I have a aac-Sd in a mcm a5 for a rem 700 bdl sa. Is it necessary to send the stock off for bedding, or will it shoot fine the way it sits? I'm nor wanting to spend the money on a bedding job unless I really have to.
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mcmillan a5 bedding necessary?
- Thread starter Truth223
- Start date
If your looking to save money try it without at first, it will probably yield the results you desire. Bedding may tighten the groups up more and if the gun was already at a gunsmith I'd say get it done while it's there. But since you have the ability to test it first then I say hold off until you've tested it out without.
The stock you have is designed to have the rifle bedded in it, but proof is in performance. If it shoots good enough without bedding then you have your answer.
Do you have aluminum pillars in the stock? If yes, you might get away without bedding. If no then it should definitely have pillars installed, and if installing pillars might as well fully bed the action. It really isn't difficult if you are at all handy, and materials are less than 50 bucks. I bedded my AAC in a manners stock myself with guidance from the thread in the gunsmithing forum.
You need to bed it to prevent unnecessary wear to the stock, and most of all keep consistency in the rifles performance. Yes, you can also shoot it as is, but it is designed with bedding in mind. Follow the bedding instruction in the gunsmithing section as already noted above, and you should be fine. If you think it's too nerve racking, then let a pro do it for about $200.00. Either way, you will be happy you chose to do it. Best of luck.
Truth, Please go to our web-site at www.mcmillanusa.com and click on the "STOCKS" section. Now click on "FAQ" at the bottom of the left hand menu for some useful information about our stocks. Particulary read #14. All our bolt gun stocks are inletted to factory "drop-in" inletting spec's and can just be bolted together and shot and should work just fine. They are not "designed to be bedded", this is just an option you have that may or may not improve the accuracy potential of the rifle. Only our stocks for the M1A and M14 rifles "must" be bedded before use.
P.S. NOTE: Bedding and pillars have nothing to do with each other. Pillars are put into a stock for one reason only and that is to provide a constant solid spacing between the action and the floorplate. This prevents excessive guard screw tension from compressing a solt filled synthetic or wood stock or from a wood stock shrinking and expanding with humidity changes in the air causing the guard screws to become loose. Again, this is their only function and have been used for this purpose for about 120 years or so since Paul Mauser started putting one around the rear screw in his early Mauser design rifles in the 1890's.
Now, as for bedding. All manufactured items are made to a set of tolerances. As long as all the parts are made within the design tolerance range everything goes together and works just fine. But, if you take say 6 or 10 seeming identical production actions such as a Remington, Savage, Winchester, etc and go over them carefully with a set of dial calibers you will find small differences. .001" here, .002" there, .005" somewhere else. This is all due to tool wear, different set-ups, minor dimensional changes during heat treating, polish before bluing, etc. and is quite normal and within spec's. Same applies to stocks, wheather they be wood, synthetic, aluminum, etc., and to scope bases, scope rings, barrels, and all other manufactured items. As long as they are in the design tolerance range they work just fine.
Glass bedding a particular action to a particular stock with an epoxy based bedding compound and under no strain ( no tight guard screws) will reduce the tolerance range between that particular action with it's own unique set of tolerances to that particular stock with it's own set of tolerances to essentially "zero". This may or may not affect the accuracy potential of that rifle. There is no such thing as "pre-bedding" as bedding must be done with a action that is goiing into the stock. Also, aluminum chassis or the miss-named "bedding blocks" are made to the their own set of tolerances and may not fit a particular actions unique dimensions any better that any other stock of any material, and have nothing to do with glass bedding. Custom actions are normally made to somewhat smaller tolerances than mass production actions, or are heat treated prior to final machining. Hence the somewhat higher pricing as it involved more frequent tool changes, slower machining rates and more "polish to fit" operations.
Also, very few standard production rifles have the barrel "exactly" in a true line with the outside of a receiver. This is normal and within tolerances. The outside of the action is what centers the rifle in the stock. If the barrel is a bit off in the barrel channel ( right, left, up, down, etc) the action can be shifted slightly in the stock to center the barrel in the barrel channel and bedded into that position to keep the barrel centered in the stock, mostly for looks as long as it is not touching one side.
