"bedding" the breach plug y/n?

[bob in the woods]

I admit to epoxy/glass bedding the breach plug on many of my guns. Did it on the 10 bore Chambers N.E. fowler, and my .62 E. Marshall  [ now my moose rifle } I use the fowler all the time, as an example,and The breach area takes a pounding, not to mention the rain, snow, in and out of the house, etc.
Some I've talked to consider this a no go; while others do it routinely. I'm wondering what the consensus is here? I noticed that the tang on my .40 flintlock is a bit proud of the wood today [ just got back from a match at our club ] and am considering what advantage bedding the breach might have for target shooting, since recoil isn't an issue .
Thanks

[Glenn]

"Period correct" is one thing, if that matters to you.  Obviously the modern method of glass bedding is just that; "modern".

My opinion is, if it's YOUR rifle and you want (or need, or both) to bed the barrel and doing so will help improve your personal objective(s), by all means do so.  It's as simple as that.

[Pete G.]

I think it's a good idea, especially on a heavy recoiling piece that is intended to be used. It both seals and reinforces the end grain of the wood.

[Gaeckle]

Sometimes I bed them, sometimes I don't........depends on the situation.

[rich pierce]

There's not that much evidence of recoil breaking stocks on longrifles.  Most stocks breaking anywhere around the breech/tang/lock mortise seems to be due to a blow to the top of the buttstock. I think glass bedding of MLs is a carryover from centerfire practices.  Often there, the whole recoil is transferred to the breech.  On a longrifle, the whole barrel is squeezed by the forestock.  Less % force transferred directly to the breech are and recoil is perhaps slower as well.

Or maybe I'm doing all that reasoning because I dislike modern stuff on muzzleloaders.

[t.caster]

Standard operating procedure in my shop. PC or NOT!
 I think it "may help" prevent cracks, but I know it prevents wood chips from barrel removal & reinstalling. That's good enough for me!

Now we are only talking about bedding the breech area, NOT the whole barrel! I don't do that.

[flintriflesmith]

If you are going to glass bed the breech, go ahead and use an expoxy resin finish, get a stainless steel barrel, coil spring lock, depleted uranium flints, etc. Come to think of it just get a plastic stock. 


Gary

[bob in the woods]

Well, I guess that would be a "  no" from Gary     Interesting, though, since Contemporary is a category , and I've seen some really strange stuff being made. Anyway, the fellow I learned a little bit from bedded all his breachplugs as standard practice.  I don't do it much these days, the .40 being an example.
Every TVM gun that's been through my shop was bedded,  [ I checked them! ] so I guess it's not an isolated practice.  Thanks for the replies. Favoring the traditional ways, I will abandon my wickedness and reform

[dannybb55]

Here's my 2 bits about epoxy, wood and metal. Metal moves very little compared to wood. It is impossible to keep wood from moving with goo. The wood will shed the joint a few cell thicknesses back leaving a photo of the wood on the plastic. If you need to shore up the joint use pitch or Dolfinite or linseed varnishes and linen strips. At work we use epoxy by the gallon and feed sacks of garamite and glass bubbles. Our rough sawn construction lumber is Honduran Mahogany and White Oak and we use it by the truckload. Epoxy is good for laminating beams, repairing cracks and temporarily repairing weakened wood but if you want it to stay put then run some bolts or screws through the joint and keep your joints tight. Every time that we bring a big yacht in we have to deal with failed epoxy joints and delamination.
 Sound wood with plenty of varnish and oil is all that our rifles need to stay healthy, that and don't measure your powder with a measuring cup.

[smylee grouch]

There are alot of different opinions on this topic for sure and I kinda ride the fence here, for bulls eye shooters building a target gun I dont object too much and for gluing in wood where wood has been chiped out or otherwise disapears I would use it but it sure dont look OK on a nicely done longrifle just to cover up goofups. Maybe some one can do a tuatorial on fixing those goofups with out the use of the modern metods.   Smylee

[bob in the woods]

Goof ups / repairs etc wasn't part of my original question, but, since it's come up;  I've never been a fan of epoxies for that.   Hide glue or yellow glue [ eg.  Titebond ] has worked better for me.

[smylee grouch]

My apologies Bob in the Woods for wandering off topic towards the end of my post,   Smylee