Glass bed an HS Precision stock?

[grousemaster]

I recently upgraded my 700 VTR .308 from the plastic SPS stock to an HS Precision (take off from a PSS). Seems to fit good, and it looks good...but my accurracy has not improved...it's actually slipped.

I went from shooting sub MOA out to 500 yds with the plastic stock to just over MOA. I'm at about 1" at 100 yds but that slips to 3" at 225 and 7'' at 500. I know it wasn't just a bad range day because I went back to the range today to confirm the grouping issues after thinking about it for a couple days. I also noticed that when I return to zero my zero has shifted a 1/2" or so. I know it's not the scope because it's tracking fine and has been flawless (it's a Leupold).

Not knowing what to do, I drove th rifle straight to Palmer at Gunstop West. He is going to look for any fitting issues, etc. Has anyone ever glass bedded an HS Precision? I know that HS says not to, and it voids the warranty (not worried about it, I got the stock fairly cheap from a good friend). I'm just at a loss and I think bedding the action may be my only choice....any thoughts?

I've been shooting only 168 Federal GMM....it ain't the ammo....

[hunterfreakhd]

This

Um, if you have a sub MOA rifle at 500 yards I wouldn't touch a thing.

[grousemaster]

This

Um, if you have a sub MOA rifle at 500 yards I wouldn't touch a thing.

Salt in my wounds, why? lol. That quote from yuppiejr has been running through my head since noticing the slip in acurracy...over and over again. Many other people told me that if it's shooting well with the SPS stock, it will probably shoot 1/2 MOA with a full bedding block. HS guarantees 1/2 MOA with their stocks...but it can't be just the stock, my buddies action drove tacks in it. Conventional knowledge told me that moving from a cheapy stock to an HS Precision couldn't possibly hurt my accuracy, yet here I sit scratching my head.

Has anyone here glass bed over an aluminum bedding block?

[hunterfreakhd]

Does the bedding block exactly line up with the barrel down the middle of the stock? That quote just stuck out in my head when I first read your post.I figured someone had to say it if not me someone would've.

[grousemaster]

Does the bedding block exactly line up with the barrel down the middle of the stock? That quote just stuck out in my head when I first read your post.I figured someone had to say it if not me someone would've.

The bedding block and everything with the stock looks straight....I'm thinking maybe my action is slightly out of spec? I know these stocks and actions are built within tolerances, so that does leave some room for error I suppose...but I'm not experienced in this sort of thing.

[hunterfreakhd]

I found a good conversation about this http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthr ... er=2921453

Towards the bottom of the page are some good things to check.
I hope this helps.

[grousemaster]

I found a good conversation about this http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthr ... er=2921453

Towards the bottom of the page are some good things to check.
I hope this helps.

Thanks. I did some more surfing on that forum. Looks like some guys have realized major improvements after bedding and others have shown no improvement...but nobody lost accuracy by bedding. I'll see what the smith says and probably glass bed it unless he finds something else wrong that can be remedied.

[WolfTrack]

Skim bedding my Rem 700 Sendero did help me:

It had opened up to a 1 1/2 inch gun from sub-1 inch with factory loads with Nosler Ballistic tips.

I cleaned out a lot of copper fouling and evenly torqued the action screws. There was a SLIGHT improvement.

I was working for a gunsmith at the time, so he guided me through. He applied some layout fluid to the rifle's action and torqued it into the stock before it dried. We took it out and he showed me how much (rather how little) contact there really was between the action and action block in the stock.

He then guided me through skim bedding. We re-did the layout fluid test, and there was a HUGE difference. There was now more complete, if not full, contact between the action and stock.

After all settled, and everything evenly torqued, the rifle is about half MOA with the same loads. It's even better with handloads too.

YMMV

[grousemaster]

Skim bedding my Rem 700 Sendero did help me:

It had opened up to a 1 1/2 inch gun from sub-1 inch with factory loads with Nosler Ballistic tips.

I cleaned out a lot of copper fouling and evenly torqued the action screws. There was a SLIGHT improvement.

I was working for a gunsmith at the time, so he guided me through. He applied some layout fluid to the rifle's action and torqued it into the stock before it dried. We took it out and he showed me how much (rather how little) contact there really was between the action and action block in the stock.

He then guided me through skim bedding. We re-did the layout fluid test, and there was a HUGE difference. There was now more complete, if not full, contact between the action and stock.

After all settled, and everything evenly torqued, the rifle is about half MOA with the same loads. It's even better with handloads too.

YMMV

That's the type of happy ending I was hoping to hear about...hope my story ends the same

[bulletproof]

Have you shot it without a stock?

[grousemaster]

Have you shot it without a stock?

No. Why would I?

[bulletproof]

Have you shot it without a stock?

No. Why would I?

To see how it shoots with a free floated barrel and no stock contact on the receiver. Basically a board, two long bolts, a few washers, sandbags and remote trigger.

[grousemaster]

Have you shot it without a stock?

No. Why would I?

To see how it shoots with a free floated barrel and no stock contact on the receiver. Basically a board, two long bolts, a few washers, sandbags and remote trigger.

Interesting....the mouse is on the proverbial wheel...

[grousemaster]

Picked up the rifle today, apparently there were a couple of high spots on the aluminum bedding block that needed to be relieved. I'll let you know how it shoots

[goalie]

FWIW, the first thing I would have done was to put it back into the original stock and see if it went back to sub MOA at 500 yards. Then you KNOW it is the stock, or how the stock is bolted to your action. (I don't know if you use a torque wrench etc....)

I knew a guy who switched stocks, had an issue with accuracy like you did, and several weeks and dollars later found out that it was a scope mount issue......