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1913 Bedding

2K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Hi-NV Shooter 
#1 ·
How much can/should glass bedding improve the accuracy of a 1913? What is the theory behind it? I noticed Anschutz provides1913's bedded and Harrel tuned so there must be some improvement expected.

I understand the tuner logic for improvement. What about the bedding?
 
#2 ·
The idea of rebedding is to have a better fit between the stock and receiver, that is less sensitive to changes in climate. Bedding can also strengthen the stock. Although it's sometimes still called glass bedding, epoxy putty mixed with powdered metal is the norm. The action is left in place while the new bedding sets to form a perfect fit. Some people bed Match 54 barrels for 1in_2in ahead of the receiver. Their reasoning is that the barrel tenon is fairly short, so the extra bedding reduces stress on the action.

The bolts are often reinforced with metal sleeves "pillars", or less often epoxy. Some prefer to bond a metal block under the action and bed on that. The bolts now tighten against metal; the bolts can't compress the wood, and the wood can't work the bolts loose.

Properly executed bedding should make a good rifle a little more consistent. If the rifle is finicky over torque bedding should help. A poor job can stress the action.
 
#3 ·
Anschutz North America, a separate entity from J.G. ANSCHÜTZ GmbH & Co. KG, the manufacturer in Germany, provides some rifles that they bed and with which they provide a Harrell tuner. Those are "customized" aftermarket services.

The reasons for bedding are very much as tim describes. While Anschutz action to stock fit out-of-the-box is usually very good, glass bedding and pillars may offer improvement. By how much? That's impossible to say. All depends on using the lots of match ammo that testing shows to shoot the best. No rifle, bedded or not, will outshoot the ammo it's given.
 
#4 ·
How much can/should glass bedding improve the accuracy of a 1913? What is the theory behind it? I noticed Anschutz provides1913's bedded and Harrel tuned so there must be some improvement expected.

I understand the tuner logic for improvement. What about the bedding?
Bedding will do two things, it will improve consistency from shot to shot. it will eliminate any mechanical induced stress to the action/barrel
bedding will also help draw away-absorb vibration/harmonics from the action/barrel by allowing the stock to dampen the vibrations/harmonics with a molded fit between action and stock.
and since you understand about using a tuner, you can understand how bedding will affect that as well.

Lee
 
#5 ·
Bedded 1913

Finally found a gunsmith that has a great reputation for working on 22's. He glass bedded my 1913. Been very windy in central Ohio since I picked it up (10-20 mph) so have not had a pure day to evaluate it, but wow as far as I can tell it will tighten my groups significantly.

One significant change he was able to make is he set the stock screws at 36 inch/pounds versus the 25 recommended by Anschutz (so you don't risk cracking the wood stock).

Bedding makes the rifle feel much more solid. This bedding plus the tuner I added last fall are IMO must adds that are not that expensive to add and will have a significant impact on the consistency of my rifle.

So now I have lot tested Midas+ ammo and the above rifle modifications. Hurry Spring.
 
#6 ·
I also have a 1913 so I'm very interested in how much the bedding helps. I shot last night and tried CCI, Lapua Pistol King and Eley Tenex and I was able to get some excellent groups at 50 yards. Weird thing happened though, I had 2 groups in the .2" range with the Eley but then all of sudden it went to .5" for the next 2 but the temperature was dropping to the low 40s. I then decided to call it a night. Let me know how yours shots with the bedding.
 
#7 ·
Todd, noticed two things with bedding: first the rifle feels more solid/sounds more solid with the bedding. This makes sense since the cavity around the wood stock is now more dense.

Dave at Anschutz told me the "sweet spot" for mounting screws is 25 inch/pounds (not bedded). Part of the issue is to be careful not to crack the wood stock. After bedding my gunsmith set the screws at 35 inch pounds which, of course, solidifies the set up.

The second thing is more consistent shot placement. Now instead of getting 3 or 4 great shots with the frustrating 1 or 2 (where did that come from), I find the five shot groups consistently much tighter.

Mentioned to me in the above comments "bedding can help, but it can also screw up the gun". I was careful to find a gunsmith with a reputation for doing great work with rifles and specifically 22's.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for your reply. I definitely will be bedding my 1913 soon ! Fortunately, there happens to be one of the best gunsmiths for the job less than an hour from my house. (Mark Penrod) If I could get rid of the 1-2 (what the heck!) Shots...I feel like this could be a pretty competitive rifle in ARA.

Thanks again....Todd
 
#9 ·
When asked a week ago about the recommended torque for a 1913 in a BR 50 stock, Anschutz North America replied mid-week. The email said the following: "Action torque is 25-30 inch pounds regardless of bedding." No name was attached to the email reply, although it was from the sales department. The 25 - 30 inch pounds is 2.8 - 3.4 Newton meters (Nm).

In response to the same question, service technician Matthias Raiber at J.G. ANSCHÜTZ GmbH & Co. KG in Germany said last week that "The recomended torque is at max. 5 Nm. You can use anything up to 5 Nm ." Five Nm is 44.25 inch pounds.
 
#11 ·
Interesting thread.

Before my 1813 was bedded, I payed little attention to how tight the bedding screws were. After it was bedded, however, I shot a succession of 10-shot groups at 100 yds, ratcheting up the torque by 5 in-lbs increments. I started at something silly like 15 in-lbs. I could graph the group sizes, watching them get smaller as the bolts got tighter. The graph went pretty flat at 35 in-lbs, and real flat at 40 in-lbs. The results were repeatable.

The takeaway is that bedding torque, to my way of thinking, is much like selecting that special lot of ammo. It's part of the package and something you have to experiment with to get results, otherwise you're just flailing away, kind of directionless.
 
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