Bedding a scope base to the receiver?

[Lavid2002]

Hi everyone. Im buying this scope base for my savage 12 FV http://www.bigrivertactical.com/Farrell_Bases.html It says it has inletting for bedding compound in the base of the receiver. How would I go about bedding this thing? Heres how I would go about it. leme know if im wrong
*Clean scope base and top of receiver
*Wipe all surfaces to be bedded with acetone on a rag
*Use hoppes No. 9 grease on receiver- not to be bedded so the base can be removed if desired.
*Grease up screws so they dont get bedded into place.
*Tape off the rest of the receiver to make sure no grime gets flung into it whilst mixing and applying the compound
*Mix compound and apply to scope base liberally with a popsicle stick, squish screws through holes in receiver.
*Crank down on the screws so the compound squishes out bottom of the base, wipe away axcess untill there is a nice, even base to receiver fit and no compound is showing.
*wipe off receiver making sure bedding compound isnt anywhere
*Follow directions for bedding compound and when its set unscrew the base and check the job. If needed, smack it with a rubber mallet to free it up lightly

O.K. how does that sound? Ive never bedded anything before I hope it doesnt show too much. Anyone reccomend a bedding compound I could use for the stock/scope base? I work at a marina so access to Marine Tex
http://www.charm.net/~kmarsh/pics/marinetex2.jpg
That stuff....Is that good? Not the best? Great? what....
Thanks!
Dave

 

[Art Eatman]

Sounds like it would work just fine, if you think that's the thing to do.

These last 58 years of mounting scopes, the idea of "bedding" has never occurred to me. I've never had a Weaver base wobble about, either; the silly things just sit there and hold the scope rings.

, Art

 

[bigautomatic]

Sounds like you got the right idea of how to do it. This is a fairly common practice in Bench Rest shooting, but probably overkill for folks who don't measure their groups by thousandths of an inch. The Farrel mounts are some of the best out there.

 

[ndking1126]

My uncle, who shoots 600-800yrds with his rifle recommended to me to use JB Weld. I'm sure it holds them very well...

...but wow--I guess it's all well and good if you don't have to ever take your scope mounts off

 

[Lavid2002]

I guess it's all well and good if you don't have to ever take your scope mounts off

Never take them off? You can take them off. Thats like saying a bedded action could never be taken away from the stock It simply gives the base a perfect fit to YOUR rifle...even if it has slight imperfections. It doesnt bind them together like superglue.
Thanks for the help everyone : D

I know bases work well, but why not have it bedded when It has inletting for it and I have spare time

 

[Horseman]

You should only have to be either the front or back of the base. You determine which one is high by putting in and tightening just the front screw. If this causes the rear to lift up then the rear needs bedding. Do the same thing with one screw in the rear and check the front. If neither one shows a gap when doing this it doesn't need to be bedded.

I think the vertical stringing is something that CAN happen from base stress but it is not as big of phenomenon as some think. Remember the bolt is locked into the lugs ahead of the receiver itself. That doesn't mean whatever flexing the receiver does is insignificant, but it is certainly minimized.

Remember the Farrell bases are really tall. You can usually step down a size in ring height.

Good luck

 

[Lavid2002]

Ring size...

SO farrel G base, and savage 12 FV...with a super sniper 16x scope(42mm Obj.) Im thinking medium? Should I have small rings because of the high base?
Edit: Im buying leupold mk4 rings

 

[Hk_Allday]

My uncle, who shoots 600-800yrds with his rifle recommended to me to use JB Weld

If you use JBWeld you're not taking them off. Well, not without a cutting instrument anyway.

 

[Scorch]

If you are going to go to the trouble of epoxying your base to the reeiver, you should forget about ever removing it. About the only folks who do this are benchrest shooters, as it will make the receiver more rigid and remove even the most minor movement from your sights. If you decide to do this, coat the base screws with the release agent of your choice, use an epoxy without additive (such as steel grit or glass particles) so the bas actually sits directly on the receiver without any gaps, and tighten the base securely, wiping off the excess epoxy that will undoubtedly get forced out as you tighten the bases. I have only seen a few rifles in the past 60 years where the owners opted for the epoxy route.

