700 CDL Freefloat

[sodak]

Has anyone freefloated a 700cdl barrel and regretted it?

I am debating a freefloat and bed job on a factory stock or finding a synthetic stock with aluminum pillars (Bell and Carlson, HS Precision).

 

[7stw]

Has anyone freefloated a 700cdl barrel and regretted it?

I am debating a freefloat and bed job on a factory stock or finding a synthetic stock with aluminum pillars (Bell and Carlson, HS Precision).

What caliber is your CDL in? The reason I ask, is that some " thinner barrels" in SOME calibers benefit from having tension on them in the for end, especially some magnums. If it is a non magnum, bedding and floating should be fine.

 

[sodak]

I didn't give too many details on purpose. I've done metrics studies in foreign populations and some of that is spilling into my shooting hobbies.

The rifle shoots 0.8 to 0.6 MOA three shot groups at 100 yards now (handloads at hunting velocities). I can tell the difference between shooting with a bipod and shooting with sandbags in group size and POI. I'm guessing that it has to do something with different pressure points on the forearm.

 

[lloydsmale]

ive got a stainless flutted 257 and it responded real well to bedding and floating.

 

[Bart B]

I can tell the difference between shooting with a bipod and shooting with sandbags in group size and POI. I'm guessing that it has to do something with different pressure points on the forearm.

There's not many folks who know about that. Kudos to you for good thinking and reasoning.

I'd just epoxy bed the receiver then free float the barrel such that nothing touches in forward of the receiver; no pad whatsoever under the first inch or so of the barrel. At least 1/16 inch clearance around the barrel; more at the stock's fore end if it bends easily.

 

[brettm357]

I put shims between recoil lug and front action screw on my remington sps stainless to test if free float makes any difference - It halved the size of my groups

 

[elkaholic]

Normally the only time pressure on the fore end is good is to compensate for poor bedding. Bed it as Bart said and float the barrel.....Rich

 

[Bart B]

Normally the only time pressure on the fore end is good is to compensate for poor bedding.

This has been done for decades. Years ago, when stocks' fore ends were stiffer than more recent times, it was a good idea when the rifle was hand held as its fore end rested atop something on a bench. The pressure humans put on the rifle from shot to shot was reasonably consistant.

In the field, when all sorts of shooting positions were used and sometimes with a sling, the fore end tended to bend more irregular. Pressure on the barrel wasn't consistant in both amount and direction. Zeros would shift. Depending on the stock material and atmospheric conditions, sometimes the forend would bend a bit changing the pressure on the barrel.