Pillar Bedding - Why?

What benefit does pillar bedding provide over just bedding the action?

Is pillar bedding done before action bedding or are they done together?

In other words, I do not see the benefit of pillar bedding when the action is bedded.

Jim

Friend jhegg

jhegg said:

What benefit does pillar bedding provide over just bedding the action?

Is pillar bedding done before action bedding or are they done together?

In other words, I do not see the benefit of pillar bedding when the action is bedded.

Jim

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Friend jhegg:

Why?

Your friend, Bill Calfee

Friend Bill,

This may not have been the best place to ask this questio0n, but I think it is the best place to get an answer.

Consider that I don't have a "killer" gun. I have a CZ 452 Milirary Trainer that will average in the 0.40's for a five shot group for all ammo types. I can send you an Excel file of those results if you wish. Better quality ammo may get me down to the 0.30 range.

I just purchsed a Boyd's stock for this firearm and I am wondering if I should pillar bed it first or just action bed it. A simple question tha may not have a simple answer .

Jim

Friend jhegg

jhegg said:

Friend Bill,

This may not have been the best place to ask this questio0n, but I think it is the best place to get an answer.

Consider that I don't have a "killer" gun. I have a CZ 452 Milirary Trainer that will average in the 0.40's for a five shot group for all ammo types. I can send you an Excel file of those results if you wish. Better quality ammo may get me down to the 0.30 range.

I just purchsed a Boyd's stock for this firearm and I am wondering if I should pillar bed it first or just action bed it. A simple question tha may not have a simple answer .

Jim

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Friend jhegg:

I'm not a bedding expert.......

But, I believe that pillar bedding is overrated....................

I have seen dozens of pillar bedding jobs, including some of mine, where the action only made contact right around the area of the pillars after some days, weeks or months of curing time...........

BLACK DEATH, one of the baddest RFBR guns on Earth, is in an old Lee Six stock that was just skim coated over the chalk fill in the bedding area......no pillars.

And it has never had a bedding issue.....and even today, I bet if you put marking compound on the bedding, you would find that is still has probably 90%, or better, full contact with the action............

But, I am not a bedding expert.......

Hopefully someone who is a successful bedder in big time RFBR will respond to your inquiry.

Your friend, Bill Calfee

Additional

Bill Calfee said:

Friend jhegg:

I'm not a bedding expert.......

But, I believe that pillar bedding is overrated....................

I have seen dozens of pillar bedding jobs, including some of mine, where the action only made contact right around the area of the pillars after some days, weeks or months of curing time...........

BLACK DEATH, one of the baddest RFBR guns on Earth, is in an old Lee Six stock that was just skim coated over the chalk fill in the bedding area......no pillars.

And it has never had a bedding issue.....and even today, I bet if you put marking compound on the bedding, you would find that is still has probably 90%, or better, full contact with the action............

But, I am not a bedding expert.......

Hopefully someone who is a successful bedder in big time RFBR will respond to your inquiry.

Your friend, Bill Calfee

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Additional:

Bedding a RFBR gun is a most interesting topic.

The subject brings up a lot of questions, and observations, from years of looking at bedding.

The first question has to be this: If traditional bedding can be an issue, which it is a big issue from years of observation, why not glue?

What percentage of RFBR guns have some degree of accuracy issues because of bedding? In my opinion, a large percentage.

Then is it time to glue?

I don't know.

To pillar bed or not?

Pillar bedding has positive screw alignment possibility.............if done correctly.......

It is easy to hog out stock material, properly attach pillars to the action, then glue the works in.......

But, most pillars are metal........and metal has a different expansion rate than epoxy.

So, leave a gap between the action and pillar.................this should allow a skim bed to keep from shrinking, more, away from the pillars, shouldn't it? In my opinion, no, it don't really solve the issue.

So do we start gluing?

Right now I'm doing my first, Dan Killough, full fill, straight line stock.........is does not use pillars in the bedding........

For all practical purposes, it is bedded in the exact same manor as BLACK DEATH.........skim coated right over the fill material.

So, I'm about ready to learn something, hopefully.......

So why not glue?

Here's my personal answer: Because it is a big time hassle. Provision must be made for removal of the bolt stop retaining pin, the loading platform retaining bolt and removal of the trigger...........

Plus the fact, in my opinion, that bolted in bedding, can, produce the ultimate accuracy requirement of bedding, IF DONE CORRECTLY.

Your friend, Bill Calfee

Friend wsmallwood

wsmallwood said:

Aren't the pillars there to support the stock against the torque of the action screws to prevent crushing or deformation? I would say that some stocks still need such treatment, but I doubt that a solid fill stock would need it.

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Friend wsmallwood:

Yes, I agree.......

Pillar bedding is really an easy way to get perfect alignment of the screws, if done right..........

But that shrinkage issue when pillars are used is still a problem......

You would think that skim coating would solve the issue..........

But, it's kinda like the half-life of radioactive elements........there is always a slight difference in shrinkage where the pillars are, verses the balance of the bedding............that difference keeps getting smaller and smaller every time you skim coat, but there is always still a slight difference....

Your friend, Bill Calfee