Why does free floating not work?

[roysclockgun]

I am working toward getting better accuracy out of this rifle: Steyr Model 1912 action. Wilson sporting weight barrel in 7x57mm. Timney trigger. Original military stock cut behind the barrel band. Burris mount, rings and 3-9x40 Full Field scope.
The rifle was shooting acceptable groups of 2 1/2" at 100 yards, but I always work toward better. I tried a number of hand loads. I decided to free float the barrel, so I sanded out the barrel channel, back to the receiver bed, until I could slip a piece of plain bond paper down under the barrel, all the way to the receiver. I then range tested. The groups opened up to 6" at 100 yards. I checked the receiver bolts and they are tight. The barrel is new and is not a pencil thin, lightweight, but a standard sporting barrel weight. Where to go from here?

 

[Ol` Joe]

Try making a pad of bedding on just the tip of the forearm that applys a bit of upward pressure on the barrel, or bed the full lenght with neutral pressure on the barrel.

 

[JD338]

You can also fold up a portion of a business card to fit under the tip of the forend. Glass bedding the action may also be an option.

JD338

 

[FOTIS]

Build up a pressure point in the forend. Free floating does not always work.

 

[roysclockgun]

Okay, I appreciate those tips. I will try the folded business card, between the barrel and the forend tip to see if that helps tighten up groups. Another gunsmith told me pad the action in a vice, with the trigger up and hang 5lbs. on the end of the barrel, at the muzzle. Then put enough card stock between the barrel and forend tip to fill the gap. Has anyone heard of this?

 

[FOTIS]

Yes. That will give you 5 lbs of up pressure. Oce you know how much you need then bed the rifle in the forearm using the same system to gt the pounds of pressure.

 

[cloverleaf]

Hey-
Never heard of that 5 lb thing, that is a neat idea. Gives a reference point for trying more or less pressure. Neat idea. I may have to try that on a rifle I have that shoots lousy the first 5-6 shots out of a clean bore into pattern before it settles down and drives nails. I read some place that A guy used a dab of silicone to make a pressure point. Its relativly permanent but easily removeable. I like the business card idea better. CL

 

[rick smith]

cloverleaf, foreend pressure may not help your rifle if it shoots well after the bore is fouled.
I have used a similar method to putting the rifle in a vise but put the barrel in the vise and hang the weight from the sling swivel. Always found it easier to work with the rifle in the upright position.Rick.

 

[roysclockgun]

But would not hanging the weight on the sling swivel provide a much greater gap than hanging the weight on the muzzle of the barrel? It is 5lb of pressure on the barrel that we are testing. No?

 

[yeayow]

Its by no means a hard and fast rule by the couple of rifles i've bedded iusually have about 1 1/2" of barrel bedded beyond the reciever. This seems to make it quite stable. If the card at the forend doesn't work try to put under the barrel at the reciever junction.

 

[rick smith]

Roy, it really doesn't matter where you place the weight, you are just trying to put a known amount of pressure on the barrel. You can increase or decrease as you feel necessary.Rick.

 

[Charlie-NY]

I HATE pressure points if the stock is wood. No matter how well you seal a wood stock it will gain/loose moisture from season to season. That allows the pressure on the barrel to be different whenever the stock swells/moves or whatever.

With a synthetic stock you will at least not have this problem.

As to your original question regarding "floating barrels"; when you read all the advice on the internet you can get the impression that floating a barrel will always improve accuracy, for all the reasons that are described. If that were true; why wouldn't the major manufacturers have figured that out by now. Simple, it's not true. Particularely when you are shooting a sporter rifle with a fairly light-weight barrel, some foreend presure improves consistency and accuracy.

I learned the hard way when I had a few Weatherby Mark V rifles professionally bedded and free-floated. Accuracy declined in every one of them. It cost me quite a bit of money to have Weatherby return the rifle to its original condition and accuracy.

IMO, heavy varmint type barrels seem to almost always benefit from free-floating. Or at least maintain their accuracy in guns that already shot well. I have had many varmint rigs bedded and floated and have never had a problem after free-floating the barrel.