PAhunter

Free floating is the term that describes the fact that no part of the forestock is touching the barrel. Therefore, there will be no pressure points on the barrel when it heats and expands which theoretically could cause slight misalignment and affect accuracy. That said, the theory applies best to a heavy barrel and in some cases some slight upward pressure at the front of the forestock, as GTBuzz said, can be a good thing. This is often the case in a lighter barrel or, in particular, a tapered flutted barrel. I had an opposite experience to GTBuzz with a model 70 7mm.08 that was shooting all over the place (honest, it wasn' t me). There was a severe pressure point and now after grinding it out and it being free floated, it shoots just fine. Each gun has its own character and personality and often it' s a trial & error thing until you get it right. That' s my read on it anyways. g.g.