Harris vs. Atlas bipod

[ray1970]

From my Internet research, it really isn't the quality of the base that has to do with the need to bed it. It's more about inconsistencies with Remington's machining tolerances on the receiver.

I'll check the fit and post up pictures when I reach that point.
Is the Seekins base steel? I don't really want an aluminum one.

[Delfuego]

Seekins bases are 7075 ALU. Seekins Rings & Bases are GTG and the right price for sure. Badger is good stuff too, but near twice the price.
I have never had any issue with aluminum, all of mine have been aluminum. Also blue Loctite and a torque wrench are your friends...

[Tim K]

It costs almost nothing to bed the base. Wax the receiver and the bottom of the base and put a skim coat of Devcon or whatever down. Torque it and forget it.

[Hoser]

Is the Seekins base steel? I don't really want an aluminum one.

Steel vs aluminum base is no big deal. I actually prefer aluminum so I can save a touch of weight.

[ray1970]

I'm not terribly concerned with the weight savings. I don't plan on carrying it any further than from the truck to the firing line.

I'm just quirky in a lot of ways.

In my mind it doesn't make sense to bolt a piece of aluminum to a steel receiver because both metals expand and contract at different rates as temperatures change.

In the real world it probably doesn't matter. But in my mind it's just one more variable I can eliminate that could possibly cause some sort of POI shift or cause shots to string.

[Hoser]

In the real world it probably doesn't matter.

Nope. Not in the least.

Pay more attention to the wind and a good clean trigger break.

[ray1970]

I do the majority of my shooting at CRC. It's never windy out there.

[Tim K]

Aluminum coefficient of expansion is roughly 12X10^-6 in/in°F. Steel is about half that at 6X10^-6 in/in°F.

Assuming the rail is 6" long and the temp change from when you installed it to some heated state is 60°F, the aluminum rail will expand 0.0043". The steel barrel will expand 0.0021". Theoretical slip is 0.002" or so. A delta of 60° is pretty huge. You'd have to have assembled it at 70°F and be shooting at 130°F, but it's not impossible.

I was surprised to see the numbers that large. It's still irrelevant, but I'd agree about wanting a steel rail. Theoretical sources of error keep me awake at night.

[ray1970]

Theoretical sources of error keep me awake at night.

Lol. I'm not quite that bad. But I figure if I need a base anyways I might as well do all I can to help eliminate as many of the variables as I can. That way if my shots are off I'll know the error is most likely the idiot running the trigger.

[Spdu4ia]

What Tim said and same here but I run an al base. Bedded with the jb weld method. So thin it's almost non existent. Hoser is right though I got more out of my shooting by trigger time and learning as much as I could about wind than the variable of metal expansion however minute it is.