However, back to the subject: bedding and pillars have nothing to do with each other. You can put pillars in a stock without bedding it, and you can bed an action to a stock with putting pillars in it. I just get a bit frustrated with the constant question " are your stocks pillar bedded". Be aware that all of the above is just my humble but somewhat learned opinion and is open to and subject to other opinions and view-points. Your mileage may vary!
Now, as for bedding. All manufactured items are made to a set of tolerances. As long as all the parts are made within the design tolerance range everything goes together and works just fine. But, if you take say 6 or 10 seeming identical production actions such as a Remington, Savage, Winchester, etc and go over them carefully with a set of dial calibers you will find small differences. .001" here, .002" there, .005" somewhere else. This is all due to tool wear, different set-ups, minor dimensional changes during heat treating, polish before bluing, etc. and is quite normal and within spec's. Same applies to stocks, wheather they be wood, synthetic, aluminum, etc., and to scope bases, scope rings, barrels, and all other manufactured items. As long as they are in the design tolerance range they work just fine.
Glass bedding a particular action to a particular stock with an epoxy based bedding compound and under no strain ( no tight guard screws) will reduce the tolerance range between that particular action with it's own unique set of tolerances to that particular stock with it's own set of tolerances to essentially "zero". This may or may not affect the accuracy potential of that rifle. There is no such thing as "pre-bedding" as bedding must be done with a action that is goiing into the stock. Also, aluminum chassis or the miss-named "bedding blocks" are made to the their own set of tolerances and may not fit a particular actions unique dimensions any better that any other stock of any material, and have nothing to do with glass bedding. Custom actions are normally made to somewhat smaller tolerances than mass production actions, or are heat treated prior to final machining. Hence the somewhat higher pricing as it involved more frequent tool changes, slower machining rates and more "polish to fit" operations.
Also, very few standard production rifles have the barrel "exactly" in a true line with the outside of a receiver. This is normal and within tolerances. The outside of the action is what centers the rifle in the stock. If the barrel is a bit off in the barrel channel ( right, left, up, down, etc) the action can be shifted slightly in the stock to center the barrel in the barrel channel and bedded into that position to keep the barrel centered in the stock, mostly for looks as long as it is not touching one side.
However, back to the subject: bedding and pillars have nothing to do with each other. You can put pillars in a stock without bedding it, and you can bed an action to a stock with putting pillars in it. I just get a bit frustrated with the constant question " are your stocks pillar bedded". Be aware that all of the above is just my humble but somewhat learned opinion and is open to and subject to other opinions and view-points. Your mileage may vary!
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So somebody from McMillan Stocks comes and says they are not designed to be bedded but everyone else says to bed.....
Bedding Is Like a shock buffer for a semi auto. No its not required... But why the hell not?? Its just a good, smart thing to have...
Bed it and be done. Its not a big deal to do yourself. Just be carefull on making sure you have RELEASE AGENT ON EVERY little corner and spot. EVERYWHERE!!! I saw a guy permanently install a action to his stock at school!
Dont be that guy. Other than that, bedding aint that hard.
Bed it and be done. Its not a big deal to do yourself. Just be carefull on making sure you have RELEASE AGENT ON EVERY little corner and spot. EVERYWHERE!!! I saw a guy permanently install a action to his stock at school!
Dont be that guy. Other than that, bedding aint that hard.
So somebody from McMillan Stocks comes and says they are not designed to be bedded but everyone else says to bed.....
lol welcome to the internet. If it ever warms up a little il take this rig to the range and see how well it shoots as is.
Ok, let me revise that statement to say "they are not designed to require them to be bedded, that is just one of the options you have". Would everyone be happy with that?
P.S. NOTE: Bedding and pillars have nothing to do with each other. Pillars are put into a stock for one reason only and that is to provide a constant solid spacing between the action and the floorplate. This prevents excessive guard screw tension from compressing a solt filled synthetic or wood stock or from a wood stock shrinking and expanding with humidity changes in the air causing the guard screws to become loose. Again, this is their only function and have been used for this purpose for about 120 years or so since Paul Mauser started putting one around the rear screw in his early Mauser design rifles in the 1890's.
