Full length bedding

[Chris In SE PA]

I have a 13/16 barrel and a stock that's already got a 7/8 barrel channel.

I was hoping that gap wouldn't be noticable. It is. So, has anyone ever bedded a full length barrel with accraglass?

 

[billraby]

I doubt you would get the barrel out without breaking the fore end. Just fill the gap with thin strips of wood.

 

[garypl]

I built my full stock rifle 40 years ago and used Acgraglass to bed the 40” barrel. Worked great, sealed the wood nicely, and have never had any problems removing the barrel from the stock. I probably have only removed the barrel a handful of times since I built it.

 

[FishDFly]

I doubt you would get the barrel out without breaking the fore end. Just fill the gap with thin strips of wood.

Have bedded 3 and the barrels come out with no problems, follow the instructions.

 

[oldwood]

If you have no "thin strips of wood" , ya can use popcicle sticks, or tongue blades from the hobby store or drug store. Cheap epoxie glue will work best instead of water based wood glue. Wrap the barrel in a single layer of grocery bag and when the glue drys , the barrel will pop out of the new 13/16" barrel channel. I've done this bunches of times , with best success. A m/l barrel with some clearance to move in the barrel channel will be as accurate as it gets. Don't forget to elongate the pin holes in the barrel pinning lugs. A barrel needs to move when fired , and as the wood fore end expands and contracts w/the temperature changes.........oldwood

 

[tenngun]

Model expo is a supply house for ship model builders. They offer thin strips of wood to be the planks for a model.
Walnut, cherry, and bass a yellow African wood Ive not-ever worked with. Strips go down as thin as .5mm up to 2mm thick and 2-8 mm wide
Most are abort 20” long, but are perfect for a fill… or a ship build

 

[Vaino]

Met 2 guys in West Bend at a gunshop and they were discussing how they always make the bbl channel quite a bit oversize and then put a lot of epoxy in the channel and press the waxed bbl in. The result is that the top of the forestock is epoxy and didn't color match very well. Turns out that these 2 guys were only interested in accuracy for target shooting and the aesthetics didn't matter. .....Fred

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
I've posted many times about using AcraGlas to strengthen and seal barrel channels. A simple use of the search function will reveal many many posts about this on this forum. A varnish thin coat will strengthen the channel walls 3-10 times over bare wood. You can color match the epoxy so it disappears. I do it all the time unless my objectives preclude it. Use paste wax on the barrel as a release agent and heat the barrel with a heat gun or propane torch when removing it. Below are examples. I doubt there is any effect on accuracy. My use is just to enhance strength.

dave

 

[Cpt Flint]

Dave Person is exactly right.

 

[Red Owl]

I must admit the first time I did a full bed- seemed stuck. If I just yanked at the muzzle end of the stock I figured I'd break it so I set up two parallel rails that the sides of the top of the fore stock rested upon (upside down) put a heavy dowel in the bore and tapped on that- worked okay

 

[Kansas Kid]

I just removed the barrel from my NW trade gun I bought used and it’s glass bedded from the tang to the muzzle. Looks to have been done before the under lugs were added to eliminate that problem. Someone done a very nice job on it.

 

[Spikebuck]

Have fully bedded several rifles. Just make sure that you use modeling clay to fill any areas that could lock it in...dovetails on the bottom for lugs, around the back of the breech plug and anything on the tang, etc. You do have to be careful when taking it out, but they come out if you've followed all the directions. As Dave Person said, you can color match pretty close so that paper-thin gap you may now have will never be noticeable after you stain the stock.

As one example, here is my Full Stock Hawken stock bedded:

Here is a completion photo looking right at the top. Can you see any bedding?

 

[Chris In SE PA]

Have fully bedded several rifles. Just make sure that you use modeling clay to fill any areas that could lock it in...dovetails on the bottom for lugs, around the back of the breech plug and anything on the tang, etc. You do have to be careful when taking it out, but they come out if you've followed all the directions. As Dave Person said, you can color match pretty close so that paper-thin gap you may now have will never be noticeable after you stain the stock.

As one example, here is my Full Stock Hawken stock bedded:

Here is a completion photo looking right at the top. Can you see any bedding?

Did you use the regular acraglas or the gel?

 

[Spikebuck]

Did you use the regular acraglas or the gel?

Hi Chris,

I have used both, but my preference is Acraglas Gel. I found the runny variety hard to keep in place. The Gel spreads very nicely and stays put as you work down the barrel channel. Unlike a modern suppository gun receiver area, a full-length stock is a large area to work. Have everything fully prepared so you when you get to applying the glas bedding you can focus on that task and get the barrel set in.

Each time I do it, it's a bit of a "scary" process...but each time it has worked exactly as it should. I can't speak for using paste wax as the release agent. I have always used the release product that comes in the kit...two coats dried well in between. When done, just be very careful when removing the barrel...it won't just pop right out without a little gentle coaxing. I am building a Chambers Little Fella rifle for my wife that had a poor barrel inlet, so I bedded that one end-to-end. I will say I struggled with that one a bit to get out, but with patience, it finally came out and everything was perfect. A solid dowel down the barrel to leverage with and being very careful of the forestock has been key for me each time.

 

[Vaino]

I have never bedded a bbl w/ modern epoxy or any of the other modern "stuff". The entire length of the inside surfaces of the forestock of my builds receive one coat of LMF sealer....not for strength but to seal. I guess we're now in the age of doing everything w/ modern "stuff" and CNCed LRs of which the assemblers learn minimal skills.....if that......Fred

 

[FishDFly]

"Use paste wax on the barrel as a release agent and heat the barrel with a heat gun or propane torch when removing it."

If you are leery of using heat to remove the barrel, put the barrel/stock in the freezer. After it is frozen, gently tap the barrel out of the stock.

 

[Spikebuck]

If you are leery of using heat to remove the barrel, put the barrel/stock in the freezer. After it is frozen, gently tap the barrel out of the stock.

FishDFly....this is exactly what I did on my wife's rifle that was the most difficult I've had to remove after bedding. Only being in Minnesota in Winter, I set the thing outside overnight (obviously after it fully cured) and then the barrel came out...still with coaxing, but it came out fine.

 

[Spikebuck]

I guess we're now in the age of doing everything w/ modern "stuff" and CNCed LRs of which the assemblers learn minimal skills.....if that......Fred

Not to get off topic, and I understand, Fred, where you are coming from being the exceptional builder you are, but one of the big benefits of the new CNC'd kits is that it may encourage people who would never ever consider doing a "build" of any kind to try their hand at it and end up with a very fine, historically correct muzzleloader. It helps them to see how a rifle should look and how things go together and for most I see pictured on this forum, an heirloom quality result. From there, a percentage of those individuals may get the "building bug" and decide to try something more difficult and go from there developing skills. And even if they don't, there's one more beautiful longrifle out there in someone's hands.

I personally think the CNC'd kits have been an absolute boon to the sport putting exceptional quality, historically correct guns at a very reasonable price for what one is getting, into the hands of thousands of shooters that would not have had one otherwise.

 

[Vaino]

I don't agree w/ your premises...Besides saturating the market for MLers and making it difficult for the 1-3 guns/ year MLer builder to sell his builds, the assemblers of these CNCed MLers learn next to nothing about really building. Could go on, but won't.....Fred

 

[FishDFly]

They did learn something.

If it was not for Mr. Kibler, there would be a lot of folks without nice rifles that they assembled and are enjoying the sport.. After learning from their kits, maybe in the future they will try a Mr. Chambers kit.