Gunsmithing Non free-floating to free-floating

[stello1001]

Hello all,

I know that in general a free floating barrel will cool and perform better to a non free floating barrel. With that in mind, is there a reason why many manufacturers produce rifles that have a non free floating barrel? I only ask because one of my hunting rifles is in a stock where it makes full contact all on the bottom of the barrel. I want to get an aftermarket stock for it but do i risk having the rifle shoot poorly after it's in a new stock where the barrel will be free floating? Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you,

Serg

 

[Opticsspecialist]

I'm not an expert on stocks. I will offer my opinion. Generally if you go with a very rigid stock, free float will offer great accuracy and serve you well. I believe that many synthetic stocks use the rigidity of the barrel and action to assist the stock. Generally these stocks are very low quality and often make for great inconsistency. Hope this helps.

 

[stello1001]

I'm not an expert on stocks. I will offer my opinion. Generally if you go with a very rigid stock, free float will offer great accuracy and serve you well. I believe that many synthetic stocks use the rigidity of the barrel and action to assist the stock. Generally these stocks are very low quality and often make for great inconsistency. Hope this helps.

I get what you're saying, thanks for sharing. I just know I read a post somewhere here on the hide about a barrel making contact with a stock in 2 different areas. The person removed or sanded off those small little blocks or squares of material that served as contact spots and claimed to have much much worse accuracy. I don't know if manufactures strategically do things like this or if it was a very special circumstance.

 

[Ledzep]

Typically you see accuracy improve on thin factory grade button barrels with the pressure point. It usually works for 3-5 rounds then starts vertical or diagonal stringing as the barrel heats up.

Pressure points are inherently less desirable than a true free float because variable upward pressure from bipods, bags, etc... Moves the point of impact.

With a match button or cut rifled barrel #4 profile or larger I wouldn't ever consider a pressure point. Only if it was thinner and wouldn't settle down accuracy wise.

 

[Opticsspecialist]

I get what you're saying, thanks for sharing. I just know I read a post somewhere here on the hide about a barrel making contact with a stock in 2 different areas. The person removed or sanded off those small little blocks or squares of material that served as contact spots and claimed to have much much worse accuracy. I don't know if manufactures strategically do things like this or if it was a very special circumstance.

Again I'm not an expert on stocks. I would guess this was probably with a flimsy synthetic stock. With a good wood or other rigid platform the free float really performs. For example if you look at the Tikka synthetic stocks. The hunting stocks are not free floated and Tikka will tell you if you free float that stock you will get less accuracy. Like Ledzep mentioned those hunting platforms are made for a few rounds before that group opens up as again it is a hunting rifle.

 

[cwinston]

Generally all my rifle barrels are free floated and shoot well, but I do have one ultra light carbon fiber stocked rifle that weighs less than 5 lbs that has the barrel bedded all the way to the tip of the forend. It also shoots well. It shoots so well that I don't want to mess with it. Since you are looking at a second stock, you could always try it free floated, but I would save the original stock untouched just in case you don't like what you end up with.

 

[JMGlasgow]

I had a Savage 111 hunter that the accuracy got worse with a free floated barrel. It became very inconsistent. I sold that rifle, and bought a Remington 700 CDL in 30-06 that has two barrel pads toward the front of the stock. I left them there, and the rifle as it left the factory is capable of shooting a 5 shot group that is 3/8 MOA. On average it shoots under an inch.

 

[UNCIVILIZED]

If you're switching stocks, & free floating the barrel, ensure that you get a stiff stock. As with some of the cheaper ones out there, & a few which aren't so cheap, if/when you sling up tightly, the stock flexes enough to throw off your POI vs. POA. Especially as compared to how the rifle shoots off of a bench, with or without bags.

You can create enough pressure with the sling that it affects the fit of the action in the bedding, along with flexing the stock's forend significantly. And on some bendable stocks, if you load up your bipod by leaning into it, it can cause the stock to flex enough so that the stock then contacts the barrel. Thus defeating the idea of going free floated. And that this pressure of the stock on the barrel is likely to be inconsistent, thus resulting in poor groups & fliers.

Note that some guys will actually laminate carbon fiber reinforcements along the full length of the barrel channel in order to stiffen a stock. Sometimes even running the carbon fiber from the stock's tip, all of the way underneath of the action itself, to assist with this stiffening.
The other thing is that having an aluminum bedding block, or faux chassis inside of a composite stock is no guarantee for preventing this. Given that quite a number of stocks built this way are wildly flexible. Even some "named" stock brands.

 

[stello1001]

If you're switching stocks, & free floating the barrel, ensure that you get a stiff stock. As with some of the cheaper ones out there, & a few which aren't so cheap, if/when you sling up tightly, the stock flexes enough to throw off your POI vs. POA. Especially as compared to how the rifle shoots off of a bench, with or without bags.

You can create enough pressure with the sling that it affects the fit of the action in the bedding, along with flexing the stock's forend significantly. And on some bendable stocks, if you load up your bipod by leaning into it, it can cause the stock to flex enough so that the stock then contacts the barrel. Thus defeating the idea of going free floated. And that this pressure of the stock on the barrel is likely to be inconsistent, thus resulting in poor groups & fliers.

Note that some guys will actually laminate carbon fiber reinforcements along the full length of the barrel channel in order to stiffen a stock. Sometimes even running the carbon fiber from the stock's tip, all of the way underneath of the action itself, to assist with this stiffening.
The other thing is that having an aluminum bedding block, or faux chassis inside of a composite stock is no guarantee for preventing this. Given that quite a number of stocks built this way are wildly flexible. Even some "named" stock brands.

This is really good info. I knew about the bipod possibly affecting the rifle's accuracy if one leans into it too much. But what you mention about the sling is something I had not thought about. Thanks for sharing this, and thanks to those others who also contributed info.