Extended Mag box + heavy barrel = trouble ?

[hemiford]

New project build: Rem 700 7stw with the Wyatt long mag box modification
and long & heavy Benchmark MTU barrel.

It seems to me that the new barrel, if floated, will act as a stupendous
cantilever hanging off of the 700 receiver.

How much of the barrel length can be bedded onto the stock ( supported )
before it's really not floating anymore ? I'd be using a wood laminate
stock. The whole benefit of floating the barrel is so that flexing of the
stock with temperature and humidity won't push the barrel and change
POI, am I correct ?

 

[FearNoWind]

I consider any bedding beyond the recoil lug to qualify under the category of "the barrel length ... really not floating anymore".

The whole benefit of floating the barrel is so that flexing of the
stock with temperature and humidity won't push the barrel and change
POI, am I correct ?

The flexing of the stock is one factor. The barrel's dynamics and propensity to change dimensionally as it heats up and make contact with the stock is another.

What does the barrel weigh?

 

[hemiford]

Hi,
I don't have the barrel in my hands yet, but I'm guessing around
7 pounds (?). It's as long as Benchmark said they could make,
either 36" or 37", I forget.

 

[FearNoWind]

Hi,
I don't have the barrel in my hands yet, but I'm guessing around
7 pounds (?). It's as long as Benchmark said they could make,
either 36" or 37", I forget.

Based on their catalogue, the MTU is available at 27 or 28 inches and weighs in at about 7#. By the time you chamber the rifle and do the finish work on it you'll lose a bit of the weight. I have a 6.5# Bartlein M40 barrel of the same caliber fully free floated on one of my competition rifles. It's backed up with a bedded action that simply doesn't move and the weight of the barrel on the bedded action is not a problem at all.

 

[hemiford]

FearNoWind, thank you for the info.
Maybe my concern is for naught.

 

[bigngreen]

A 36 inch 284 MTU contour could be pushing 10 lbs I bet looking at the Pacnors weight calculator. I think your going to have a challenge if you did order a 37 or 37 inch barrel! Unless you mean 26 or 27 inches then you'd be fine!

 

[hemiford]

Yes 37" BigNGreen.
What sort of challenge do you foresee ?

 

[Hired Gun]

That is a lot of barrel for any repeater to support. I have hung 32" free floated on a 700 and it works great but 37" is something else. I think a barrel block mount and float the action would be ideal.

 

[bigngreen]

I'd defer to Hired Gun, I have not built with a 37 in barrel but I was thinking barrel block also. That's a lot of barrel without a big hole through it so it's going to be tank!

 

[hemiford]

HiredGun, your solution is what has been gnawing at me and is what I
was hoping to avoid. Will definitely make the project more involved.
I need no convincing that it will work, just that it will be more effort
to plan and build.
If I ask about barrel blocks in this thread it would be getting off-topic,
I'll start a new thread.
Thanks All !

 

[Hired Gun]

It's your thread and the logical direction for the question at hand. No need for a new thread.

 

[sambo3006]

Well, if it looks like it is going to be an issue, you can always lop off some barrel length. I can't really think of any critter or target that would be safe from a 30" barreled STW!