Yep. Most folks are following the same complex glass bedding methods that were used when fiberglass and epoxy resin was invented in the 1950s, and when upward barrel pressure was standard factory technology. The M1A is no different than any other barreled action; just bed the action to tighten it, and allow the barrel to vibrate naturally. Also, watch my videos for tightening the rear and front sights, and how to shim the gas system. It's all quite easy and inexpensive, and will make a Standard rifle sing like a $$$ National Match.
How do I go about separating my glass bedded M1A stock from the receiver? It was done over 30 yrs ago! I paid a fella to do a really messy job.. 🙄.. I've only found 1 you tube of How To, where the dude put his rifle in a freezer.. Then gave the barrel a good whack! The job I had done all those years ago, is 100% everything you say Don't Do!! So, do I just start sawing? I don't want to damage the receiver, barrel, etc.. Thank you, for any help you might be able to give...
Great video and Info on bedding the M1A .. My question is for this type of job why can't we just substitute JB Weld (Big fan of JB) for this project instead of using glass bedding ... Pros and Cons ... Thanks ...
You certainly may use JB Weld, or Devcon, for that matter. I've used them all and they all give the same results, and I see absolutely no difference in performance. I prefer Acraglas when I want to match colors with black or brown dye, which is not as easily done with JB Weld or Devcon. Acraglas also has a longer working time that is far easier to manage with a larger glass bedding operation. I use JB Weld and Devcon when I want quicker curing times and I don't care about the color.
Well I guess something is better than nothing. It's far from a NM bedding job. I missed any mention of draw pressure, stock ferrule clearance and trigger group clamping pressure. I'd say this is about 10% of the work I do on my bedding jobs. I'd say this is akin to a 1970's Vietnam era bedding job that was done in the field. As the M14 was the dominant rifle for a while, NM armorers put way more work into these rifles for optimal accuracy. But to each their own, I guess. If it works, well, okay then. If he's happy and the customers are happy then who am I to criticize... I find GI profile barrels lose accuracy as the barrel heats up. I can get a standard weight barrel to shoot as good as a heavy, but I have to manage the timing between shots and regulate the barrel temperature to do so. Medium and heavy barrels are much more consistent as the barrel heat rises than GI profile barrels. I've built and bedded MANY M14 patterned rifles, but it takes work to get them sub-MOA. Thanks for the video! Tony.
Glass bedding the M1A was turned into a religious experience, mostly for the profit of gunsmiths. My Standard shoots lights out sub 3/4 MOA with my handloads. National Match is a competitive event, not a rifle. I'll shoot NM with mine, any day. No, my standard barrel does not wander when it's hot.
Thank you for enlightening me. I guess I've been believing a lie all these years. Glad it's working out for you and your customers. I wish you much prosperity in your business. -Tony.
I agree with you. This is a band-aid bed at best. I also have bedded a few Garands. Started with the original NM method and wound up multi stage pressure bedding the last 2 rifles. Fixtures are needed. FYI my 2 CMP service grades from the 90's both with their original WWII tubes hold the black at 100yds. A T26 I have in 7.62 shoots 1MOA all day with Mk316 Mod 0 hand loads.
I have been watching @GunBlue490 for quite awhile. I have also watched all of @tonyben3 videos. You both are great in your fields. If I had to choose one method to do it would be Blue's. If I paid for a bedding job it would be tonyben's. Glad to see you guys conversing.
Blue’s bedding process works. Your bedding process works. Both bedding jobs considerably improve fitment and accuracy, but one process is more expensive, meticulous and time consuming. If both processes render similar results, then why do it the hard way? This is a very wise decision if someone wants improved fitment and accuracy, but is not shooting competitively. It’s the old “For what I’m going to be doing, this is perfect.”
If someone wanted to glass bed a 10/22, mainly just for practice glass bedding a rifle, is the area you bedded here basically the same places you would bed the Ruger? Not that I would expect a lot, if any accuracy gains, but would bedding the barrel be of any benefit? Or would a "pillar" near the barrel band and the front of the foregrip be appropriate?
Although the 10-22 was designed to invoke the image of US Carbines and even Mini-14 rifles, they are quite different. Yes, you could apply some bedding compound to the forend of the stock under the barrek, but the receiver doesn't lend itself to such treatment. Í
@@GunBlue490 Thank You for the swift reply! The barrel being unevenly supported by the stock is what always, not bothered me per se, but made me wonder if there was potential to be unlocked by eliminating that variable. Of course it's not a design that can be free floated and frankly for a .22lr it's probably a bit overkill to do so. As I mentioned, it was more for the experience of bedding than anything else. Thank You for all you share with us here! Take care Sir.
Barrels must vibrate consistently, with no external or differing influence. The reason for adding gas tube shims is to arrest movement of the gas tube and forend that rattle and disturb barrel vibrations, and it also provides clearance between the upper handguard. The M14 was designed around the Garand, but the gas system is quite different. In 1946, John Garand wrote an entire article to the NRA that described his methods of accurizing the rifle he designed. That article is available on line, and goes into the process in depth. Simply, the receiver must be stabilized, as in epoxy bedding, and the barrel must be relieved of any contact points. He stressed that the barrel will lengthen when heated, and that about .005" gap should be given between the length of the handguard barrel band to allow that to occur, or the barrel will bend upward increasingly. That's what I accomplished with the gas tube shims on the M1A, too.
I've always been interested in the M14 as I always wanted a "modernized" M1 Garand, but I always hear it's a problem bedding these guns because you can't disassemble them without ruining the bedding and losing accuracy. How accurate is that statement?
