I ALWAYS bed my bases to the receiver with JB weld
quick explanation
wax the top of your receiver with Kiwi clear shoe polish if you want to take it off easily, some just glue the base on the receiver without a release agent, heat will turn the epoxy to powder if you ever need to remove.
to start screw the base down using only the two front screws if it's a 700 receiver, check the rear, normally there will be a gap under the rear hence the need for bedding, if it's a break action skip that part, you just want a quick idea of the fit.
next clean the bottom of the base with alcohol, stick the screws in and put a little tape over them so they don't fall out when you flip it over to apply the epoxy
mix a small amount of JB and apply a bead around the outside edges of the base and a thin line in between the screws.
flip it over and start the front screw first in the receiver/ barrel and move toward the rear, you want to slightly snug the screws on the front of a 700 action, take the rear down til you feel slight resistance and then back off slightly, on a break gun start all screws evenly.
use q-tips and alcohol to clean up what squeezes out.
do not forget this part:
remove screws one at a time and brush off with a toothbrush and alcohol to remove JB from the threads, take a q-tip dipped in alcohol and clean out the hole and threads and re apply the screws one at a time tightening to the same point as before.
after it dries 24 hours remove the screws one at a time and apply blue thread locker, i torque my screws to 25 in lbs IF they are cromoly screws, if the are stainless don't go past 20 or they stand a chance of breaking ( been there)
some say there is no need to bed? I disagree, bedding removes all the slack and keeps the base from vibrating, still with heavy loads and bullets the screws can loosen (also from experience)
I highly recommend to bed on a 700 receiver, they are notorious for being mismatched front to back, hence the need to bed just to keep the rail flat.
I would also recommend if you plan to shoot the big stuff go ahead and just glue it on and skip the wax.
to add:
on a new build if it's a 700 receiver I would also highly recommend opening the receiver base holes up to 8-40, they are a much stronger screw and substantially lessen the chances of shearing them off ( I have also witnessed that first hand, again, heavy loads)
many manufacturers offer bases in either 6-48 or 8-40 screws, Hank's rails are made that way, also his rails have a stop machined in that contacts the receiver stopping it from moving forward, Seekins, NightForce and others offer the same.
