"HCR's bedding department is truly unique," Matt said. "Hector Herrera and his sister, Irene, have each bedded over 10,000 bolt-action rifles over the last 20 years. As a team, they will pillar bed over 800 rifles this year alone. Those two know just about everything there is to know about bedding an action into a stock. And because we accurize so many different factory rifles as opposed to specializing in, say, Remington, our bedding expertise is unmatched in the custom firearms industry.

The key to Hill Country’s exceptional accuracy is the bedding. Technicians take the time to do it right, and they even bed the floorplate.

"You can true and square the action, install the best barrel in a great stock, and cut the chamber with the best reamer, but if there is a flaw in the bedding, the rifle will not shoot tight groups. A rifle may appear to be properly bedded, but if there is contact between the barrel and stock, contact between the bolt handle or trigger and the stock, or the magazine box is jammed between the floorplate and the receiver, no rifle will shoot up to its potential."

If Hill Country's emphasis on bedding seems a bit over the top, consider that the purpose of bedding is to achieve a perfect stock-to-metal fit that ensures there is no harmonic influence on a free-floating barrel. Perfect bedding means the receiver has to be bedded in perfect alignment with the floorplate, the magazine box must have room to float between the receiver and the floorplate, and nothing should come into contact with the stock that is not intended to touch it. In short, perfect bedding eliminates a lot of variables and greatly ups the odds of a rifle delivering tack-driving accuracy.

Hill Country's bedding starts out like any other. First, HCR threads aluminum pillars into the action at the front and rear action screws. Next, a liberal coating of bedding compound that has been dyed to match the stock is applied and the action is pressed down into the stock. The action/stock screws are then tightened down and the entire action is cleaned up before being put aside long enough for the bedding to cure.

Once the bedding cures, HCR's gunsmiths perform a couple of steps that most gunsmiths omit. First, they bed the floorplate. This is a simple step that ensures there is no torque on the action, but surprisingly few gunsmiths do it.

Next, the person who bedded the rifle test-fires it. While many gunsmiths make accuracy claims, HCR's 100-yard underground range allows the technicians to prove their claims and catch any problems before the gun goes back to a customer. Consequently, they do not pay out on their money-back guarantee very often.

HCR's Basic Accurizing Package
Unlike many custom gunsmiths, Hill Country still does general gunsmithing work. The company's accuracy package is its most popular service. Hill Country's accuracy package starts with pillar bedding. Once the bedding is complete, gunsmiths clean and adjust the trigger and recrown the barrel. A good trigger makes any rifle easier to shoot, and a clean, concentric crown ensures even pressure on the base of the bullet. Next, they lap the scope rings. Few scope rings are concentric from the factory, a problem that can cause crushed scope tubes or scope slippage, neither of which is conducive to accuracy. Finally, they lap the action's locking lugs to get the most engagement of each lug. While the bedding is the key to any rifle meeting Hill Country's accuracy guarantee, these additional steps all improve accuracy.