It's very inaccurate. I suppose I should do a video regarding the abuses that cause loose Garand style stocks. Oil and grease destroys wood. Yanking trigger guards out bends them and loosens the assembly, which is responsible for holding barrelled actions in place. These rifles are no more prone to looseness than walnut stocked Mausers made over 100 years ago. These same folks that slosh oil and dob grease everywhere would cause the ruination of a Holland and Holland made for the Royal Family. Much of what we hear from self proclaimed experts is hogwash that their grandfathers would cringe at.
@@GunBlue490 Makes sense. Videos on misconceptions and how to properly maintain a nicely bedded M14 would be nice, given that most people these days are used to AR-10 type guns so information on them is well understood but information on guns like the M14 is not. Something about older guns always tickled my fancy despite being a twentysomething youngster, so I always wanted an M14. I just would like to figure out how to get it as accurate as modern AR-10s and maintain it, given I always kept hearing it takes voodoo black magic to get M14s accurate and then any attempt at disassembling it or shooting too much will cause the bedding to be broken and have to get redone. Modernizing old guns is something I always liked. My favorite pistol is a custom 1911 I built off a Para Ordnance frame for extra capacity, my AR-15 is an A1 esque gun with a float tube and modern adjustable sling, and my shotgun is an 80's era SPAS-12. Would like to get an M14 there as well.
@@GunBlue490 The video I really want to see from you is how to maintain a rifle after it's been glass bedded. I'm far too incompetent to do it myself but my local gunsmith offers glass bedding as a service. My concern as an end user is to maintain the stock and keep zero because I keep hearing stories about how removing the action or shooting the action a lot will cause the bedding to break and lose accuracy and I would like to know tips on how to properly prevent that. Seems like a lot of that just comes down to lack of knowledge from people my age on the M14 platform, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
I bedded my Garand as you showed but have found that the trigger group will not latch onto the receiver, about 3 inches from being able to close and latch. I had the electrical tape tight around the action and stock. I removed all excess epoxy. Can something be done that will not ruin my bedding job?
Epoxy as I know it is damn near impossible to remove once cured, so why are people soo concerned with damaging their glass bedding by removing the action?
You are correct. Epoxy is extremely durable and will not change shape under compression. An epoxy bedded action may be removed repeatedly with no change in accuracy. I've dismantled glass bedded actions countless times with no change in accuracy. It's another of the popular myths that have gained traction in recent years..
Can you please stand from the roof top and shout "2 MOA is not bad"? There is an unrealistic (and unhealthy) obsession these days with precision shooting from a bench. There is nothing wrong with that, if that's the sport you are into...but it has no bearing on the ability to accurately shoot in the real world. it turns off people off from the sport because they think "Well I can't afford XYZ miracle rifle, so why bother."
No, 2 MOA is actually quite good for many rifles and ammo, and is certainly not bad. Though I enjoy the challenge of seeking whatever accuracy I can draw from a rifle, I've indeed spoken about real world accuracy in a particular video, entitled "How to have an accurate rifle ~ It's not what you might have been told". In that video, I specifically outlined the performance categories of different rifle types, so that folks may feel at ease with what they have. If you've watched my shooting videos, I almost always finish off with shooting from my hind legs. I certainly place the bench in its correct perspective. It's a necessary tool from which a rifle can be correctly sighted in, and for them to be tested with different ammo. One cannot correctly sight in a rifle without benefit of a bench or other suitable support. I agree that some folks don't spend enough time learning to shoot off their butts, but bench shooting is certainly not unhealthy, nor is it obsessive. You know that I've also done instructions on military position rifle and pistol shooting, if you've watched my videos, so no, my focus is not on benches. But, as long as folks desire to achieve in this world--and God made us competitive by nature--I will never suggest that folks stop seeking the means of attaining improved performance in their rifles, because it's certainly not a turn off to those desiring it, and those that don't aren't watching accuracy related videos, anyway. I have never met a person who was turned off from the sport of shooting because of accuracy, and in fact, some of the most accurate rifles on the planet are the least expensive and most affordable rifles being made. I am also here to inform those who desire to know, how to make their rifles shoot better, and that is certainly what my viewership attests to. God gave me many skills, and they are not mine to hoard, but are for me to share as long as I can. My purpose is to be a source of education, to be a coach, and instructor in things related to improving folks' understanding of guns so that they may have better enjoyment and fulfilment. We live in a strange new world where parents don't want their children to ranked competitively any more. Everyone now must be First Place, so that simply means that there's nothing to achieve. No, I'm not going to stand on the rooftop and hail mediocrity, any more than I'd want my child to be mediocre, or for every runner to receive a gold medal.
@@GunBlue490 I appreciate your thought-out comment and agree with it. I am not detracting or denigrating anyone who seeks accuracy, I am simply speaking of the endless drone of people who try and convince other from buy things like the M1A because ''it's inaccurate'' and they should instead buy a "SCAR/POF Wonder rifle here). I stand by my statement that there is an unhealth obsession with precision within (likely my age group/demographic) the shooting community. I am not saying shooting from the bench is bad, I am not saying anything that you addressed is bad or wrong. I am simply stating I see many people turned off or convinced against purchasing a perfectly good gun (that they can afford, and would get them shooting) because there is an unrealistic expectation of what 1) Is acceptable accuracy from a given platform and 2) anything other than ultra-precise rifles are good for fun/practice/home defense/ hunting etc. Nothing but respect for what you do and the lessons you provide. I am grateful and appreciate your freely giving of knowledge.