If on the other hand you intend to remove the sight base occasionally or eventually, you can use blue or red LocTite (or bearing mounting compound) to secure it all together, and it will work almost as well as epoxying the whole mess together.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I'm probably setting myself up for a public slapping... but if I'm mounting a base or sight, & the base does not "perfectly conform" to the mounting surface ( & even if it does... especially on a blued surface ), I put a dab of type 2 silicone between the surfaces...I've reciently pulled off a couple of scope mounts, that were used for hunting, & exposed to wet weather, that even though those guns were cleaned & oiled afterwards, had some rust develope between the gun & the mount... I'm thinking the type 2 silicone will better seal that gap, & help prevent rust from forming between the 2 surfaces...

Ok... so... your guys thoughts ???

 

[Horseman]

Lavid2002

You should use lows with any base when using a SS 42mm. Especially with the taller than avg. Farrells. Mediums will give you too big of a gap between obj.and the barrel. Keeping it low will give a better cheek weld too.

MagnumWheelMan,

I use aerosol oil like CLP and shoot it under the base every other time I oil. Then blow out the excess with compressed air or keyboard duster air(this way it's not leaching out every time you wipe off the excess oil). If you do this I guarantee you will NEVER have rust under that base.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

HORSE... my hands sweat alot so I'm pretty liberal with the foaming / penitrating oils, & have a Contender that got rusty under the base, as well as even my stainless Ruger 10-22 that I just pulled the scope off, & added a set of Tech Sights ( of course it was likely the black iron scope mount that initiated the rusting on the stainless gun )... I'm hoping the silicone will provide a moisture proof seal between the surfaces

 

[Horseman]

If you don't want to be squirting oil under it, the silicone idea will probably work. It might be a little work getting off if the receiver is textured. Acetone will eat it off and not effect bluing if need be. I don't think there's anything in silicone that would eat most finishes either. I'd like to know how that goes if you try it.

 

[Lavid2002]

Silicone is fine...they use it in gun socks to preserve them and gun wipes for storage...its fine for the base. I think ill just use bedding compound because I can...and Because I can remove it if need be. Ill remove it after it hardens, lube it up and tighten it down.

 

[Picher]

I use high-strength Locktite Shaft and Bearing Mount liquid under bases and thread-locker on the screws.

They come off when I need them off, but stay on otherwise. Locktite remains liquid except where confined against metal.

Any epoxy, including Locktite will melt out before steel is damaged. I use a heat gun to remove epoxied parts like golf shafts from heads, scope bases, or Loctited barrels on 10-22s. Just remember to take the action out of the stock before heating.

Picher

 

[Horseman]

Wait a minute. Are we talking silicone like spray or cloth......... or are we talking about silicone like you'd caulk a window with?

 

[Swampghost]

Both and I wouldn,t use either. Silicone is a has been unless your caulking windows/doors

 

[Horseman]

Swampghost

I agree. You don't need it. I used to live and hunt in Northern Wisconsin. It is common practice there to bring your gun inside after the hunt and stand it in the corner with a towel under it to catch all the condensation that literally runs off the ice cold steel. Even under these extreme conditions of condensation I never in 25 years had rust under the scope base because I squirted a little oil under the base once in a while. I would think gun grease like RIG or Hoppes grease would work better than silicone. And silicone spray or cloths are almost worthless corrosion protection. I run my own tests with tapwater or saltwater and silicone will ALWAYS show rust on bare metal with one application of water. It is truely the worst product I ever tested it often looks similar to the bare control piece by the end of the testing.

 

[Swampghost]

Back to bedding, I'd use mold release wax on the firearm and bed with a 1-1 epoxy. 1-1's tend to be more flexible than say the 5-1's which can be very brittle and fracture under recoil.

 

[Horseman]

Devcon is good as is JB Weld. The bedding usually only ends up being around 1/16th" thick on the bases I've seen. The base is usually very close to not needing any bedding at all. The other thing about any epoxy is......the faster the drying time, the more it shrinks as it dries. Devcon and JB Weld are a good color and are almost undetectible if your gun and base are flat parkerized or bead blasted blue. And just to be clear the bedding is typically applied to the base not the receiver. I've been toying with the idea of applying a thin tape to the receiver to aid in clean up. It's hard to get a really porous parkerizing clean of wax or epoxy.