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Bedding your stock - it is not as hard as you might think. Just remember masking tape is your friend, unless you want to do a whole lot of messy clean up. Be sure all your stock work is done.
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Use masking tape on the top, bottom and sides of the stock. Trim the tape on the stock where the stock and action meet. This is to catch the bedding that will squeeze out.
Fill any holes in the action with clay that bedding will be able to get into like the magazine well and the trigger area.
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If you plan to bed the tang area of your stock (which you should), I recommend removing the trigger and filling that area of the stock with clay as well. Getting bedding compound on (or even worse - in) your trigger assembly is a problem you really don't want to have to deal with later down the road.
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Put two or three layers of masking tape on the front (muzzle side), and bottom of the recoil lug. You can also put tape on the sides of the recoil lug if you like. This will give the lug the small amount of space it needs to avoid creating a mechanical lock when the bedding cures. The rear of the recoil lug and the receiver are the only surfaces that require a perfect fit with the stock.
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Use masking tape or plumbers “10 mil” tape on the barrel at the mid point of the forend to keep the barrel in the center of the channel. (Use only enough to center the barrel, not so much it holds the barrel up causing the action to rise up at an angle). Sometimes this step can be skipped altogether if you have a wide enough barrel channel you can line it up by eye if you feel comfortable do that.
Use lots of release agent on the action, barrel, screws or anything the bedding will come in contact with that you don't want bonded permanently to the stock. Bee’s wax, carnauba wax, or release agent from Brownells. (I tend to use stuff made for gunsmithing so I use the release agent from Brownells).
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Mix the bedding 1 to 1 (or however your bedding compound says) put it in the stock then set the action into the stock. Use the bottom metal and screws. Tighten down the action just to the point the screws start to get tight, bottoming out without torque, this will cause the bedding to squeeze out.
Some guys do not use the bottom metal and action screws to set the bedding. I tried that and it was a pain, and it would not always set up just right.
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The bottom metal and action screws will insure the action is aligned correctly with the bottom metal. The holes in the stock for the action screws are not always cut straight. If you use them as a guide you can end up with an action that is rotated in the stock.
If you are doing pillars do them first and let them set up over night then do that action, then the bottom metal if wanted. I do not recommend doing factory bottom metal. It is molded in such a way that it will create a mechanical lock if it is not prepped well.
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In about four to six hours (For Steel-Bed check every 30 min. after 3 hours. Other bedding you’re on your own), depending on the temp, you can pull the stock out and trim up the bedding that squeezed out with a sharp xacto. That is it. Don’t let it get too hard or you won’t be able to trim it. You will know when it is ready to pull when you press in with a fingernail leaving a mark but with firm resistance.
The finished product:
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