I recently posted a question about sighting issues and have a question concerning the free floating I did on my rem 700. How far up the barrel should it be free floated mine is floated all the way to the recoil lug is that to far up or is that how it is suppose to be? After looking at some glass bedding videos it seems like maybe I was suppose to leave some touching about two inches from the lug. Or is that only wen it is bedded? Thanks Bri
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Free floated
- Thread starter Bri656
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Fiftydriver
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If this is a factory barrel please remember that it is very possible that accuracy and consistancy will drop off by free floating the barrel. It is not uncommon at all to see a factory rifle have issues once you freefloat a barrel. Some shoot better, some no change, some much worse.
The reason is because most Rem 700 stocks are made with a pressure pad near the tip of the forend. This pad is designed to apply pressure which will dampen vibration patterns which helps consistancy with the factory barrels. This is because the machining of the factory rifles is far less then ideal and this up pressure helps to make the vibration patterns created by firing the rifle more consistant.
It causes other problems but generally it gets a barrel shooting well enough for factory specs which for the most part is better then 2 moa.......
When you relieve this pressure pad, there is nothing to help control the vibration patterns and you can often see accuracy problems.
If your bedding a rifle, I always put two layers of 10 mil tape that is 2" wide just ahead of the recoil lug or receiver face and bed the rifle. This offers a clearnace area under the barrel shank.
Hope this helps some.
The reason is because most Rem 700 stocks are made with a pressure pad near the tip of the forend. This pad is designed to apply pressure which will dampen vibration patterns which helps consistancy with the factory barrels. This is because the machining of the factory rifles is far less then ideal and this up pressure helps to make the vibration patterns created by firing the rifle more consistant.
It causes other problems but generally it gets a barrel shooting well enough for factory specs which for the most part is better then 2 moa.......
When you relieve this pressure pad, there is nothing to help control the vibration patterns and you can often see accuracy problems.
If your bedding a rifle, I always put two layers of 10 mil tape that is 2" wide just ahead of the recoil lug or receiver face and bed the rifle. This offers a clearnace area under the barrel shank.
Hope this helps some.
Proper glass bedding will always help a rifle. I myself have never had problems with a factory Remington 700 not shooting better after free floating the barrel but there is always the exception. Before you go putting a bunch of money into having someone glass bed etc. I would look around some. There are always some good composite stocks with bedding blocks in them floating around used for good prices. Some will need a light skim coat of glass but most don't. My standard procedure for fixing up a Rem 700 for a hunting rifle is free float the barrel and adjust the trigger to 2 1/2 pounds even before I mount a scope and go shoot it. I have not found many that will not shoot under 1" at 100 yards with proper hand loads. Most will shoot bug holes. Good luck and good shooting.
Fiftydriver.. If I did damage ( or take away accuracy) by floating bcuz yes it is all factory is there a way to repair or bring it back , to recreate this pressure point so to speak? Or maybe best off with a new stock or what would ya recommend ? Thanks Bri
Factory stocks have been padded/shimmed to barrel contact at various points since the early 1900's to make factory rifle shoot more accurate. That's cause the the bedding area around the receiver's not all that even and consistant. Some factory rifle had their barrel held tight against the fore end tip with a screw through the fore end under the rear sight to improve fore end contact. The problem with shimmed and padded barrels is, when the rifle's held with its fore end atop bags on a bench, the pressure transmitted from the bag through the stock to the barrel's different than when the rifle's held without the fore end resting on something. And that typically changes point of impact and accuracy between field positions and shooting from a bench. It may not be much, but it's there.
Epoxy bedding the receiver in all sorts of stocks and totally free floating the barrel's typically resulted in best accuracy. By "totally free floating" I mean the only things touching the barrel's the front of the receiver and the round in its chamber. No pad under the barrel for some distance in front of the receiver; all that does is cause vertical shot stringing.
