RE: free floating barrells
 

I've learned to be careful with the idea of free floating barrels. This may, or may NOT, help your individual rifle, especially if your rifle barrel has a light sporter profile.

I've got a Winchester Modle 70 Featherweight .243, one of the push feed specimens that was made just before they re-introduced the Classic with the Mauser claw extractor. It shot like crap out of the box, 2" - 3" groups. I adjusted the trigger, then free floated the barrel myself,m and it settled right down. It will now print 1" or better if I do my part.

On the other hand. I had a Ruger M77 MkII in .30-06. It wouldn't shoot consistently with any load I tried. One group would be 7/8", the next would be 3", with the very same handload and back-to-back. It dorve me nuts; I free floated the barrel and the groups went to a consistent 4-5" pattern. I then had my gunsmith bed the barrel channel, and it would do the one great group, one crappy group thing, barrel cool, barrel hot, you name it. I treid everything. I finally sold the gun to let someone else figure it out.

Each individual rifle is different. The physics behind the harmonics is sufficiently complex to be beyond my comprehension. Many rifles (Rugers in particular) shoot their best when there is a pressure point at the end of the barrel channel. This seems to apply more when the barrel is light and tapered. Heavier barrels tend to be stiffer and will often shoot better floated.

You may just need to experiment and see what works best on your rifle.

RE: free floating barrells
 

Free floating came up many years ago with target shooters as an idea to help cool your barrel,they tried to helpl get better groups. In some cases free floating will help ones accuracy.Generally manufactors do it because the general public belives this and it cuts down productiion costs. There are many factors to accuracy,and i belive that a good inletted barrel and action is still the way to go. All barrels are different just like woman! vangunsmith

RE: free floating barrells
 

Free floated barrels aren't more accurate. However, free floating provide more consistency. You are speaking of Remington's in particular. Of the better than 30 Remington's that I've owned only one shot tighter groups with the fore-end pressure, & the problem was that everytime I was going to use the rifle I checked the zero which I still do. After 3-4 months with no use the POI would shift a little and I would have to adjust zero. After floating the barrel and bedding the action my groups did enlarge a little but in the past 3 years when veryfying zero I have made no adjustments to the scope. This rifle I only use for deer & feral hogs and use the same reload religously.

RE: free floating barrells
 

What do you mean by "good inletted barrel and anction"? Are you saying you should glass bed the action and free float the barrel.....or not?

firstshot
-----------------------------------
Make your first shot count!

RE: free floating barrells
 

Well....that says enough for me. I will definitely free float the barrel. If worse comes to worse, I can always go back and add a pressure point if needed.

Thanks
firstshot
----------------------------------------
Make your firsts shot count!

RE: free floating barrells
 

Firstshot,
I'm gonna' guess here that you're referring to that new Rem 700 Mtn LSS 7MM-08 that you just acquired. I'm pasting from your comments in another post regarding your
first trip to the range, and the accuracy you got:


Grn 100Yd Group
39.5..........1.013
40.0..........0.852
40.5..........1.212...(two almost touching - one flyer)
41.0..........0.610
41.5..........0.932
42.0..........1.226....(two touching - one flyer)
42.5..........1.238
43.0..........2.034....(This was definately me..not the gun)

Avg...........1.140
Best group was .610

Now, why would you mess with that? That's damn good accuracy for a new rifle.
Remember the old addage, IF IT AIN'T BROKE - DON'T FIX IT!!!

Well, your rig, so gamble if you must. Good luck. :eek:

RE: free floating barrells
 

Virginia7

Yep, I'm talking about the new LSS 7MM-08, and I hear ya, I hear ya....and I know you're probably right, but I just can't help myself. If I'm getting 2"groups, I want 1", if I'm getting 1", I want 1/2". When I get it shooting the way I want with 1 bullet, then just got to find others that shoot the same way.

I don't know, some guys (maybe a lot of guys) buy a lot of guns. I'm more of a one gun kind of guy (one 22, one shotgun, one muzzleloader, one rifle) and I want that one gun to be the best it can be, and I want to know that gun like it's part of me.

You know the old saying........beware the guy with one gun.....da da, da da, da da, da da.

firstshot
-----------------------------------
Make your first shot count.

RE: free floating barrells
 

Its one of those things that happens when buying a commercial production model. Every gun is different (even in the same model) and in order to keep the costs down they tend to leave little things like free floating barrels and bedding up to the individual and his tolerences.
Even a commercial made gun that comes pillar bedded and free floated although more accurate is still probably not shooting to its full potential
It is just my opinion, but I think the guns come off the line too fast that nobody has the time to properly troubleshoot every rifle with a dial indicator.
No commercial manufacturer is going to make sure that the action is bottomed perfectly against the supporting surfaces of the stock and make sure it does not bind along the side of the action channel.
No company is going to make sure that the epoxy did not shrink.
The most they will do is probably is make sure the action screws are tightened.
If a person wants these he can either pay a gunsmith to do it or get a custom built.
Personally I agree with freefloating and glass bedding rifles I just wouldn't trust them that it would be done right.

RE: free floating barrells
 

i believe it's Ed Brown Custom rifles that does this.anyway they believe in full contact stocks on their web page they claim it allows the rifle to shoot any weight bullet more accurately.

RE: free floating barrells
 

firstshot,

If you're getting groups like that with a lightweight hunting rifle, chances are you're only going to make it worse by f*cking with it. If you want 1/2" groups, buy or build a target rifle. Just MHO.

Don