Thread: Pillar bedding

Guys can anyone recommend a gunsmith to pillar / glass bed my old Winchester 70? How much does this carry on cost nowadays?

The old walnut stock has started to compress after years of me taking the rifle in and out, messing with other stocks etc. I probably have been overtightening it too. It has started needing to tighten it up the action screws after it starts shooting all over th eplace, and now the the action screws are getting too long to fit right. I put a shim under the bottom metal which brought everything right, but now its happening again. Rather than putting a bigger shim in, I am thinking it will need pillar bedding.

I can glass bed the action, but I think it needs pillars, and thats probably out of my league.

I've pillar bedded a mauser action, I'll admit I was a nervous wreak and it was a pita, however it came out fine.
If I was to do it again, I would be tempted to do one pillar at a time.
Also when removing stock material for the pillar and bedding compound if you can leave a reference point for the action and base, that will help heaps.

If you’re happy to glass bed you can do pillars. I bought 2 pair from Dean Maisey to do a couple of Sako 75’s. He may have even trimmed them to length for me after I measured the stock front and rear action locations.

B

You should have a good look at this. May help your task.
https://forum.accurateshooter.com/th...#post-38672227

I have fixed two stocks that were compressing as you have described. If the underside of the stock is compressing where the bottom metal mates this will need fixed by bedding the bottom metal back to the correct position.
Then likely the area around the Tang has compressed too.
What has been very successful and fool proof is to use bamboo Kebab sticks as vertical pillars. Drill a circle of holes the right size to accept the bamboo around the action screw holes but far enough out that they are in solid holding - 15mm diam approx. Set the length of the sticks so that the bottom metal is in the correct original position with the action taped to the stock for reference, then epoxy them in with JB etc. a cardboard spacer can be used for the bottom metal and the action removed to access from the top during this step.
With the sticks in place the bottom of the stock can be bedded for the bottom metal, then proceed to bedding the action. Full length bedding will support the stock. The bamboo has the advantage that it provides a key for the epoxy and can be easily filed / sanded if a mistake is made with height at the start. The action ends up sitting on epoxy top and bottom with the bamboo acting as pillars
If the stock is soft it is going to benefit from some other reinforcement. Instead of brass crossbolts, the bamboo works just as well and is nearly invisible.

Ok thanks people, good help there. I like the bamboo idea,

Shame you’re way down there, I could have sorted it for you. I’ve added pillars to many rifles now and all my custom stocks get them. It’s actually a pretty easy job to do.

PM me your adress and I will send you some alloy arrow shaft the right size..its a seriously easy job to do...little bit of araldite and Bobs your aunties main squeaze.... if you already doing a bedding job it would be daft not to include pillars... putting them in first help to set height for the bedding to settle...well the action to sit in bedding if that makes sence??

If you are willing to post it down to Wellington Ill help. Im on the Dealers network