Chris; On a rifle with primary and secondary recoil lugs, I bed both and the area between them. If this causes a problem, I then build up a pressure pad at the forend tip and try that. I've not had a rifle fail to shoot by either bedding the recoil lugs or adding a pressure pad, thus I've never tried full length bedding. As you said, it's good practice. Keep working on your stock. I've done a bunch of re-works to learn and experiment with finishing techniques. If you really screw it up, you can always have a real stocker fix it or get a new stock. Have fun and good shooting.