Barrels - bedded or free floating

[RustyRick]

I have a Rem 660 in a 6.5 Rem Mag with a 18.5 inch barrel. (Ya I know that's limiting :-( ) But that's what I got to work with.

I just had the action bedded and that helped a bunch. Down to 1.25 x .75 with Hornady's 100 gr Spitzer at 100 yrds.

I know one is better with a floating barrel. Usually. But...

1) I'm wondering if the shorter barrel wouldn't work better in a bedded barrel?

2) At what point do you say, OK I'm going to bed the barrel?

 

[Sully2]

Let the barrel float

Years ago the chant was to bed the barrel to the muzzle....than at some point it was float the barrel.

If you float it and it dont shoot work a damm...you can always back up and bed it full length!

 

[RustyRick]

Precisely my point. And I've been in that process myself. My old 7.. Rem MAG had to be bedded 20yrs ago.

I'm wondering if the shorter (18.5) inch barrel wouldn't more critically need bedding to make it think its heavier or longer?

 

[J E Custom]

Precisely my point. And I've been in that process myself. My old 7.. Rem MAG had to be bedded 20yrs ago.

I'm wondering if the shorter (18.5) inch barrel wouldn't more critically need bedding to make it think its heavier or longer?

Rick.
I have dealt with short light barrels many times and found that bedding the first inch next to the receiver seemed to improve accuracy. The best thing was to add a weight to the muzzle (This dampened the harmonics of the barrel) A good brake with some weight can also do this and
tame muzzle rise.

As with all tapered/contoured barrels if you bed the entire barrel as it heats up being tapered it pushes against the stock changing the POI.

I would bed the action and install a good break.


J E CUSTOM

 

[RustyRick]

Aha, that makes some sense. Especially in a magnum like this 6.5 Rem Mag. It's not your standard 30-30 carbine. It's trying to manage quite a wallop.

 

[lloydsmale]

im a big fan of bedding and floating all my guns. I usually do it before i even waste any components testing loads but if i had a little rifle like that that shot 3/4 inch groups at a 100 yards id probably leave it alone. Its not a bench rest rifle and chances are your not going to improve much over what you allready have.

 

[clambdin]

I kinda like a floated barrel, but how do we explain the accuracy Melvin Forbes gets from his rifles with a full length bedding ?

 

[J E Custom]

I kinda like a floated barrel, but how do we explain the accuracy Melvin Forbes gets from his rifles with a full length bedding ?

Just a guess but I would say as long as the barrel does not heat up between shots (A 10 to 15 minute
wait between shots) it should not change the POI.

But if you shoot normally once or twice a minute it will push on the stock. (Just like tip pressure on
a stock does).

The advantage to full length bedding is the dampening benefit because with full bedding, the rifle thinks it has a very short barrel (The length of the barrel that sticks out past the end of the fore end).

J E CUSTOM