I have come to the conclusion that we don't often consider all the little things that add up to a big difference. For example the Mountaineer comes with a free floating barrel. It may be a little thing that we don't think about but I feel it makes a difference in accuracy. Do you guys think a free floating barrel makes a difference accuracy wise and cost wise. Is it a feature that is worth paying a little more for ?

i free floated the forearm on my optima and it didnt do anything for accuracy. I left my new optima factory.

With the full stocks like on the mountaineer and other muzzys, im sure it can help a great deal. Worked wonders on that winchester x150 i had years ago + on many other of my rifles.

I wouldnt pay for it personally, especially since it doesnt involve having to do much to get your barrel free floated.

The Thompson Center Black Diamond and Black Diamond XR were one of the first (that I am aware of) free floating barrel. Did it make a difference? Well my Black Diamond XR is one of the best shooting muzzleloaders I own. Is it best shooting because it is free floating? Who knows. Maybe it is so accurate because it is a Thompson Center. So if it worth paying extra for free floating barrels? Some people think so.

Guns are like women, what turns one on doesn't do anything for another...

I'd say free floating helps wood stocked guns shoot more consistently due to stock warpage but I've also seen more forearm pressure improve groups as well...

Chet, How does the trigger on that Mountaineer compare to the triggers on your other Knight rifles?
As far as the free floating barrels, I have had people tell me both ways. Some say free floating is best because changes in heat and humidity won't cause a difference in stock pressure against the barrel. Others I know add some bedding to the end of their stock to intentionally put pressure on the barrel. I guess I think you just do what works, I have sanded down the stock when it was hitting one side of the barrel and not the other and that has helped for me. If a gun wasn't shooting the best putting some shims at the end of the stock to put some pressure there might be one of the things I would try.
One more thing. How do you like your new Mountaineer Chet???
Art

OK Chet, just my opinion...

Free floating a barrel does not achieve the best accurracy in the world. A barrel and stock that is properly inletted or bedded will normally have better accuracy over a larger amount of varibles.

But, free floating is cretainly better than an ill fitting barrel to stock combination. Most manufacturers moved to the free float as a way to recuce the cost of producing a completed gun. In the old days most good gun companies took the time to fit (inlet) the barreled action to the wood stock. Some even went as far as actually bedding the barreled action.

Again just my thougts...

i've bedded the actions and floated the barrels on a couple hundred centerfire rifles. Accuracy improved in all but a few cases. Floated the barrels and bedded the actions on my two CVA muzzleloaders. Both are more accurate.

Methinks a floated barrel is worth some additional expense even though it costs the maker nothing to make the barrel channel bigger. Glassing the action would require another ten minutes labor.

Art: the trigger is really nice, probably the nicest of any gun I own

I don't think that a free floating barrel always makes the rifle a better shooter. I agree with you that it is an upgrade because the maker has to take care when he attachs the stock. No doubt about that. However I have seen alot of barrels with the proper tip pressure that shot perfectly. And I have also seen many barrels if bedded properly that also shot very well. For example, I fullly bed my Encore barrels. And have seen a marked improvement in accuracy.

I know my Knight LRH is not free floated. I have the heavy laminated stock with the left hand palm swell(that I really like). And my LRH barrel is fully bedded along the entire stock. I know that it shows alot of detail for Knight to have made the stock with the left hand palm swell. They are the only mfrs. I have ever known to do that!! I can tell they took some time with the barrel fitting on my rifle. Or else I just got really really really lucky??

So whether it is free floated, or properly bedded it does show a tendency for a finer built rifle. However free floating is not always the best choice. Just an opinion. Tom.

Free floating is the EASY way with most stocks. In a VERY highend stock, i prefer a full length bedding job. All of mine but two are free floating. Two of those have some bedding work. Then i have 2 with full length bedding and they are a tad more accurate.

The high end stocks with full length aluminum bedding blocks for the action do float the barrel but the block extends into the forearm sides to make the entire stock more rigid...such as a B&C Medalist stock.

IMO a lot depends on application and potential weather conditions that can effect some type of stock materials more than others.