pressure point in rem. 700

[caribouhunter]

hi everyone!
i had a bedding job done on my remington 700.
it was done by a reputed custom gun maker. i also had the barrel free floated. but when i tried it, it would spread the bullet almost 4" wide
the vertical grouping was ok at around 1" but the horizontal group
was a disaster. it could group 2-3 rounds togheter and than the next 2-3 rounds would be 3-4" left.

i made a pressure point using aluminium tape layers slowly adding layers
until i felt resistance removing a dollar bill between the pressure point and barrel and then added 2 more layers of tape. and that solved the problem
i've been shooting like that for the last 2 years without problem, but i was wondering if someone here could lighten me on that case

thanks!

 

[DrMike]

My last two 280s each walked the bullet as the barrel heated up. In either instance, pressure bedding the fore end resolved the problem. These are the only two rifles I have owned that required this action. Rifles are individuals: some like a little pressure. In general, free floating will avoid or resolve the problem of a barrel "walking" as it heats up. There are exceptions, however. Some rifles need a little pressure. The gunsmith likely performed the task he was requested to perform in an acceptable manner, but you discovered that your rifle was one of those that needed a little pressure. I have seen some that needed a bit of pressure in front of the action, as well.

 

[caribouhunter]

thanks mike
i will not worry about it then, as it shoot very well.
my gunsmith warned me before doing the job that not all remmy's liked
to be free floated.

can you tell me if it's easy to pressure bed the fore end. if it's something i can do myself it might be better than the tape i used. cause it tend to fall when i take the action out of the stock for cleaning

edit: stock is laminated if it matters

 

[Bruce Mc]

A custom rifle maker, now out of business, added pressure points to their rifles that were guranteed to shoot 1/2" or less. They used bolt inserted through the front sling bolt hole to put a predetermined amount of pressure (torque on the bolt) on the barrel. Then epoxy was injected under the barrel into a one inch wide groove cut in the stock. The action screws were also torqued to a specific amount. After the epoxy cured everything was cleaned up and everything reassembled at the original torque settings.

 

[DrMike]

Essentially, pressure bedding the fore-end is as simple as making a pad to press against the barrel at the fore-end. Since you are already using tape, it seems obvious that you have demonstrated the value of fore-end pressure. It doesn't need to be a thick pad, as all you need is to give the barrel something to press against. There is a bit of artistry in that the amount of upward pressure will vary. You will not want it any thicker than the tape you have now, and probably a little less as the tape compresses.

 

[Guest]

If you can get a feeler guage into the barrel channel to measure the thickness of the tape under compression, duplicate that. If not, measure it with the action out, and then use strips of something that add up to close to that thickness. If it were me, I'd go to a hobby shop that has model railroading supplies, as they will have styrene strips that are various thicknesses, and you can build the pad exactly the thickness you'd like. Test the new pad at the range before making it permanent, then once you figure it out, epoxy the strips into place after scuffing the finish beneath where they will be.