If there's plenty of room for flimsy stock fore ends to clear the barrel as the barrel whips from firing and the fore end bending from how the rifle's held, flimsy fore ends aren't a problem. Some rifle stock's fore end's flimsy enough that even resting it on a bag atop a bench will let the weight of the barreled action bend it enough to touch the barrel at its tip. Proof the old "dollar bill" theory for clearance between barrel and fore end's a myth. Besides, the more space there is around the barrel, the faster it'll cool and therefore please folks wanting rapid barrel cooling.
Epoxy bedding the receiver in all sorts of stocks and totally free floating the barrel's typically resulted in best accuracy. By "totally free floating" I mean the only things touching the barrel's the front of the receiver and the round in its chamber. No pad under the barrel for some distance in front of the receiver; all that does is cause vertical shot stringing.
If there's plenty of room for flimsy stock fore ends to clear the barrel as the barrel whips from firing and the fore end bending from how the rifle's held, flimsy fore ends aren't a problem. Some rifle stock's fore end's flimsy enough that even resting it on a bag atop a bench will let the weight of the barreled action bend it enough to touch the barrel at its tip. Proof the old "dollar bill" theory for clearance between barrel and fore end's a myth. Besides, the more space there is around the barrel, the faster it'll cool and therefore please folks wanting rapid barrel cooling.
I had to add pressure back to the forend of my 700 factory barrel. The business card trick, courtesy of 7STW worked great for testing.
pressure added
the result
I ended up cutting and fitting a piece of Limbsaver donut and placed it under the barrel. I would guess the best way is to bed a pressure point in the forend.
pressure added
the result
I ended up cutting and fitting a piece of Limbsaver donut and placed it under the barrel. I would guess the best way is to bed a pressure point in the forend.
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Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
Its pretty easy to reestablish a bedding pad. Easiest way is to put a few layers of eletrical tape around the receiver on the bottom, front and back. 2-3 thicknesses is generally plenty.
Then mix up some bedding compound, I use marine tex. Put a dab in the barrel channel where the original one was, set the barreled action in the bedding making sure that it tightens down from back to front. What I mean by this is make sure the barrel is the last thing to touch the bedding in the forend so it may be easier to do this with an extra set of hands.
Snug down the receiver screws but do not really tighten them down or the tape will be crushed and not offer you the clearance your looking for. Let the bedding set up overnight and then pull the barreled receiver out in the AM.
Now give it a few days to fully cure and then remove the tape from the receiver and reassemble your rifle. With the tape gone, the receiver will drop into its original position and the support pad will apply a small amount or pressure to the barrel as it did originally.
This can be repeated and played with as its easy to adjust the tape thickness and grind out the bedding if you need to redue. I usually recommend getting the bedding to contact the side as well as bottom evenly as possible.
Hope this helps.
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
That is a great way to test the thickness of the pad that works best for you, then when you find the right thickness, put in a permanent pad with bedding compound, good tip!!
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
I would say 25% of all Rem 700s I have bedded or restocked shot best with a pressure pad on the barrel and thats out of several hundred rifles I have tuned up over the years. Some WILL shoot better floated, some no change, some much worse. All depends on the quality of the machining in the barreled receiver and to some degree the stocks bedding quality with in all factory rifles is less then ideal for the most part.
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
One thing to keep in mind, since you have a contact point to the barrel that far from the receiver, you can expect that as the barrel gets hot, point of impact WILL rise to some degree. Now for the most part, three shot groups will not be effected much but if you are trying to punch 5-10 shot strings, expect to see some rise in your point of impact.
This is simply from the barrel heating up, expanding and pushing down harder on the barrel pressure pad which in turn will elevate the bore slightly, as such, point of impact rises.
Generally if removing the pressure pad degrades accuracy, you can live with this slight issue for better all around consistancy.
Best cure, pull the barrel, get the receiver properly accurized, install new match grade barrel and restock!!! Thats the best way to get a true 1/2 moa rifle.
This is simply from the barrel heating up, expanding and pushing down harder on the barrel pressure pad which in turn will elevate the bore slightly, as such, point of impact rises.
Generally if removing the pressure pad degrades accuracy, you can live with this slight issue for better all around consistancy.
Best cure, pull the barrel, get the receiver properly accurized, install new match grade barrel and restock!!! Thats the best way to get a true 1/2 moa rifle.
