Even budget priced rifles are now more accurate than the average hunter needs, and today’s precision rifles are better as delivered from the factory than many custom built guns produced just a few decades ago. This is good news if you just bought a gun, but what if your rifle is older or you just want the most accuracy it can deliver?
Rifle accuracy depends on many variables, but the most basic factor is how the barrel and action interface with the stock. A poor action-to-stock fit will cause even the best machined and trued gun to either loose its zero over time or never reach a reliable zero in the first place.
If you want to extract the most from your hunting rifle, the first basic step is to bed the action to the stock. This means you custom fit the two assemblies to prevent action movement when it is fired and ensure the stock does not push against the action in inconsistent ways.
You can custom bed your rifle at home with some simple gun smith tools and patience. While this is a bit more advanced a project than, say, mounting a scope, the average person can do it over a weekend. We found this concise, to the point video produced by Midway USA which teaches you the basics you need to know.
The one thing we’d add, which is not in this video, is to tape the stock with epoxy-proof masking tape where you don’t want the bedding compound to stick . This makes clean up much easier.
Other helpful stories you’ll like:
LocaCarnivore DIY: Pro Tips to Improve Your Rifle’s Long-Range Accuracy [Video]
LocaCarnivore Expert: Best Cartridge for Long-Range Elk [Virtual Test]
LocaCarnivore Expert: Best .338 Magnum (Showdown at the High-Power Corral)
