Gunsmithing How much Marine-Tex do I need?

[Wicked Weapons]

OK, I've read over everything I could find in the detailed instruction posts here on DIY bedding. I have assembled the materials - Kiwi neutral shoe polish for release agent, Marine-Tex (gray), putty, tape, Exacto, Q-tips, mineral spirits, ect.

Now I think I'm ready to make my first attempt at skim bedding my HS Precision stock. But, I also want to add some grip and forearm texture. All I could find in the gray was one box of the two ounce size. Is that enough epoxy to skim bed the action and have enough left over to add texture to the stock?

Is it a good idea to try and combine both jobs at once or is it best to tackle one job at a time?

Also, what's the verdict on using or not using the stock bolts? I think I want them in, but not sure how much to torque them?

 

[sniper307]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

it is plenty to bed the action with, the rest depends on how much texture you want to add.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

i didnt pillar bed and my stock had an aluminum block. but i used 2/3 or each of the small tubes of jb weld. thats under 2 oz of it in my case. 4 oz of marine tex would bed and texture easily

 

[jbell]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

Should be more than enough. Bed it first then apply the texture.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wicked Weapons</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Also, what's the verdict on using or not using the stock bolts? I think I want them in, but not sure how much to torque them? </div></div>


do you mean after you bed? using them to bed isnt suggested. go to the hardware store and get some 1/4" bolts and cut the heads off. i think i used 3" or 3.5" to get enough shank. in my case i didnt need them, but you will for pillar bedding.

and when you say torque, you mean after the bedding, not during right? 40-50 inch pounds is what i am using. i started at 40 and then went 45. i may go 50, but its snug

 

[Wicked Weapons]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

The HS has a bedding block and pillars in the stock already. I was thinking I would use the factory stock bolts, just to make sure everything would line up correctly during bedding. Was going to just barely 'finger tight' them. Should the barreled action just sit there in the HS type stock? I'm not installing pillars, they are in already. How will the action make contact with the pre-installed bed and pillars if there is not at least some bit of tension?

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

i didnt use any bolts at all in my hs. i taped the barrel to get the action exactly where i wanted i. during dry fitting i saw that as long as the recoil lug was in the slot for it, the holes would line up. if you have pillars too in addition to the block, someone added them. can you get a picture? my action rests on a cured bed of epoxy. it no longer contacts the aluminum bedding block or the stock anywhere. if you read any of the three posts in the three best bedding posts link, i dont think anyone tightens any screws during bedding. thats how you get stress. they use dummy bolts to hold a pillar to the action, but almost no one even clamps the action down, no tape or clamping. i used playdoh in my action holes, even tape over some of the holes trimmed close to the hole it was covering. epoxy doesnt stick to the scotch tape. even when the pillars contact the action its minimal contact. the epoxy is what cradles the action. use tape to get it to sit where you want repeatedly. wax the action holes and fill with playdoh or clay.you can use an xacto to clean them out like i did.

JBWeld and an xacto. my batteries for my camera are dead but ill get more pictures.the holes line up and the lug is tight against the aluminum in the channel.

 

[Wicked Weapons]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AXEMAN</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i didnt use any bolts at all in my hs. my action rests on a cured bed of epoxy. it no longer contacts the aluminum bedding block or the stock anywhere. if you read any of the three posts in the three best bedding posts link, i dont think anyone tightens any screws during bedding. thats how you get stress. they use dummy bolts to hold a pillar to the action, but almost no one even clamps the action down, no tape or clamping.</div></div>

OK, that's the impression I got from reading the posts but it didn't seem right. The aluminum bedding block in the stock is no longer actually functional, and you've really completely bedded the action to the stock in your case, correct? It's not a light 'skim bed' then?

My HS stock is new. I looked again, the installed pillars will make contact with the trigger guard, but they do not stick up high enough to clear the top of the bedding block - so they would not touch the action anyway.

My original thinking was to use the bedding block for alignment and that slight pressure from the screws would make the action just contact the bedding block and the epoxy would then fill in all the rest of the 'gaps' to make a more complete bed.

Guess I should just bed it the way you've done it without clamping or bolts and not worry about the action having any contact with anything but the epoxy.

 

[mscott]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

You still want to use bolts, but use them as allignment pins. You do NOT want to use your stock action bolts to tighten the action into the stock. Buy some 1/4-28 bolts and cut the heads off. I put a few wraps of masking tape around them to keep them centered in the stock bolt holes. Now screw them into your action and they will hold everything straight when you set the action into the stock with epoxy. Dont forget to put a few wraps of tape around the barrel to center it in the barrel channel as well.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

its still functional. its just covered with epoxy. the cutout for the recoil lug is still being used and in my case the lug is right flush against the same place it was before i bedded it. like i said, i dry fit the barreled action several times. the screw hole in the action were over the holes in the stock at all times. i chose not to use the dummy screws and to just fill the holes in the aluminum block with playdoh. in my case everything was tight enough to allow me to do it this way. when you dry fit it all together, you will see. and get a picture, i havent seen pillars in an HS aluminum block stock. id like to know what your working with

 

[btrapr]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

<span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-weight: bold">I started using JB Weld and Hornady "One Shot" spray can case lube a my release agent! Heck a gunsmith friend of mine uses spray cooking oil for his release agent- its to messy for me</span></span>


Several guns later and not a one of them has stuck...EASIER to apply then the old paste wax method I quick using about 3 years ago

 

[NYresq]

Re: How much Marine-Tex do I need?

I had two extra stock bolts for my remington action. I ground down the heads to the same diameter as the bolt body and threaded them into the action. when I set it into the stock the bolts aligned the rotational axis to the stock and floorplate so there was no issues later on. if you dont get it right and its twisted slightly out of line when it sets up, you will never get the bolts threaded and could possibly cross thread them into the action. For the cost of two action bolts its worth it to make sure its straight the first time.