USRAC, Model 70 Glass Bedding

[Oldtrader3]

I finally dug out the hot melt goop that USRAC used to refer to as bedding. I rebedded my Model 70, .30-06 recoil lug properly with glass and it came out very neat and tidy. I used a new product (for me) called Pro Bed 2000. The product is much more viscous then most other bedding compounds which I have used. This feature for me, makes a neat job with little runover and no fuss. I also prescruffed the action area surfaces with a Dremel tool bit before I put in the epoxy bedding. It stuck to the stock just as it is supposed to and should be permanently installed.

This epoxy set up pretty hard in the gun safe in about 8 hours and I have already removed the barrelled action from the stock and put the stock back into the warm (100* F) safe to set up hard overnight. I trimmed a couple edges with the Exacto knife. Then removed the wax that they use for a release agent on the metal parts and reoiled the action ring. Tomorrow evening the stuff should be pretty hard from curing and I will put the stock back on and tighten the screws again. The rifle should be good to go. I also Dremelled the front barrel groove of the stock to assure that it is free floating. The rifle should be good to go when it cures out hard tomorrow.

This was a test project for this Pro Bed 2000 epoxy before I bed my Weatherby Mark V, .340. The epoxy land that Weatherby bedded into the .340 Bee stock on the sides of the action ring in order to free float the barrel is already falling apart. My project for tomorrow is to rebed that Mark V action lug fully and make sure that the barrel is actually free floating as it is supposed to be. I have been waiting for a couple months for my garage to get warm enough to do this job in one day. Finally, it is 70* F in the garage for epoxy setup and I was able to bed the one action and will do the other probably tomorrow or Monday.

 

[DrMike]

Sounds like a fine job. I have an idea your accuracy will improve with that effort. Did you perchance take any photos?

 

[Oldtrader3]

Dr. Mike, I do not have before pictures on the Model 70 but will take some after pictures tomorrow and will do before and after on the Mark V stock. The bedding is easy to see, it is brown in a black stock. I have a macro lens and will get some pictures. Most people know what the standard USRAC hot melt glue looks like anyhow.

 

[BK]

That .340 should be a pretty good test of the durability of the Pro Bed!

 

[SJB358]

Dr. Mike, I do not have before pictures on the Model 70 but will take some after pictures tomorrow and will do before and after on the Mark V stock. The bedding is easy to see, it is brown in a black stock. I have a macro lens and will get some pictures. Most people know what the standard USRAC hot melt glue looks like anyhow.

Charlie, I have to do the same exact thing to my M70 Sporter 264WM I believe. It still has that awful hot glue in there. Right now, I have put some credit card shims in there in order to see how it shoots with the barrel floated. Assuming it shoots consistently better, which I think it will, I am going to do the same thing and bed it and make sure the barrel channel is opened up properly.

Also, did you do anything with the tang? Or did you just bed the recoil lug? Just wondering if there is any real benefit to messing with the tang? Also, did you use Tru-Oil or something like that in order to reseal the wood? Scotty

 

[Oldtrader3]

Scotty, the tang on the Model 70 rear screw tang has a very wide bearing surface under it (post-war models), unlike the Mauser design. Usually I do not mess with it for that reason. I will have a picture of what I did later on, but basically I just bedded around the recoil lug and under the action flat just behind the lug because the surfaces are not normal (parallel) to each other.

I also bedded the lug on the Mark V Weatherby this morning and it is a much more complicated job. Thank God for Dremel tools, at least I can clean up the overrun mess later. The Weatherby front action screw goes right through the middle of the recoil lug and there is no way to keep from injecting epoxy deep into the action screw hole. I gloped release agent wax on the screw in copious amounts, plus on the both action and the floorplate. I just hope that it comes apart again tomorrow morning. We will find out tomorrow and I have a bigger hammer if I need it to separate them by force. The Weatheby Tupperware stock is not any better quality than the USRAC stock. Even if I have to take a hacksaw to it to get it apart, it is no great loss as far as the stock goes.

Stay tuned for more drama tomorrow. Getting the Weatherby to free float on the sides of the barrel is impossible with this stock, being made out of basically regrind cat box nuggets and cheap Polyethylene.

 

[SJB358]

Thanks for the heads up Charlie. I will probably dive into the 264WM shortly. I may just leave the tang alone on the M70 then. I see what you are talking about.

Those plastic stocks are something else. They really were able to charge us alot of money for a stock that is just garbage. Scotty

 

[Oldtrader3]

Here are pics of the Mark V before bedding, you can see that the factory epoxy bedding land on the stock has fallen apart.

The second picture is the USRAC stock after bedding. I only bedded the recoil lug, under the barrel in front of the lug and the area behind the lug that was not flat to begin with.

 

[tddeangelo]

Boy, do I know that stock well!

Your suggestion of an acetone wash and surface scarring worked like a charm to bond the acra-glass I used.

 

[Oldtrader3]

The Mark V stock would not hold bedding despite acetone and scarring the surfaces. It pulled right out. Too thin to hold.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Solved the issue with the Tupperware stock on the Mark V. I found a like-new #2 barrel contour, Claro Walnut, Eurosport Weatherby stock and replaced the plastic with it. Classed the rifle right up. It does not have to be an ugly duckling anymore.

 

[SJB358]

Solved the issue with the Tupperware stock on the Mark V. I found a like-new #2 barrel contour, Claro Walnut, Eurosport Weatherby stock and replaced the plastic with it. Classed the rifle right up. It does not have to be an ugly duckling anymore.

Wow, you done good Charlie! That is very nice. Can't wait to see what it looks like all mounted up! Scotty

 

[DrMike]

Now, there's a handsome stock.

 

[6mm Remington]

Much much nicer! Good job.

 

[btoeps74]

Would it really cost a manufacturer that much more to properly bed the action the right way instead of using that chinsey hot glue? How hard is it to get all the old bedding free from the stock?

 

[Oldtrader3]

The Winchester hot melt glue is easily removed with a pair of needlenosed pliers. At least it has been that way with the 3-4 stocks that I have removed the glue from.

Fortunately, the Euromark stock works really well and fits perfectly. It also has lines and substantive quality that I can enjoy and actually like the lines of, plus having the benefit of an oil finish that will not chip off like hard PU. I was so discouraged by the poor quality of the Fibermark stock that I seriously considered selling the rifle to get rid of this junk stock because it is actually worse quality than the USRAC stock which I did not believe that was humanly possible, let alone reasonable from a company with Weatherby's reputation.

I guess all of the money goes into building the Mark V barreled action and the last $15 is spent on the stock. That Fibermark stock is truly a triumph of Marketing over substance. I wanted a .340 Mag and thank goodness that I found this Euromark stock and will now keep the rifle, shoot it and enjoy it for the well engineered barreled action that it is. I will post pictures of the gun soon.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Here are pics of the Mark V with the Eurosport wooden stock. It certainly looks nicer than the Fibermark and fits better too.

 

[SJB358]

Charlie, now that sir, looks great. Can't say how much better that looks than the other stock. That is really nice! Man, what an upgrade. That wood just looks excellent. Scotty

 

[BK]

I have to concur. Big improvement.

 

[DrMike]

A nice piece of wood does make a rifle look sharp. Having said that, why do I want to listen to a song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_EFdod4YDo).