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Rubber Pad Bedding a5-Teen

20K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  schutzen-jager 
#1 · (Edited)
Rubber Pad Bedding the 5-Teen Rifle Series

The Remington 5-Teen rimfire rifle series (510, 511,512, 513, 513-T and 521-T), have but one screw to hold the barreled action into the stock. Considering how well the vast majority of these rifles shoot, the single screw does a pretty fair job.

But, wood fiber is, after all, wood fiber, it dries out, warps etc. This series rifles ran from 1939 to 1968. Some of these stocks are 70 + years old. The ability of the barreled action to remain in stable position in the stock with only one screw can be a trying affair.

Of course epoxy-bedding is one answer to achieve 100% contact between wood and metal in the bedding area, and it's a very good one. However, there's an easier, quicker and not-so-permanent method at our disposal. It's easily achieved at home in about 20 minutes.

Rubber pad bedding was used in the Winchester 52C. The pads conformed to the exact shape of the receiver and stock. They also absorbed vibration. We can adapt this method for our 5-Teen rifles.

A rubber insulator band goes around the metal wheel of a bicycle. The insulator band protects the tube from rubbing against the metal. Bicycle shops throw old ones in the trash ever day. They will give you the old bands for the asking. What we are going to do is cut 2 pads from one of those insulator bands. They will sit in the bottom recess of the stock and be our gasket between metal and wood.

Once the pads are fabricated, insert the screw up through the hole in the stock. Lay the pads in place. You may have to push the front pad over the screw. The rear pad may need a couple of tiny bits of scotch tape to hold it in place. Mine didn't, but just make sure when you lower the barreled action in place, it goes in slowly and straight. Having the stock in a gun vice is a big plus here. Tighten the screw from underneath with a short, flat-tip screwdriver. Don't force the screw in too tight. Just snug and try 1/4 to 1/2 turn more. Shooting your rifle will tell you when it's the right torque. :bthumb:

Tools:

Sharp pair of scissors
An empty, fired .22LR case
Hammer
Block of scrap wood
ruler
pen

Supplies:

Rubber insulator band from a bicycle wheel

The used insulator bands are usually dusty. Clean it with soap & water or spray window cleaner. dry it well.


insulator band from a bicycle wheel


The shiny area is the only place the metal and wood actually touch in front of stock mortise.


Again, shiny areas disclose very little contact between wood and metal in back of stock mortise.


Measure mortise.


Cut a strip of band to fit full length in mortise.


Measure where to punch hole. Punch hole with a USED .22 case


measure and draw lines for magazine cutout.


Trimmed for cutout


Front pad installed.


rear pad cut and trimmed for stock mortise.


Both pads installed


Before pads, 50 yards off bench. Eley Orange


Before pads, 50 yards off bench. Eley Orange


After pads, 5-shots, 50 yards off bench Eley Orange


After pads, 5-shots, 50 yards off bench Eley Orange
 
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#3 · (Edited)
aqbill,

You're most welcome.

I would just do the action area first, then shoot it for results against how it shot prior to action pads. If you wish to continue, put a pad crossways (from one side of the stock to the other) under the barrel where it meets the receiver.

Best Regards, Mark
 
#5 ·
Mike

I had a career in rubber technology and I like this approach. Inner tubes are commonly made of butyl rubber. maybe the liners are as well. Butyl rubber has very low resilience. A butyl rubber ball would barely bounce if dropped from head high. This makes butyl good at absorbing vibrations - what goes in, does not come out. Seems like that would be a good thing for a firearm.

Something to bear in mind though: When rubber is held in a compressed state a couple of things happen. These are "permanent compression set" and "creep".

Measure the thickness of a piece of rubber, compress it to 75% of its original height, and leave it like that for an extended period. Take it out of compression and measure the thickness again. It will be thinner than the original value. This loss in height is permanent "compression set".

"Creep" is a temporary condition. If a piece of rubber is held in compression the molecules will move in order to relieve the strain. In other words it squishes out into gaps to get away from the load. This effect is temporary and other than the permanent compression set loss it will return to its original size and shape when the load is removed.

What this means for bedding with rubber is that compression set and creep over time will result in the rubber bedding getting thinner. The guard screw torque will be reduced and the amount of "pushback" the rubber is exerting against the receiver and stock mortise will be less.

