Free Float?

accubond · Jun 8, 2009

I was wondering if anybody has had any luck free floating a Remington 700 with a wood stock? I shoot hand loads out of my .338 RUM and my first test loads shot on a low humidity day were 7/8" (3 shots @ 100 yds.). I went out yesterday on a high humidity day and my groups opened up to about 2" which could be my mechanics but I cant help but think that the humidity may have changed the pressure on my barrel. I did some research and they say that Remington comes factory with a few pounds of pressure at the tip. Also, is just floating without glass bedding the action effective or are both necessary to get the best results. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never has and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

RELH · Jun 8, 2009

You can try free floating the barrel without going to a full glass bed job and see if it works. Remove enought wood to allow a strip of typewriter paper to slide down the barrel channel from tip to about 2 inches in front of receiver with the barrel-action tighten down in the stock.

Once this is done, you must seal that barrel channel to prevent it absorbing moisture and swelling.

Coat the barrel channel with Tru-Oil or Lin-Speed oil and let it dry, about 24 hours. Do this about 3-4 coats to make sure it is sealed and test fire for group.

Most factory wood stocks are not sealed enought to prevent moisture-swelling problems and this may have happen to your stock. Beware that some rifles also shoot better with 4-8 pounds of pressure near the foreend tip.

If it comes down to having to also glass bed the receiver, you would be wise to fully glass bed the barrel channel to fully seal it from moisture. You just use tape on the barrel to give floating clearence once the tape is removed after the glass beding sets.

RELH

JMUPT · Jun 8, 2009

I had the same issue with a remington 700 mountain rifle, I tried to sand out the barrel channel to free float the barrel but it seemed like no matter how much I sanded the barrel would still be tight against the wood in places. So I just took a business card and made a shim and placed it under the recoil lug, put the gun back together and the barrel was floated. I took the gun out and shot a ragged 1 hole group at 100yds with the same ammo that was shooting a 2" group before the shim. I will get around to glass bedding at some point but for now the gun shoots great.

sageadvice · Jun 8, 2009

JMUPT, concluded; "... I will get around to glass bedding at some point but for now the gun shoots great."

Glad that worked for you but i don't believe using paper for a shim is a very good idea. For any number of reasons, i'd do/have done that bedding job sooner than later.

Joey

RELH · Jun 8, 2009

LAST EDITED ON Jun-09-09 AT 00:31AM (MST)[p]Sooner or later, that paper business card is going to compress and you are back to square one. Just hope it does not do it on a hunting trip and the shot of a lifetime on a trophy animal.
I would use a very thin strip of that business card as a shim under the lug, and glass bed the lug and under the receiver and you will not have to worry about it later compressing and throwing your shots off.

RELH

shootinfool · Jun 9, 2009

Well using a buisness card to "float" the barrel makes absolutely no sense at all. the whole purpose of "floating" a barrel is to releive any and all pressure points that a poorly fitted stock creates on the barrel. Every time something is putting pressure on the barrel it is changing the harmonics of the barrel which can change the groups the gun will shoot. Usually when bedding an action in a wood stock it is a good idea to pillar bed the gun and bed the action. while bedding the action and the recoil lug most will bed the first inch and a half to two inches of the barrel channel for support. But other than doing this there should be no other contact between the barrel and the stock. putting a buisness card under the front would releive one pressure point with another one and makes no sense. I would also put your barrel and action on an upward slope and could cause problems there too. When that card squishes down eventually it will leave one of your pillar screws loose and cause accuracy issues there as well.

JMUPT · Jun 9, 2009

Ok let me clarify a few things, my advice was not meant to be a permanent solution. It was an idea to try to see if it would help tighten up a group. The gun in question does not get shot much, it's never been in the field. I was about to sell it due to poor groups but now I see it has great potential. I wouldn't dream of taking it on a hunt with out bedding it first. It was a simple idea to try, before investing time and money.

mtmuley · Jun 9, 2009

JMUPT, I've heard of the business card trick before, actually used it in the forend of a Remington 722. Works great till the permanent solution can be done. mtmuley

accubond · Jun 9, 2009

Thanks for the feedback guys. I decided to go ahead and free float the barrel but right now everything is still apart as my second coat of sealer is drying. I am going to see how it shoots after this and if the groups arent to my liking I will bring it in and have my gun smith bed the action along with the first 2" of the barrel. I will keep post an update after everything is back together and I get back out to the range, thanks again.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never has and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson

west · Jun 10, 2009

i would bed your action either way. I've seen it not do anything for accuracy, but i've yet to see hurt it. It does not take much at all to do it yourself. And a good chance it will suck those groups right down.

"blaming guns for violence is like blaming spoons for Rosie O'donnell being fat."

ishootaRUM300 · Jun 10, 2009

West have you done the free flaoting of a gun yourself do you have any pointers? what was the name (Brand Name) of the material you used?

maxxbob1 · Jun 10, 2009

These guys sell everything you need. They rent specialized tools if you want to pillar bed, and I think you can download information and instructions for free off their site.

http://www.scorehi.com/

I work near their place and that's where I take my guns. They do excellent work.
Good luck,
Bob