I don't always contribute to the gunsmith forum, but when I do I hope to maybe help someone through my mistakes. Had an action rotate in the bedding and had to hog it all out and start from scratch. Also, don't rush to get to your company coming over and try to clean up the bedding and eyeball the alignment. It just doesn't work!
If you don't have flat bases and a level to help alignment:
1) you will need a mill, ideally, but you could probably lay out and grind/belt sand (carefully) this tool just as well.
2) round bar or square/hex stock 5/8" diameter by about 3" long and should be a slip fit into the trigger inlet of the stock (which is usually 5/8" ish) file the edges of the cut end of the round bar so that it doesn't grab the sides of the inlet (it will make sense in a minute)
3) I have the luxury of a mill so I cut flats on either side of the round bar, about 1/2" in length (you want to make sure you get as much contact with the trigger recess as possible to aid in alignment). Cut the distance between the flats to the same width as the trigger recess in the action - slip fit is needed so some test fitting with the piece in the mill might be necessary.
Once you have your prep done and masking off all the things you need to mask off:
4) SILLY PUTTY is your friend - I pack the trigger recess with silly putty and put the tool right in the middle thus being held in place by the putty (my tool is made of aluminum). Tool tracks along the side of the trigger inlet when you are putting the action into the bedding just like a pillar would. It is very close if not dead on when you do it right (mine actually came out right the first time! Not usually the case).
Hope this helps someone sometime as so many of the posts on this forum have helped me e.g. the silly putty, electrical tape on the barrel for alignment, what epoxy to use, and how to get an action out of a stock when it is glued in.
Mike
If you don't have flat bases and a level to help alignment:
1) you will need a mill, ideally, but you could probably lay out and grind/belt sand (carefully) this tool just as well.
2) round bar or square/hex stock 5/8" diameter by about 3" long and should be a slip fit into the trigger inlet of the stock (which is usually 5/8" ish) file the edges of the cut end of the round bar so that it doesn't grab the sides of the inlet (it will make sense in a minute)
3) I have the luxury of a mill so I cut flats on either side of the round bar, about 1/2" in length (you want to make sure you get as much contact with the trigger recess as possible to aid in alignment). Cut the distance between the flats to the same width as the trigger recess in the action - slip fit is needed so some test fitting with the piece in the mill might be necessary.
Once you have your prep done and masking off all the things you need to mask off:
4) SILLY PUTTY is your friend - I pack the trigger recess with silly putty and put the tool right in the middle thus being held in place by the putty (my tool is made of aluminum). Tool tracks along the side of the trigger inlet when you are putting the action into the bedding just like a pillar would. It is very close if not dead on when you do it right (mine actually came out right the first time! Not usually the case).
Hope this helps someone sometime as so many of the posts on this forum have helped me e.g. the silly putty, electrical tape on the barrel for alignment, what epoxy to use, and how to get an action out of a stock when it is glued in.
Mike