Now, as for bedding. All manufactured items are made to a set of tolerances. As long as all the parts are made within the design tolerance range everything goes together and works just fine. But, if you take say 6 or 10 seeming identical production actions such as a Remington, Savage, Winchester, etc and go over them carefully with a set of dial calibers you will find small differences. .001" here, .002" there, .005" somewhere else. This is all due to tool wear, different set-ups, minor dimensional changes during heat treating, polish before bluing, etc. and is quite normal and within spec's. Same applies to stocks, wheather they be wood, synthetic, aluminum, etc., and to scope bases, scope rings, barrels, and all other manufactured items. As long as they are in the design tolerance range they work just fine.
Glass bedding a particular action to a particular stock with an epoxy based bedding compound and under no strain ( no tight guard screws) will reduce the tolerance range between that particular action with it's own unique set of tolerances to that particular stock with it's own set of tolerances to essentially "zero". This may or may not affect the accuracy potential of that rifle. There is no such thing as "pre-bedding" as bedding must be done with a action that is goiing into the stock. Also, aluminum chassis or the miss-named "bedding blocks" are made to the their own set of tolerances and may not fit a particular actions unique dimensions any better that any other stock of any material, and have nothing to do with glass bedding. Custom actions are normally made to somewhat smaller tolerances than mass production actions, or are heat treated prior to final machining. Hence the somewhat higher pricing as it involved more frequent tool changes, slower machining rates and more "polish to fit" operations.
Also, very few standard production rifles have the barrel "exactly" in a true line with the outside of a receiver. This is normal and within tolerances. The outside of the action is what centers the rifle in the stock. If the barrel is a bit off in the barrel channel ( right, left, up, down, etc) the action can be shifted slightly in the stock to center the barrel in the barrel channel and bedded into that position to keep the barrel centered in the stock, mostly for looks as long as it is not touching one side.
However, back to the subject: bedding and pillars have nothing to do with each other. You can put pillars in a stock without bedding it, and you can bed an action to a stock with putting pillars in it. I just get a bit frustrated with the constant question " are your stocks pillar bedded". Be aware that all of the above is just my humble but somewhat learned opinion and is open to and subject to other opinions and view-points. Your mileage may vary!
Just curious, are your rifles bedded?
Shoot it without and see what you think. If you want to bed it there's really nothing too it and can be done easily at home.
Of course all my personal rifles are bedded in the stock. When you figure the cost of putting together a good custom precision rifle ( $2000 to $4000) the cost in time or money to have the action bedded to the stock is insignificant. I'm not saying bedding shouldn't be done, it's really the finishing touch to a high end custom rifle. The point I am trying to make is that the B.S. that you see on many web forums that "McMillan stocks "must" be bedded" is just that, B.S. It's just one of the many options you have on putting together a precision rifle.
To expand on this point a bit more, even all my wood stocked rifles and shotguns are bedded to the receiver, even my somewhat pricy little Baretta 3-barrel skeet set. Even Baretta has tolerances and since the recoil from the .410 barrels can be brutal I didn't want a high spot to cause a crack in the tang of the buttstock. Replacing a set of wood on a good quality O/U shotgun can be expensive.
I didn't want a high spot to cause a crack in the tang of the buttstock. Replacing a set of wood on a good quality O/U shotgun can be expensive.Stumbled on this when looking into bedding my A4 stock.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/should-i-bed-mcmillan-fiberglass-stock-37638/#post601345
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/should-i-bed-mcmillan-fiberglass-stock-37638/#post601345
I'd just like to thank everyone on this thread for all the Q&A's. I am currently having Robert at RWS start on a build and the whole pillar/glass bedding thing was nagging me. Dick's answer summed it all up and made the decision cake. Putting pillars in and bedding.
Thanks!
Kevin
Thanks!
Kevin
