What does it mean when they say the barrel is glass bedded? Does that mean that there is some type of bedding done to the reciever/barrel and stock? Thanks.

What does it mean when they say the barrel is glass bedded? Does that mean that there is some type of bedding done to the reciever/barrel and stock? Thanks.


Yep.

Normally the action is glass bedded to the stock (with arelease agent in place so you can take it apart) and the barrel free floated (it doesn't touch the inside of the fore end at all) but some rifles are also bedded between the fore end and the barrel (sometimes called "full bedding" or "bedded barrel").

Stuff used often refered to as "glass"...an epoxy miture with fiberglass flecks in it (sometimes folks use the same stuff with steel bits in it).

Glassbedding is a method of making the barreled action a cast in fit to the stock. As ribbonstone said some bedding materials use fibreglass.

Usually whatever is used is a filler in an epoxy medium. The simplest is just bedding in the recoil lug. Most gunsmiths and do-it-yourself folks bed the action, recoil lug and floorplate to the stock. As ribbonstone said you use a release agent on the metal parts and the epoxy sticks to the wood permently.

A further step is bedding in steel or aluminum tubing on the action screws so when the floor plate is tightened to the action the action screws tighten the floor plate to the steel tubes instead of the stock.

Glassbedding ,done correctly, almost always results in a 10 to 15% accuracy increase. Good glassbed materials such as Brownell's glassbed have three time the tensil strength of steel. when done right the action is now a cast in fit to the stock resulting in far better and stronger bedding than can be accomplished with a wood to metal fit.

There are several good articles in Brownell's tech section on their web site on how to do a bedding job with epoxy materials.

Glassbedding can be done to most wood stocks and to some plastic stocks. Some plastic stocks cannot be glassbedded. If you have a plastic stock that has large holes cast under the barrel it probably cannot be glassbedded.

So if my rifle was free-floated glass bedding wouldnt be a necessaty, but if I'm looking for more accuracy I should maybe see a gunsmith?

Will glass bedding prevent me from seperating the stock from the barrel?

Will my barrel still be free floated after bedding the rifle?

How much would it cost for this process to be done at the gun shop if I had no materials?

you can glass bed and either free float the barrel or not. free floating may or may not give better accuracy than some contact in the barrel channel. you can still remove your action (if done with release agent. highly reccomended :D )
dunno about about the cost, i do my own bedding.
the general rule is bull barrels like to be floated and sporter weight like a little pressure at the end of the barrel channel. this is not a hard and fast rule, but despite the hype, free floating is not always best.

monty

If you've not glassbedded a rifle before I would take it to a gunsmith. Costs can run from 50 to 125 dollars depending upon the rifle. On most wood stocked rifles glassbedding will improve accuracy. Brownell's glasbed kits cost around $15-20. You will need a dremel moto-tool and around 8-12 hours time for a first timer. Brownell's has instructions in their tech section.

Your barrel is free floated if you can run a dollar bill between the stock and the barrel, it should go down to about three inches or so from the action.

If your rifle is accurate now ( one inch groups or better at a hundred yards ) it may not improve much by glassbedding.

Normally only the action, recoil lug and floorplate are bedded with the epoxy mix. A release agen is applied to all metal parts so then can be taken out of the stock. Modeling clay is often used to fill the holes where the magazine and trigger would normally go. These parts are removed prior to bedding.

If you do not get enough release agent on or not on the right parts or get a part of the action locked to the stock, as in the bedding epoxy flowing into a place where it will not release often the only way to get the action and stock seperated is with an axe.

Sometimes jobs should be left to professionals.

I haven't done the 100 yard range but at 50 yards I can do .54" five shot groups with the preferred load. My biggest group was 1.4" with the heavy grain loads and without much effort or time on hand. I am sure that if I had the scope I desired I can do better groups, probably not by much though, and if (after knowledging about this) my rifle was glass bedded I am sure I can do under 1.5 at the 100 yard range. I'll probably visit the gunsmith at Gander Mtn. sometimes this weekend and talk to him about this too. Thanks for everything ^_^

Glass-bedding is a broad term that means you have added epoxy ("fiberglass") somewhere between the barreled action and the stock. There are different places to add it, and it has nothing to do with whether the barel is free-floated.

You want consistency for each shot. At it simplest, you add epoxy to the recoil lug slot only to ensure the lug fits the same way each time the rifle is fired. This is usually a good idea.

You can, but do not have to, free float the barrel in conjunction with this, as the two subjects are separate. My Ruger M77 is not free floated, for instance. I added epoxy to the last inch of the forearm instead of free floating (which means the barerl doesn't touch the stock much forward of the receiver). It works fine - some rifles like it, probably more prefer free floating - but you won't know which is which until you try.

Most receivers profit from a judiciously placed dab of epoxy at the rear of the lug slot. It's easy to learn, but practice on something that won't cause a heart attack if you mess it up the first time. There are things to learn - such as using lots of release agent, loosening the screws while hardening, preventing epoxy slop, ensuring the barrel sits in the middle of the barrel channel, and more.

Jaywalker

Thanks for everything guys, but I have some more questions about bedding.

Is glass bedding somehow similar to full bedding, pillar bedding, and any other types bedding methods out there?

Is glass bedding somehow similar to full bedding, pillar bedding, and any other types bedding methods out there?
Glass-bedding is a broad term that means you have added epoxy ("fiberglass") somewhere between the barreled action and the stock. There are different places to add it, So, yes.

Jaywalker

I have not myself done any bedding of the lug or floor plate etc.. but my question is on something of the use of Marine-Tex instead of the general brands of epoxy for bedding. Understand somehow this is easier and last just as long. Can this be used and is hardy as epoxy?

This is primarily a test on uploading pics. I deleted the M77 bedding post as pics were slightly too wide. Bear with me; I'm trying another one just to see what happens and if I can show 6 pics.

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/2886/m70001b3fj.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/27/m70001c9yu.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/2243/m70002c9to.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/7281/m70003c7mq.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/5944/m70004c3gg.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/5772/m70005c8cc.jpg

I'm gettin some vertical "strings" shots after I tweaked loads using the tsx 180 on this rifle(.30-338)Being a FN 98(seems they need the attention) I am sure it has something to do with a lack of bedding or contact points somewhere in line. The "generic" stock from Sears could very well be my practice and it may turn out alright if I study what I need to do as I go along with home improvements. Any real good start off references(books) or do I do this blind? just jokin. That JB weld epoxyI use quite often in the nut and bolt field ,am familiar with its set time. EDip that was good pics. appreciate you're effort.

Good pics. Thanks for photos!