Bedding Method - Glass/Pillar Bed vs Bedding V-Block

[Quick]

Gents,

Just wondering what method most use? It would be for my trued 700 action. I have got a McM F-Class stock to use. I've been reading on accurate shooter about it and there seems to be mixed opinions. What's the experiences with the guys here?

[Matt P]

For a Rem 700, I would pillar bed, the reason the Barnard works so well in a vee block set up, is that it's ground after heat treating so it's round and true, unlike a Rem.
Regards
Matt P

[KHGS]

Matt is correct, properly installed contoured pillars are as good on a Remington as a V-Block is for a Barnard. But there are pillars & there are pillars, a large number of the pillars I see are useless.
Keith H.

[Quick]

Keith, what pillars should I use? How do you tell if they are the correct ones?

[KHGS]

The material used in the pillars may be stainless steel, aluminium or brass. The important thing is that the material is not compressible. The pillars should be at least 12mm in diameter & machined to the contour of the receiver. The pillars must bottom out against the trigger guard for the rear pillar, the front pillar must bottom out on the front take down screw washer. There must be no stock material between the screw heads & the pillars.
Keith H.

[Quick]

Keith,

Thanks for that. I think I may even have a set of pillars in my parts pile that would match your specs. Brad Y has been saying I should do a bedding block but I've been reading that you need to skim bed anyway and quite often they need to be milled to fit properly.

[Brad Y]

Have had no issues whatsoever with the whidden v block on my rem. As a 308 its shot possibles, as a 6 dasher I expect it to do the same. Do see Keith and Matts point though. The v block was just so easy to install and its served me well.

[Chopper]

I think a skim bedding material of at least 1mm or more is important between pillar and action to give suitable and a choice of tensions is important, metal to metal gives limited tension choice, equal tensions from front srew and tang will cause vertical , always less at the tang will solve that problem i have found, lets say 40 inch at the front and 35 at the tang, ?, try it i might be wrong , temperature on metal to metal will vary the ideal tensions during the heat of the day , check your tensions in summer from morning and afternoon and you may be suprised, many times i have seen shooters start like a house on fire and blow out in the afternoon , a simple re check of needed tensions may help finish the day off, many things can be blamed for accuracy going off during a hot day, but i dont hear talk of tensions, glue in is good , but i like to keep check of ideal tensions, just a thought , Chop.

[KHGS]

When using correctly made pillars, if screw tensions have to be different front to back, there is something wrong with the pillar installation. Bedding material between the pillars & the action defeats the purpose of pillars.
Screw tension when any metal to metal bedding is used i.e. pillars or V-Blocks should be in the order of 60 inch lbs. V-Blocks will work on Remington's in about 40% of the time. There MUST be NO movement of the tang when the tang screw is tensioned or loosened. If there is skim bedding must be employed in that area. In the case of pillar bedding the offending pillar must be reinstalled. I have yet to see factory installed pillars work!! There are two areas where V-Block bedding is usually suspect with Remington actions, the tang will usually always flex when the screw is tensioned & the recoil plate rarely bears evenly withe the block face, this will always cause flyers, usually away from the bearing point.
Keith H.

[Seddo]

I have neverr bedded a rifle so i cant comment on that.

All of the rifles i own that are pillar bedded or have alloy blocks are torqued to 65 inch pounds and i have never had any issues with excessive vertical at the distances i have shot them.

[macguru]

I am less than impressed with savage's recommendation to do the front 2 pillars to 40in-lbs and the back one to 25....

I have been running mine with the middle screw REMOVED and front & rear set to 50in-lbs. I agree that bigger pillars and a skim of bedding material would be nice but heck its working well for me that way i have it now.

I just think savage's use of 3 pillars is a bit unfortunate...

[johnk]

Interesting. 40, 40, 20-25 was how I used to run my 3 screw Omarks.

[KHGS]

Not on contoured metal pillars though John!! You would have been using epoxy & wood, different ball game.
Keith H.