driftrider

With a high quality, properly stress relieved barrel free floating is generally advantageous as it removes the stock as a variable from the accuracy equation. With somewhat lower quality, mass produced barrels (like Remingtons), putting a stock pressure point on the barrel helps ensure that even a not so good barrel shoots fairly well, accomplishing a certain median level of accuracy from all rifles produced. This prevents large variations in accuracy from one rifle to the next. The rifles blessed with better than average barrels might actually shoot worse than their potential with a pressure point and would benefit from being free-floated. If the rifle has a below average barrel, however, removing the pressure point might make it actually shoot worse.

In Remington's case, they are doing an end-run around barrel quality control while still producing decent shooting rifles at less cost. The manufacturers that free float their barrels at the factory do so to benefit accuracy and, I would argue, as an indication of their confidence in the quality of their barrels. This is something I think about a lot when I buy a rifle.

Mike