Should I bed my barrel?

[smoothshooter]

I know the accuracy is more affected by those factors you mentioned, but just knowing that the voids exist under the barrel bugs me. That's really the only reason I'm going to bed the barrel. It really appreciate all of y'alls suggestions. I read an article by an FRP specialist, and he talked about PVA, special waxes, etc, and then mentioned that extra stiff aerosol hairspray is water-based plastic when it dries since it washes off in the shower, so he uses it along with wax as a mold release for small complicated parts. Very interesting.

What does FRP and PVA stand for?
I doubt very many of the readers have a clue.

 

[M. De Land]

I know it's not traditional, but I'm sure those old timers made their stocks fit their barrels very closely. The breech end of my barrel has over a 1 16th inch gap between the bottom flat of the octagon barrel and the stock. I wonder if those gaps between the barrel and the stock affect accuracy or could eventually crack the stock?

I also like to bed the bottom of the lock mortise in several places to keep it level and stock flush over time as the repeated draw up of the screws on the other side tend to pull it inward.

 

[Big Bob]

Cpt Flint is right on. If you use heavy charges in a T/C with conicals, bedding will help keep you from cracking the stock. Also using a front tang through bolt, as T/C did on later big caliber rifles helps too.