Floating Barrel

[Sphawley]

What are the benefits of actually doing this to your rifle?

How hard is this to do? Is there a kit to do this? Is it really worth the effort and money?

This may be kinda dumb, but I'm still learning thanks!!

[Win_94]

What are the benefits of actually doing this to your rifle?
With prolonged fire, your barrel will heat; most barrels will heat-up with just a few shots. When the barrel heats it expands and if there is an obstruction it will cause inconsistent pressure that can be detrimental to accuracy. Floating the barrel will eliminate that condition.

How hard is this to do? Is there a kit to do this?
If you are handy with tools and such, it wouldn't be too hard. Yes they have kits. I've read where people have used two washers. Done!

Is it really worth the effort and money?
If you are satisfied with how your rifle shoots already, it probably isn't.
I shoot 2 30-06 rifles that shoot well and they don't have free floated barrels. One used to be floated, but the stock was refinished and now it is varnish bedded. I wouldn't float it for fear of making it shoot bad.

[nimbleVagrant]

Freefloating the barrel of a rifle is simply the elimination of ballistic variables. Contact between the stock and the barrel can cause unpredictable variations in trajectory not only as a result of inconsistent pressure applied to the barrel but also by causing inconsistent variations in barrel resonance.

As far as difficulty, it depends on the specific rifle, the stock material and sometimes how the action is bedded. Sometimes it's as simple as some careful sanding in the barrel channel, sometimes it's a bit more complicated.

Is it worth it? That depends on the rifle and what you want to do with it. If you're punching paper with a target oriented rifle; sure. If it's a hunting rifle you only shoot 3 times a year; maybe.

[Hoskins]

On a wood stock winchester model 70 I only had to use sand paper to sand enough wood away for the barrel to free float. Took about an hour, easy to do.

[Doyle]

In addition to what has already been said, barrel to stock conflict also occurs in wood stocks as humidity changes make the stock swell and contract. That is the primary reason many shooters prefer composite stocks.

Floating is VERY easy. All you need is some course and fine sandpaper (I like 60 grit and 150 grit), something to wrap the sandpaper around that is approximately the size of the barrel (wooden dowel or something similar), a stiff dollar bill to test with, some masking tape to protect the finish on top of the groove, and some finish to reseal the channel after you are done.

Before removing the stock, use the dollar bill to find out where it is binding. I like it to go down to just in front of the recoil lug. Use masking tape to protect the top of the stock so that you don't accidently scratch it. Sand down the places where the dollar binds up using the course paper, then smooth it out with the fine paper. Reseal the finish when you are done so that moisture won't get absorbed into raw wood.

[Sphawley]

What about with synthetic stocks? Or is there no need

[kraigwy]

Synthetic stocks are like any other stock, if they make contact with the barrel disrupting the harmonics, they need free floating.

[oneoldsap]

Some barrels don't like to be floating , and need that pressure point at the last 1/2 " of forearm . Most lightweight barrels shoot better with a pressure point at the end of the stock .

[LaserSpot]

Long term consistency is a major advantage. I can put a rifle in the cabinet for years, pull it out and not have to adjust the zero. I can even take the action out of the stock and replace it without shifting the zero.

Brownells sells a scraper that works well for this: http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=6797/Product/BARREL_BEDDER_JR

[crghss]

Here's a Youtube video on what you'd be looking at.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0snATO8iJw

Like Hoskins mentioned. You may need just a little sandpaper to complete this.

He makes a good point in the video that change in weather can change where the stock contacts the barrel.

[hooligan1]

I definetly float my big caliber rifles,(.270 3006, 7mm rem mag,) It just seems to help these larger calibers.:)

[RaySendero]

What are the benefits of actually doing this to your rifle?

How hard is this to do? Is there a kit to do this? Is it really worth the effort and money?

This may be kinda dumb, but I'm still learning thanks!!

Sphawley,

I've floated several rifle barrels - Here's what I do on a wood stock:


Check where the stock/barrel contact occurs.
Remove barrel and action from the stock.
Sand stock to relieve thwe contact (I wrap sand paper around an old home plate spike) But any round cylinder a little bigger in diameter than the barrel will work.
Put back together and check for contact - May need to repeat the step above.


Now, Here's the real issue - DON'T FIX SOMETHING THAT'S NOT BROKE!
If accuray is satisfactory now be careful trying to "FIX IT".

I prefer a barrel free floated, but some will shoot better with a contact point toward the foreend of the stock. So I free float the stock. Check accuracy, Then try a piece of aluminum duct tape to add a pressure point in the stock. Check accuray again. If neither of this works - I'll full-length bed the barrel in the stock as a last resort.