Gunsmithing Sporter barrel bedding?

[scubapro187]

I'm bedding my hunting rifle again because I'm not so satisfied with it's accuracy. It has a light weight 22" sporter barrel on it, the stock is a crappy synthetic that I've modified heavily to make it very solid (consequently heavy too).

My question is should I have it free floating in the barrel channel? Or should I bed the first 4,6,8 inches of the barrel to provide support for the barrel?

 

[dontstrokeme]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

I will be first....sell the POS with the foam in the back...or shit throw it away....not to be mean but pull off the recoil pad and look in there.........................................................................................................................................................ok now don't worry....they thought you would not do that.....now I have been told thet bedding the first section before the taper is the way to go. That is what I have been told......so let the shit fly but for a small $ amount you could have alot better stock and bed that being that your time counts for somthing....and be better off....look for a "FULL LENGTH BEDDING BLOCK"....or at least pillars.

 

[scubapro187]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

Well the after market stock isn't really an option with a Mossberg 100 ATR or I would. I really don't care to put any real money into this gun I just won't it shooting as good as possible on the cheap.
Honestly I only shoot the gun a few times a year and have more into the glass on it than the gun.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dontstrokeme</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I will be first....sell the POS with the foam in the back...</div></div>
Lol this thing didn't even have foam in the back btw, I did fill it though and the stock is pretty rigid now.

 

[brdeano]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

I full length bedded my light weight 243 and it seems to be working pretty good. I'm only running a fixed 6x42 on it and it'll put 3shots into about 3/4" at 100. It holds minute of deer out to 500 yards and that is with "only" a 6x.

Did the full length bedding job help? I don't know, but it surely didn't hurt anything.

You could shoot it floated and see how it does. If you're not happy with the results you could then pour a pad and try that. If that still doesn't work then you could try FL bedding it.

Minute of Deer at 500yds and 6x and the best part is that rifle weighs 6.7# all up with a sling.

 

[clmayfield]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

I would free-float for a couple of reasons:
1) It is easier and requires less material
2) It is more likely to result in an increase in accuracy (though not guaranteed)
3) It is easier to try free float and then full length bed rather than vice-versa

Test the accuracy before and after free-floating. If you get results, then keep it. Otherwise, you can always full length bed. If you get an improvement, I would bed it to an inch or so in front of the lug.

BTW... I am seriously considering doing this to my rifle. On a good day, it gets 1.75 MOA. On average, more like 2 minutes... and it has taken literally more deer than I can count. But I really can't count that high

 

[beanland]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

Bed only under action. Do not bed in front of recoil lug.

 

[Hateca]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

Problem is if you're starting off with a crap foundation (The stock) no amount of bedding or re-bedding is going to make the rifle shoot any better. How would you know if the stock or the bedding is causing you problems?

Some sporter like pressure on the barrel some like to float, you just have to try it both ways to see. And then there is the issue that some sporter barrels will just not shoot that well.

What are your expectations for the rifle?

 

[scubapro187]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: HateCA</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What are your expectations for the rifle?</div></div>

Right now I'm shooting about 1.5 MOA which for a hunting rifle that's not going to shoot past 300m is OK I guess. My expectations are to get it a little closer to 1 MOA.

I understand what you're saying about the crappy platform.

 

[brdeano]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

The rifle I mentioned above is in one of the Remington Ti stocks. It was shooting 1.5" groups out of the box with the factory pressure points still in place. First thing I did was grind out those pressure pads on the forearm and bed the action leaving the barrel floated. The rifle then turned in quite a few 3/4" groups, but it would throw some fliers out of the blue. I ran it like that for a while before I FL bedded it. Like I mentioned earlier, it still shoots about the same 3/4" groups, but now it does so very consistently. The FL bedding does seem to have gotten rid of the the fliers I was seeeing and is much more consistent that it was before. That's not a custom rifle, it's bone stock, other than me bedding it and adjusting the trigger, its exactly like it was when it left Remington.

A take off Ti stock can still be picked up for 150$-200$ in both Mountain Rifle and Mag barrel contours. You can also find them in both ADL and BDL. Even if you have to order a new one they run from about 200$-230$, depending on which configuration you buy. They are not a McMillan by any stretch of the imagination, but what they are is a very serviceable stock for a hunting rig that won't break the bank and are leaps and bounds above the injection molded factory synthetic stocks.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

I think the stock should be solidly bedded behind the recoil lug.

Then there should be a softer, resilient bed of support forward of the lug for roughly the length of the chamber (I use silicone sealer), and a soft, resilient pressure pad out at the end of the barrel channel (silicone again, but with a shim that puts about .020" of upward flex into the barrel until the silicone cures. Also, be careful, the acid that's produced when silicone cures will remove blueing, so I suggest painting the contact area with enamel before, then removing the enamel with paint thinner afterward.).

Greg

 

[brdeano]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

This reply isn't directed at anyone in particular, but does offer another view point.

From Gale McMillan.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A good barrel will shoot better free floated whereas some barrels require 3 to 5 lbs of forend pressure to shoot well.This pressure bends the barrel in an upward bow so that when the bullet starts down the barrel it wants to go in a straight line so it forces the muzzle down and the bullet exits the barrel at the same point of vibration regardless of the velocity variation form shot to shot.when I stock a rifle I always free float it and shoot it. If it doesn't shoot I then bed the forend with pressure and shoot it again. Some times nothing will help but some times it will make a poor shooter acceptable. The fact that it is a fiberglass stock makes no difference because it is a barrel funtion.I can go on and on about the merits of fiberglass but this particular point is not one of them.

Gale McMillan McMillan Fiberglass Stocks

</div></div>

Source. http://yarchive.net/gun/rifle/bedding.html

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Sporter barrel bedding?

I agree with Gale, would take it a step further, and say that my first recourse is to provide the type of pressure pad I described, and only to remove it if accuracy sucks bigtime. I think this process is a key step in establishing a stable platform before beginning load development.

IMHO, it's presence precludes the tendency to have a wandering zero, by doing exactly as Gale describes. The barrel's behavior is confined to a specific regime.

I prefer the resilient material for the end pad and the chamber support because I am concerned about rebound when the bullet passes through the supported section. The barrel expands and contracts with the bullet's passage, exerting forces that generate rebound when the barrel is in contact with rigid support. I think that as long as chamber support is not rigid, it's tendency is to support and reduce sag, even in a free float. If a long, heavy free floated barrel sags, IMHO it does exactly the same as Gale describes, only in the opposite directions.

Greg