HSP stock, Rem Arms 700 - To bed or not to bed?

[EKYHunter]

Santa brought me a HSP stock for my Rem Arms 700 ADL, 308. Nice stock and I really like it. Action fit no problem. I’m slowly building this rifle. I’ve got a Trigger Tech to install and plan to have it Cerakoted. I haven’t shot the rifle yet so I really have no idea if I have a shooter or a dud. I’m going to take a VX-5 HD off another rifle and put on this to see how she shoots. My question is this: should I bed this rifle before trying it out, wait to bed, or not even worry about bedding? I’ve never bedded a rifle before but have watched several YouTube videos. If anyone could recommend a good bedding video, I’d appreciate it. I know the HS has the bedding block but can see where bedding would be advantageous.

 

[morgaj1]

I would see how it shoots first.

 

[EKYHunter]

I would see how it shoots first.

That’s how I’m leaning.

 

[Addicting]

I would get a good feel for it and how it shoots first. New stocks take some time to decide if it’s for you or not. I had one of those stocks and could never get comfortable with it. I ended up selling it and getting a B&C which fit me better.

 

[p_ham]

Choot it!

 

[ImBillT]

Bed it. Once you’re decent at bedding, the answer is always to bed it.

 

[EKYHunter]

Bed it. Once you’re decent at bedding, the answer is always to bed it.

Any good bedding videos you’d recommend?

 

[TN2shot07]

I’ve been lucky with the 3 HS stocks I’ve used, they were all drop in and improved the rifles shooting. That’s not to say it may not have improved more with a proper bedding job

 

[Seamaster]

It would not take much time to put a small touch of bedding compound into the rear of the recoil lug mortise to make certain that the lug has full contact during recoil. With that you should have good results without the bother of bedding the full receiver. HSP makes a good stock.

 

[std7mag]

Really, i can't think of a good reason NOT to bed it.

Just make sure you use plenty of release agent!
And don't go hog wild on gooping bedding in the stock.

 

[EKYHunter]

Really, i can't think of a good reason NOT to bed it.

Just make sure you use plenty of release agent!
And don't go hog wild on gooping bedding in the stock.

Would you need to remove much of the aluminum or just rough it up?

 

[ImBillT]

Any good bedding videos you’d recommend?

I’ve actually never watched one. Just watched my dad do it, and heard him, friends of his, and my grandpa discuss all the various techniques they’ve used over the years.

Make sure you don’t miss any spots with your release agent. Partall #2 is a superior release agent to paste wax from the home improvement stores, but many different release agents will work.

However you hold the action in the stock just don’t use excess tension. You want to pull the action down to the appropriate level, but not cause any bending of any kind. Bending the action when you tighten it in your stock is what you’re trying to prevent by bedding it, so if your stock isn’t perfect and you put a lot of pressure on the action when you bed it, you won’t fix anything at all. I’ve used action screws for convenience at times, even though that’s not generally recommended you just don’t torque them down tightly. That’s a good way to defeat the purpose of bedding the action, but doing it properly works just fine.

My dad can turn it into a multi-hour ordeal, and your first time you might spend well over an hour just making sure that everything is correct before you mix your bedding compound and put it in. I usually do it in 20-30 minutes.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I’ve never had a reason to bed any of my rifles.

 

[ImBillT]

I’ve been lucky with the 3 HS stocks I’ve used, they were all drop in and improved the rifles shooting. That’s not to say it may not have improved more with a proper bedding job

If the stock is right, epoxy bedding won’t necessarily improve it. It’s just a pretty simple procedure that will eliminate any doubt. I can’t see a reason for me not to do it unless it was a collector’s item.

The recoil lug should be snug front to back and side to side. A lot of “drop-in” stocks leave that loose. If it’s loose, the recoil lug will settle in firm contact with stock on the rear and right side and usually shoot fine, but any sort of semi-rough handling that cause it to shift can result in some erratic shooting until it resettles. The design of the action screws, and screw holes, and how tight you torque them can minimize that risk, but a good bedding job can eliminate it.

 

[std7mag]

Would you need to remove much of the aluminum or just rough it up?

Just scuff it up to give the compound something to adhere to.

 

[Farmerj]

I’ve got two Bell & carlson stocks on a Remington and a savage action. The Remington is bedded, I haven’t done the savage and doubt I will.

The savage actually is outshooting the Remington at the moment and the Remington is like 0.45” overall overage. The savage is like 0.38” average size groups.

I’d get that triggertech installed with decent rings and scope and go try it out.

 

[Red-Team 98]

Santa brought me a HSP stock for my Rem Arms 700 ADL, 308. Nice stock and I really like it. Action fit no problem. I’m slowly building this rifle. I’ve got a Trigger Tech to install and plan to have it Cerakoted. I haven’t shot the rifle yet so I really have no idea if I have a shooter or a dud. I’m going to take a VX-5 HD off another rifle and put on this to see how she shoots. My question is this: should I bed this rifle before trying it out, wait to bed, or not even worry about bedding? I’ve never bedded a rifle before but have watched several YouTube videos. If anyone could recommend a good bedding video, I’d appreciate it. I know the HS has the bedding block but can see where bedding would be advantageous. View attachment 258585View attachment 258586

I bedded my HS stock at the tang and lug areas. Suggest adding HS Precision Detachable Magazine kit

 

[EKYHunter]

I bedded my HS stock at the tang and lug areas. Suggest adding HS Precision Detachable Magazine kit

My rifle is an ADL. I don’t mind a blind box at all.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Bed it. Bedding is not rocket science. It can only help. Certainly won't hurt. If you decide to get rid of the gun, it's a selling point. And bedding it will give you something to do in the boring off season ... albeit briefly. If you can handle dropping a new trigger in your gun, you can certainly handle bedding it. Last year I did both to my Springfield. And added iron sights which was a lot more complicated. I'm no gunsmith but it all turned out well. I had previously bedded this gun in 1981 but didn't know what I was doing. Back then there was no internet to help out. Last year I found countless how-to videos on the net and they all say pretty much the same thing. The big difference is the anti-seizing agents used. The stuff that came in my bedding kit back in 81 didn't do the job and my magazine box wound up stuck. This time I used silicone lubricant in a spray can. Coated everything liberally and it worked like a charm. I used J-B Weld as the bedding material. It should work fine for .308. I am not familiar with bedding plastic stocks. It might be a good idea to rough up any smooth surfaces inside that will be in contact with bedding material.

 

[OntarioHunter]

My rifle is an ADL. I don’t mind a blind box at all.

Right! I know what I'm hunting when I'm hunting and no need to quickly change up ammo in the field. Changeable magazines are just another something to get lost. Someone who can't hit an animal with four or five rounds should probably take up chess instead of hunting.