why round profile bedding pillars ??

M

mike in co

Guest
is it just cause we have lathes and thats what we turn out ??

cause its easier to make round holes to put them in ?

why not sq section stock and have three recoil lugs...kinda sorta .......
i only ask cause it would give more direct surface area( from whence the energy comes from), and my stock is glass and foam...easy enought to put square holes in.

inquiring minds want to know

mike in co
 
Mike,
The pillars have one function and that's it ! The pillars keep the action screws from crushing the stock. The recoil lug has to transfer ALL the rearward thrust to the stock. If you rely on the pillars to work as recoil lugs your gun will never shoot consistently and the bedding will quickly be destroyed by the action moving around in the bedding. You will probably also damage the threaded holes in the action.

I have heard that pillar bedding only became common after the introduction of foam filled fiberglass stocks. A typical hardwood stock really doesn't need pillars unless one of the action screw holes is placed too close to some part of the action that requires the bedding surface to be cut away.
 
Hi Mike,

While CRB is correct in stating the primary purpose of a bedding pillar is to prevent the collapse of the stock due to excessive/prolonged screw torque, there are/is another reason if the design is changed a bit.

1. To qualify a height so that the action sits in the stock at the precise height you want (typically half of its diameter)
2. To establish a predetermined film thickness of bedding compound between the action and the stock.

These are what the ones I make look like. A little overkill to some maybe but they sure work good and the cosmetic appearance afterward is pretty good IMHO.

Hope this helps.

C

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Finished product:

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This whole epoxy bedding thing is why I spent so much brain time on the Metal Mayhem design :)

All of my bedding projects have turned out well and the rifles shoot like they should but I do NOT enjoy the whole process. The last epoxy job I did was a quick and dirty 'spot bedding' on my Suhl. I only bedded the areas where the action screws are. I DID move the rear action screw forward so the hole in the stock is no longer in the trigger cut out. There is no glue in the middle of the bedding area between the action screws. IIRC it's free floated there and the tang is floating. Also, since it's a hard wood stock I didn't install pillars. The job was pretty simple and went real quick and no anxiety :) [ other than locating, drilling and tapping the 6x.75 hole in the action :eek: ].The thing shoots great.
 
Chad,

some of your pictures are huge... hard to find the subject matter...
 
Pillars have been around since the 1903 Springfield, they are meant to stop the wood from crushing. The M40A1 sniper rifles use pillars made out of bedding compound.
 
Chad,
It looks like you went back in an milled off the raised nubs so that the no part of the pillar touched the action directly in the finished bedding. Am I correct?
 
Boyd,

Yes and no. That last photo is on my heavy verminator prairie dog rifle (300-338 Lapua Magnum set up to shoot 125's at "ludicrous speed"- because I can. . .:D). When I built it I was still following Mike Allen's doctrine of not allowing the pillar to contact the receiver. I've since stopped doing it this way as I think they work better with metal contact. He was the boss at the time so I followed orders like a good little minion. Performance wise I've never seen a difference, but from a cosmetic and durability standpoint I think it's better to leave the ribs.
 
Qurestion for Chad. Wht do your pillars appear to be deeper inset in the stock than the bedding. I mean the pillars arent flush with the bedding. I cant see how this works, can you explain it as Im really interested in buying some from you.
 
Mikka,

Just buy a set. It'll make sense after you see them.
 
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