Does not mean it will not work, just means the guard screw torque will need to be checked once in a while.

How fast and to what degree it happens depends on the type of rubber and how much compression it is under.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Dale,

Yeppers, a quick & easy way to bed a 5-Teen. This 65 y/o technology still works in 2015. :t

NMP EXP,

Thanks for the technical assist on the properties of butyl rubber. We have such a wealth of knowledge and expertise here on RFC.

If a guys rifle doesn't shoot any better w/ the pads, he can just remove them, no harm no foul. His rifle is still 100% original.
 
#18 ·
I did it tonight on my new 513-T. I used inner tube patches, cut to fit, peel off back and stick. I could feel the rubber as I torqued the screw. I hope to try it at 50 yards tomorrow.

The bull barrel has stock tension on it. Going to shoot it and see. It has shot 1/2" @ 50 yards with CCI SV.
Thank you
A 22 shell was perfect to cut the hole.

David

Sent from my SM-T900 using Tapatalk
 
#19 ·
Report:

I cleaned it, fired 5 shots CCI SV at one tareget, then 5 more at the next. The second target was 3/4" Usually 1/2". I tried a remington golden bullet, CCI HP mini mag, Remington Target. all were under an inch. The remington target had a vertical string, common. It was not good ammo. I fired one last group with the CCISV, Same thing, 3/4" for 5 shots. I can't say it helped or not, it was windy and 31*f. I was wearing gloves only taking them off to load the magazine.

I used the A27 target with 5 bulls. With the SV and Remington target, I could still be on the bull after the shot. HV moved the rifle every time.

You folks are addictive. I have shot sporter rifle since 1995. I never benched a 22 at 50 yards until I started hanging around here.

So did the mod help? Not that I can see in one small sample. The ruber I used must have been too thick, the bolt just bareley picked up the ammo, sometimes missing the rim.

I alos have to note, my rifle still has a pressure point under the barrel. I left it there for now, just figuring out what it likes and getting the hang of irons. The rubber shims took pressure off the barrel.

Shims for the bolt came today. More fiddeling.

David

Sent from my SM-T900 using Tapatalk
 
#20 ·
tried three over the winter 510 , 511 , + 513 , no improvement in 510 + accuracy was worse in 511 + 513 after - only consistent accuracy mod that i have found is a shim putting upward pressure on forend tip - over the years i have even tried adding
a second action screw on one 511 that showed no accuracy impovement at all -
 
#21 ·
tried three over the winter 510 , 511 , + 513 , no improvement in 510 + accuracy was worse in 511 + 513 after - only consistent accuracy mod that i have found is a shim putting upward pressure on forend tip - over the years i have even tried adding a second action screw on one 511 that showed no accuracy impovement at all -
I've always thought that if adding forend pressure worked, that was an indication of a bedding problem.

I just don't think we've figured out the magic fix for bedding the 5-teen platform.
 
#24 ·
My 1941 commercial 513T with the original Redfield sights was shooting last year 185-191 using SK rifle Match. I bedded it this winter like the other one, but it showed gaps on each side of the receiver. I added a strip of the rubber on each side and hopefully stopped the ability to rock in the stock. I'll see if it will improve the groups at 100yd this year! I have 3-4 boxes of that SK ammo left to keep it level.
 
#25 ·
tried it again in past few months on three others ( 2 513's + 1 521 ) under very controlled conditions + accuracy decreased - others on this forum have stated the same results - the only thing i have found that will consistently improve accuracy is fore end tension + tight action screw - action stability means nothing if the barrel is not positioned torqued properly for every shot - JMHO -
 
#26 ·
I have a 1941 511 which I transplanted into a 513 stock. I tire-liner bedded the receiver and built up an upward push for tension at the front of the forearm with a piece of plastic cut from a 35mm film canister and 2 layers of tire liner because the barrel channel on the stock was much wider than the 511 barrel. I also put a shim in the bolt to reduce headspace, and I installed a trigger shoe.

As a virgin 511 this was an accurate rifle, but I never measured it for group size. I now use it in local club "benchrest" matches with iron sights. It will consistently hold the 10-ring on the 50-yd smallbore target if I do my part
 
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