[3gunGUY]

Freezing works best. I used a can of compress air, the kind you use to clean keyboards. It lowers the temperature a bit more than a normal freezer will be able to and it is easier/faster.

Turn the can upside down and blast the area around the lug and action until good and cold--be careful you can give yourself frostbite so use leather gloves to be on the safe side. Tap the butt of the stock on the ground and it will usually pop out. If that doesn't work you just glued in your action, which is what a lot of BR guys do.

Neutral Kiwi brand shoe polish is good, there is also a few commercial types available too.

Good luck.

 

[LoanHarvey]

Freezing works best. I used a can of compress air, the kind you use to clean keyboards. It lowers the temperature a bit more than a normal freezer will be able to and it is easier/faster.

Turn the can upside down and blast the area around the lug and action until good and cold--be careful you can give yourself frostbite so use leather gloves to be on the safe side. Tap the butt of the stock on the ground and it will usually pop out. If that doesn't work you just glued in your action, which is what a lot of BR guys do.

Neutral Kiwi brand shoe polish is good, there is also a few commercial types available too.

Good luck.

Thank you for the advise for a definite mistake I made. Much appreciated.

 

[Elite_KG]

Come back and tell us if you get it out. I'm curious to see how it turns out.....

 

[STR]

One more little bit of advise. You probably didn't use anything such as tape on the front and sides of the lug as reliefs. Therefore, even with good release agent applied, it will be hard taking it out, and putting it back in every time.

 

[Sig Marine]

One of the best things about forums is being able to learn from others. From them you can learn;

1. "what to do"
2. "what not to do"
3. "what to do" when you did "what not to do"

This thread is a trifecta.

Seriously, I hope the above suggestions work and everything escapes damage. Please keep us updated.

 

[LoanHarvey]

One of the best things about forums is being able to learn from others. From them you can learn;

1. "what to do"
2. "what not to do"
3. "what to do" when you did "what not to do"

This thread is a trifecta.

Seriously, I hope the above suggestions work and everything escapes damage. Please keep us updated.

Thank you all for your comments. I studied this in all seriousness and did it not too long ago with good success, but I used imperial sizing was as a release agent and it worked fine. I did tape the sides of the recoil lug. I watched the video Mike Davidson did on the budget build they did at Gunwerks. He said to not tape the front or back of the lug, just the sides. I did learn my lesson about using a proper release agent.

 

[SScott]

If you can handle it, just leave it alone and shoot it. Like an AW rifle. Who knows, after a little shooting it just might break itself loose.

Because of my OCD I'm not sure I could leave it alone once I decided to remove it.
Scott

 

[LoanHarvey]

Come back and tell us if you get it out. I'm curious to see how it turns out.....

I happen to have met up with my Smith today, as he is putting that Bartlein SS 5R barrel on my .243 that I have posted about on the bold gun section. He said he will try and get it popped out, but did not like the JB Weld usage. Will keep you informed as to how it goes. Thank you

 

[LoanHarvey]

If you can handle it, just leave it alone and shoot it. Like an AW rifle. Who knows, after a little shooting it just might break itself loose.

Because of my OCD I'm not sure I could leave it alone once I decided to remove it.
Scott

Thank you SScott, Smith said he may have to cut the stock in half to get it out. I think I will take your advise and just let it be if he cannot easily get it out. LIke one of the guys said, it just may break it self loose. Thanks Guys!

 

[bptactical]

If you can handle it, just leave it alone and shoot it. Like an AW rifle. Who knows, after a little shooting it just might break itself loose.

Because of my OCD I'm not sure I could leave it alone once I decided to remove it.
Scott

Just a little bit of wisedom in the above.
Loosen your action screws slightly and shoot some spoilers. It will give the action a chance to move on you.
Easy fix once you pop it out. Just relieve a bit of the bedding on the sides and the front of the lug. Tape the front and sides of the lug(I really like the aluminum duct tape), wax your action twice for cheap insurance and re bed it.
One thing that comes to mind- were there any recesses in the action in the area bedded that would cause a "mechanical lock"? If so then yes, the SawZall may be the only way to get it out. In the future any recesses that may cause a mechanical lock need to be filled with modeling clay, play dough or similar.

