How much clearance between barrel and forend on a FF setup?

[FN in MT]

I've got an older Mc Millan A5 stock. It's pillar bedded set up for the Rem 700 LA. The barrel is bedded with aluma bed from the recoil lug, 1.5" forward. The barrel is free floated from there on out.

HOW MUCH clearance should I have between the barrel and the forend? We talking .020"? .050" or more?

I've shot this off the bench and my groups are round to roundish at worse. Now with a bipod off a ground mat or the bench I'm getting horizontal stringing.

Checked it and with a .015" piece of paper between the barrel and forend it doesn't take much pressure to pinch it. I'm thinking as I push a bit into the bipod to stabilize my hold....I'm making the forend contact the barrel.

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[surfr716]

I don't think there's a standard measurement to how much to float a barrel. The idea is you just don't want it to touch under not only the weight of the rifle but also not during recoil. Load up your bipod and have a friend see if its making contact, and if so where. Then take out some of the channel until it doesn't. You might also check the torque on the action screws, it can make a profou difference in group size. I have mine on my savage set to 60 in lbs and it seems to do fine

 

[my human host]

On a tactical type rig, I would shoot for .050 to .060.

I can't swear it's the source of your trouble, but it sounds like you need a little more clearance.

Opening up the channel will eliminate another possible variable, if nothing else.

 

[sarge7174]

Two dollar bills seems to be about the right clearance.

 

[FN in MT]

The added clearance seems to have done the trick. My 43.1 Varget load with a Berger 175 LR is back into a nice round 1/2" again.

Yesterday I left the rifle in the stock and took a piece of 1" wide 100 grit sandpaper, stuck some nylon packing tape to the back and ran it carefully up and down along the areas that needed some clearance.
Quickly I had enough clearance. Blew out the dust and had my wife put some down pressure on the barrel and took a little more off.

Funny thing though.... this morning my first shots were a solid 10-12 inches HIGH. BUT back to normal sized, round groups again. Re zeroed and GTG.

FN in MT