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It's bed time for my 1903.

478 views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  slayer 
#1 ·
ok folks, since I got the sporter stock from Firpo and fired the rifle about 100 rounds I've decided to give it some love. The stock doesn't fit as good as I'd like. I had to shim the floor plate about 1/8" to clear trigger. And the action is not sitting exactly right, not even close.

I've decided it's time to do a bedding job. I'm not sure how to go about this. I know the wood needs trimming on the sides in a few places. The front and back corners of action and right side of barrel need some room. Maybe even the barrel channel just to make sure. This part is somewhat obvious as to how and what to do. My question is how much wood should I remove under action before bedding.

Remember I had to shim the floor plate? How should I address that? Bed action first then go after floor plate bedding?

What about pillar work? Is that really necessary for a hunting rifle with 99 years experience? This thing doesn't have a recoil lug. It's a .30-06, not exactly a light recoil like 223 but not a shoulder relocator like a belted magnum either.

What about kits? I see Brownell's has a few options. The most touted is Acraglass. I plan to have my grandchildren hunt with this rifle so long life is rather important. It may sound like a bad idea but I want to do this myself. I promise to stay away from the dishwasher

And you just know it's getting some trigger work. I doubt that has any impact on this but I figured I better mention it
 
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#2 ·
I use JB Weld to bed mine.
I’m not all that familiar with the ‘03 action but, since they copied the 98 Mauser, the recoil lug should be where the front action screw goes.

Since you had to shim the floor plate, I wouldn’t remove any material from under the action. The action seems that it actually needs lifted. With the rear action screw being in the back of the tang that could be tricky. If I want to lift a savage action I’ll put extra tape on the barrel and then however many layers of tape under the tang. That’s not really an option in your case though.
If the trigger is hitting the guard because the floor plate sits too deeply in the stock then carefully bedding it will put it where it needs to be. You just have to be careful so that you still have enough threads to hold the action in securely.
 
#4 ·
Yes, do the barreled action first. Don’t use the action screws to sink the action in. You can either buy locator bolts made for bedding a 1903 or buy long bolts at the hardware store of the same tpi. Cut the heads off, screw them into the action and slip the barreled action in. Once dropped into the stock wrap black electrical tape around the the action and stock to keep it from moving.
I use neutral kiwi shoe polish as a release agent. Put a good coat on the locator bolts and the action. Any recesses in the action and stock can be filled with play-doh to keep the bedding material out of those areas.
When I use JB Weld, I drill some small, shallow holes so it has something to grip onto.
Yes, put tape anywhere you don’t want the bedding material.
If you use JB Weld let it set up for 24 hours before touching it. Once 24 hours is up, remove the tape, hold the stock and smack the barrel towards the barrel channel with your hand to break the seal..........remove your locator bolts first.
 
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