Just some food for thought for some of our residents here... I thought I'd see what the current opinion is on free-floating and glass bedding Standard/sporter weight rifles?
The reason for the question is that I picked up a Ruger Mark II M77 .30-06 as a gift for my best man in my impending wedding (since he likes MINE so much). I'm a bit excited about breaking out the dremel and the bedding compound this weekend to free-float the barrel and glass bed the action before I give it to him.
Then I remembered some of the "old timers" tales that the stock on sporters SHOULD touch the barrel, to dampen the "whip" of lightweight barrels.
A ruger Mark II M77 .30-06 just like this one was my first deer rifle I bought when I was 15. Then about 12-13yrs ago I got the urge to start doing stock bedding work, so I decided to practice on that rifle. It was already a 1MOA rifle with factory ammo, and I didn't notice much change, but at least I knew I didn't HARM the accuracy on my first bedding job. At that time I called Ruger and they claimed that the barrel should already be factory free-floated (yeah right!), so the stock shouldn't NEED to be free-floated... So at least I knew Ruger's didn't "Pre-load" their sporter stocks.
It's been probably 6months since I did any bedding work, so I just thought I'd pass on my excitement, and maybe chew the fat about the benefits, or lack there-of, of free floating and bedding a sporterweight rifle?
I like to bed and float my sporters. Changes in temp, humidity, altitude, etc. can have an effect on the pressure from the pad at the front of the stock. Shooting from a rest or with a tight sling can also change the pressure. It may not make the rifle more accurate, but it should help make it more consistent.
When you float it, make it a big float (my opinion), not a 1-dollar-bill float. You probably won't need to bed any of the barrel, mebbe the first few inches if you wanted. Then shoot it and if it doesn't shoot well, put some aluminum foil between the stock and barrel to figure out if and where to add more bedding (probably right in the very front of the stock if necessary--"speed bump").
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Been doing this for many years and it has been very consistent. I bed the action, especially the front near the recoil lug very solid, and the back bearing surface, but not the middle or rail part of the action. Also bed the first 2-3" of barrel and leave the rest floated. I have yet to bed a sporter rifle in this manner that did not shoot moa or better. With a Ruger, I like to leave the area in front of that angled guard screw/recoil lug open. Actually, with any recoil lug, I leave some space around the bottom, sides, and front of the lug, and just have it bear solidly at the back. JME
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I know you are anxious to tear into that rifle, but I would take a cautious approach. Shoot it first. Check it with several loads. If the accuracy with the factory setup is not acceptable, you might then conside rebedding, floating, etc. If it will shoot approximately 1 moa, I would leave it alone. It will probably improve some when the barrel breaks in, or with other loads. In a public forum what one hears is "do what I did, it is great". What one does not hear is "I totally screwed it up".
Let me see if I understand "free floating barrel" right,if I slip a dollar bill under the barrel I should be able to slide the bill from the action"out the end" of the foregrip? Am I coorrect?
I watched a couple videos on you tube about bedding the action a few guys used an epoxy called DEVCON & others said you can use MARINETEX what do you guys use?
I watched a couple videos on you tube about bedding the action a few guys used an epoxy called DEVCON & others said you can use MARINETEX what do you guys use?
You can use most epoxies, but you have to have something as a release agent, like a wax. I've used Acraglas Gel the most. The kit has everything you need, and it is not as runny as the original acraglas. Brownells has it, but other places probably do as well.
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The difference between genius and insanity is that genius has its limits!
I watched a couple videos on you tube about bedding the action a few guys used an epoxy called DEVCON & others said you can use MARINETEX what do you guys use?
Floating and Bedding Sporters?
Just what works for me.
