Indians For Guns

Hi, In the process of getting a new stevens200 in 223,I believe its a Savage 110 without the accutrigger.
Supposedly a budget rifle.Thats why I picked it up, to play around with the stock,etc and modifications which wont go very OOOOUCH! on the wallet.
HAve a spare set of weaver mounts and a Nolan 1" rings which I intend using with a Burris 3-9x40 scope and generally use this rifle as a 'knock about' rifle.
I was wondering if anyone has tried 'skin bedding' the mounts with JB weld or some epoxy, to ensure better contact with the receiver?
I dont foresee any problem with the receiver or the mounts-bog standard stuff.All I know is many comp shooters skin bed the rings of the scope to ensure good, even contact with the tube.Going by today's cnc massproduction, even this wouldnt be a foreseeable problem,and I have a spare set of Warne's steel bases and rings if things get bugg***d.So what say,shall we give it a whirl?

Asif: I normally recommend doing it with Weaver mounts and heavy-recoiling calibers. In the past, Weaver mounts have been known to shear the screws on rifles in calibers such as .375 H&H, or other fast-stepping magnum cartridges. Though you never know whether the screws were tightened properly to begin with. Some 'smiths do it routinely as a precaution. It can't hurt.

It seems that in the '60s and '70s quite a few "Weaver" style mounts started to appear from other makers. Some of these had very hard and brittle screws that tended to break; others were soft enough to strip. Doesn't seem to be much of a problem anymore.

On a .223 there is no need for it. But if you do it, you have the assurance that it won't ever shoot loose.

Cheers.

Thanks Walt, I needed to do something , am down with a bad back, hurts wuss than bug*3ry, and the chiropractor added to the misery also have a picatinny rail, maybe I can get my Gunny to run an axial groove on it and use that? Its a rounded action I think.
not that a 223 really needs stiffening of the action...just 'time pass' as we would say in India, and a metal trigger guard to go?

Asif,

The Savage will surprise you. Put the piccatany on and mount the scope bases. I do not bed the mounts, but do lap the rings for an even fit. You should be able to get a lapping kit from the likes of Midway.
Start worrying about all these things once you can consistently get into the .3's. Until such time shoot, and improve your technique.

I know the feeling, havent been able to go to the range in over a month.
Hope you have an early recovery with the back.

Yup, been reading only good things about this stevens 200, MoA,
and a used 223 is harder to get than hen's teeth.Saw a couple of Tikka's for close to a 1000 bucks...and then this svelte stevens came my way and I snapped her up.Working up some loads, now I know how 'lesser used' rifles have 400 rounds thru them-I must have loaded 200 in 55, 69 and 75 gr before i stopped
Guess I was impressed with the 6 1/2lb weight and the neat looks and handling. My lapping kit is a 1" steel section and its trued for mounting, so hopefully should be ok with some 200-300grit paste.
As for mounts, will see how the weavers go, or move on to the Picatinny and see

Asif: Tell me about backs, you have my sympathy! As Billy C. said, "I feel your pain". And you never know when it will get you again. Have a speedy recovery.

Did you really buy a cheap rifle so you could spend more money on it improving it?

kind of hard to explain why a 223...I already have a great shooting 243 .There are a bunch of oldsters who regularly shoot what look like stock 223's out to 900 at my club.And I didnt want to break out the 6.5x284 for the 300m or less...basically.
Always been wanting to try out the 223,a largely misguided youth, reading about 5.56 tumblers et al and now I thought I should see for my self?And the stevens had good reports.
I have planned a bipod and sling, and a Ramline synthetic stock if I find the stock too flimsy, otherwise, no pimping.
The back? the same misguided youth where hang gliding and parachuting were more important than chasing blondes

Asif,
I've skin-bedded the Weaver-type bases to my IOF .30, the base radius was a 90% match with that of the receiver's, with perfect centre-line contact underneath, the skin-bed (same glass-bedding recipe) took care of the other areas and added the remaining 10% of contact! its a solid fit now and after quite a bit of knocking around and a half dozen boxes of ammo, hasn't shaken loose. Be sure to use good wax, I've been using carnauba car wax for years and never had a problem. Here's how I did mine, barreled action out of the stock with bolt and magazine removed, wax the receiver, 1 coat-let dry-buff lightly, 2nd coat-let dry-buff lightly and get some wax down into the screw holes if you can, also wax the base screws run them into the receiver holes and re-wax them again, roughen up the underside of the bases with a little 120-grit sandpaper, after doing this I use a little modeling clay to build up a "dam" around the edges of the base once its on the receiver before the epoxy goes on, this contains the epoxy around the base and gives it a superb fit apart from preventing the epoxy to flow into places you don't want it to once the bases are sanded up and de-greased with the clay dams in place, carefully apply a little epoxy to the receiver without letting it get into the holes, also apply some to the bases and carefully align them onto the receiver, if you can help it dont cover the screw holes on the bases too, this will flow once the screws are torqued, do one base at a time and once the whole thing is in place, allow for a full 24 hrs to cure, check the base screws turning them a quarter turn in and out within the first half hour of application to make sure they dont get locked up, then every hour or so for the next three hours. Once set and fully cured you'd probably need a phenolic hammer to get the bases off, but a light tap or two will do the job. You now have 100% contact with your receiver!

whoah, glad it was you Zuben!
Now I shall.Actually, all this started because I picked up two Weaver #46 bases-supposedly ok by one account, for fore and aft bases, and verboten by another account-says to use 46 and some other no.Cant be bothered to drive 240k with a bad back, so the idea.shall post pics if I have the camera around-my 4 year old has ideas of wild life photography with it, mainly the neighbours cat a fair exchange, as I borrow his modelling clay
It'll be 'funner', if I can get some dednutz base/mount setup in time, no dealer here and I hope the dept of commerce doesnt have its arcane laws about rings and bases.Are you using talcum or iron powder? what i have for this is a tube of liquid metal automotive repair -worlds finest etc etc-snake oil marketing-but like i told Walt earlier, no plans of pimping up this project.a 223 is not a 416, hopefully where shear forces on the bases are involved.

Hooray, dednutz ships, no taklifs!