 

[LoanHarvey]

Just a little bit of wisedom in the above.
Loosen your action screws slightly and shoot some spoilers. It will give the action a chance to move on you.
Easy fix once you pop it out. Just relieve a bit of the bedding on the sides and the front of the lug. Tape the front and sides of the lug(I really like the aluminum duct tape), wax your action twice for cheap insurance and re bed it.
One thing that comes to mind- were there any recesses in the action in the area bedded that would cause a "mechanical lock"? If so then yes, the SawZall may be the only way to get it out. In the future any recesses that may cause a mechanical lock need to be filled with modeling clay, play dough or similar.

Thank you bptactical, I will give that a try. I did not see any recesses in the action, however in the stock Remington wood, just in front of the recoil lug, there are a couple little divot areas on each side that I barely filled in as well as filled in the lug area. If I can get that out, I will take your advise and relieve some of that area, and tape the front of the lug and try it again. I appreciate your input.

 

[bptactical]

Thank you bptactical, I will give that a try. I did not see any recesses in the action, however in the stock Remington wood, just in front of the recoil lug, there are a couple little divot areas on each side that I barely filled in as well as filled in the lug area. If I can get that out, I will take your advise and relieve some of that area, and tape the front of the lug and try it again. I appreciate your input.

Not a problem and good luck.
Look at the bright side, you ain't the first...

 

[bptactical]

Sorry for the duplicate. Dunno why it done did dat...

 

[jugi16]

There is nothing wrong with JB weld as a bedding agent. Pull up the MSDS spec sheet. It's good to go and cheap.

 

[W8-2112]

Hello, I bedded just my recoil lug with JB Weld in the original wooden stock. I used Remington oil as a release agent, and the barreled action is now pretty stuck in the stock. Little embarrassing, but I could use some suggestions to get that separated without bending or breaking anything. Suggestions?

Sorry to hear about your misfortune but keep in mind you won't be the last person to make that mistake. I have see entire actions be bed into a stock without any release agent.

 

[ejg]

Oils, butter, margarine, soap, grease etc. just don't work reliably as epoxy release agents.
I had one customer who used leather boot oil instead of shoe wax.....stuck.
The trickiest one is using injection moulding release agent from a spray can, doesn't work either
as it is designed for a different purpose. Many have fallen for that too.
I never understood why people who have actually read what they should use, put down the Kiwi and
pick up some other household liquid....and say I'll try this.

edi

 

[The Gump]

It may come out if you can put some heat on the lug. Don't ask me how to do that without fucking your stock but it makes marinetex come off. Maybe use a mini torch and some sheet metal to keep the flame away from your stock.

 

[LoanHarvey]

It may come out if you can put some heat on the lug. Don't ask me how to do that without fucking your stock but it makes marinetex come off. Maybe use a mini torch and some sheet metal to keep the flame away from your stock.

Thank you 816Gump, may give that some consideration. Like one of the guys said, just shoot it a bit and it may work itself loose. Hoping for a good outcome and a good lesson learned.

 

[hambsteel]

jb weld does not like heat! lay that bad boy in the sun for an hour or two, get the gun where you don't want to touch it, then shoot the crap out of it for 30+ rounds. slightly loosen the action screws just enough to let the action move. then get a deadblow hammer and some dowels, and knock it off! if that doesn't work, go ahead and order a hsprecision stock, then cut to woody off. if your gun is a 700la, I just took a hs stock off my sendero and have it laying under my desk!

 

[WhiteDingo]

Just out of curiosity, what are you using to try and pull the action from the stock? Are you just pulling up on the barrel, are you tapping at it through the magazine recess, what?

I've found the best way to remove a barreled action from a freshly bedded stock is force applied directly upward from the front receiver ring. I have a fixture (much like one that Chad from Long Rifles has posted before) that pulls straight up that way (steel dowel in the bolt raceway, with a threaded hole. "U" shaped fixture cradles the receiver from above and braces on the stock [adjustable for width], with a T handle threaded shaft that engages the dowel in the receiver). The tension on the barreled action combined occasionally with good taps from a hard mallet serve to break almost anything loose as long as there's not a mechanical lock.

We actually broke a wooden stock in half using one in school, as the student created a mechanical lock with the epoxy and it just tore the sidewall out at the magazine cut.

 

[LoanHarvey]

Thank you guys for all the good information. My Smith picked it up along with another build to work on. He called and said that he was able to get the barreled action out of the wood stock, but that the JB Weld had stuck to the action just behind the recoil lug and that it pulled some of the wood apart from the stock. He is going fix that and get it re-bedded properly.
Thank you all again for the supportive comments.