Pressure bedding tips

[pa257]

I have a M77 (tang safety) 16.5" barrel with a laminate stock in .270 win. The gun is great hunting rifle and I've killed a number of deer with it but I know this gun could shoot better. I was shooting the other day and I could get 1.5" groups with 130 gr seirra gamekings but when I swithced over to 130 gr branes XLC's I was getting 2 touching and one flyer, ~ 3". I repeated this pattern a couple of times and even the seirra's group was widened by a flyer. The action has been glass bedded but the barrel is not free floated. I'm thinking because the barrel is a short sporter it would be better to pressure bed the barrel vs. free-floating it. I've tightened up my 257 roberts simply by running buisness cards down the sides of my MKII but that gun was easy to find where the barrel was making contact, this gun makes contact pretty much down the entire lenght of the stock. Plus there is not a lot of stock material to play with by the forend for a free-float. Any tips for a dyi pressure bed or should I get the entire stock glass bedded? Thanks.

[stalkingbear]

I would try free floating the barrel first-you never know exactly what an individual rifle/barrel will respond and it'll help when you pressure bed anyway. To pressure bed,go ahead and build up pressure in amount rifle desires,be SURE and use plenty of release agent,and make "dam" in front and behind where you want to bed. I use modeler's clay for this. When you pull rifle apart,take out cardboard and dams.