Is Accuracy Generally Better with a Free-Floated Barrel in a Hunting Rifle

[Smcx]

Bedding doesn’t help accuracy. It might protect a poorly fitted stock from damage. It was hyped to provide income for “professionals”.
Free-floating helps with pencil barrels that have poi shifts when pressure from a flimsy stock actually prevents the rifle from vibrating the same way each time. When the rifle is shot, the barrel flexes. You want it to flex the same way each time.

 

[guntech]

Bedding doesn’t help accuracy.

I think there are thousands of accuracy shooters who would disagree with that ...

There are 3 basic things (the 3 B's) required for good accuracy... bullet, bedding, barrel... a good bullet, correct bedding, a good barrel...
Back in 1966 one of my gunsmithing instructors and barrel maker who worked with Ackley way back when.. (Bill Prator) told us that...

 

[oneadam12]

Swamped barrels were a thing once in black powder front loaders.

McMillan claimed the best results were with bedding about an inch forward of the chamber and floating the rest.

Enfields wanted up pressure at the muzzle.

Ruger falling blocks need floating and have issues with uneven expansion of the aluminum sight rib.

Angled Rugers like the M77 can shoot very well with bedding near the end of the stock in a sporter configuration.

Garand based actions want to be stiffened at the muzzle end.

In a chassis a stiff barrel is fine floated as long as the screws are torqued correctly. You can measure the deflection changing as you tighten them and the action flexes.

Bench guns are basically clamped in place for much of the barrel length.

Bottom line it depends on the rifle and the barrel profile.

 

[dan belisle]

Generally, I would say bedding and free floating help. I do have a few rifles (out of literally hundreds I've owned) that do better with a pressure pad under the barrel near the fore end tip, and a couple who shoot better fully bedded the whole length of the stock, but they are unusual. - dan

 

[Sun_and_Steel_77]

Generally, I would say bedding and free floating help. I do have a few rifles (out of literally hundreds I've owned) that do better with a pressure pad under the barrel near the fore end tip, and a couple who shoot better fully bedded the whole length of the stock, but they are unusual. - dan

My experience mirrors yours Dan. Couple of Ruger M77 MkII's and one Model 7 would not shoot unless they had some fore-end pressure, all in factory tupperware stocks. Burned through tonnes of components and time getting them to shoot when I was younger and more stubborn.

I will add that the NULA 24 I owned was "full-length neutral bedded", a method that Mel Forbes used exclusively and endorsed. It was by far the most consistently accurate pencil barreled ultralight of the six or so I've owned both factory and custom and would stack all different bullet profiles and weights into itty bitty groups. Of all the 5lb rifles I played with in my "Ultralight" phase it was by far the best. It was very forgiving of technique and shot like a 7lb sporter...I miss it dearly.

 

[357Maximum]

Swamped barrels were a thing once in black powder front loaders.

McMillan claimed the best results were with bedding about an inch forward of the chamber and floating the rest.

Enfields wanted up pressure at the muzzle.

Ruger falling blocks need floating and have issues with uneven expansion of the aluminum sight rib.

Angled Rugers like the M77 can shoot very well with bedding near the end of the stock in a sporter configuration.

Garand based actions want to be stiffened at the muzzle end.

In a chassis a stiff barrel is fine floated as long as the screws are torqued correctly. You can measure the deflection changing as you tighten them and the action flexes.

Bench guns are basically clamped in place for much of the barrel length.

Bottom line it depends on the rifle and the barrel profile.

I've owned a large number of blued and stainless Ruger # 1's in 1A,1B,1V, 1H,1S A and RSI configurations none of them had aluminum sight rib, all were steel as were the factory rings.

 

[Longstud]

I've owned a large number of blued and stainless Ruger # 1's in 1A,1B,1V, 1H,1S A and RSI configurations none of them had aluminum sight rib, all were steel as were the factory rings.

Exactly my experience with them although I havent owned near as many

 

[Longstud]

Bedding doesn’t help accuracy. It might protect a poorly fitted stock from damage. It was hyped to provide income for “professionals”.
Free-floating helps with pencil barrels that have poi shifts when pressure from a flimsy stock actually prevents the rifle from vibrating the same way each time. When the rifle is shot, the barrel flexes. You want it to flex the same way each time.

Think if you examine all the records set in centerfire competitions youd be hard scratchin to find one set by any rifle not bedded and free floated. all rifles are better when bedded properly PERIOD. Its not just some scam for smiths to make money. Most bedding jobs are done by shooters themselves today. Guntech knows his STUFF. Many on here can verify his skill with firearms. I think the word your looking for is barrel oscillation whiuch is basically a Sine wave(Regular variation in magnitude or position around a central point, ie the bore of the barrel. Generally its best to have the bullet exit at the top or bottom of the wave as this is the point where its flattest and temporarily stopped as it transitions from up to down.

 

[bunny]

In my experience free floating improves accuracy most of the time, but what it does 100% of the time is provide consistency in point of impact.

 

[South Pender]

In my experience free floating improves accuracy most of the time, but what it does 100% of the time is provide consistency in point of impact.

Yes, that makes sense in that, with weather changes and stock swelling or shrinking, keeping the barrel free of that should provide consistency.

I also see now that, even within a single range session, a free-floating barrel may be advantageous. As the barrel heats up with shots, the contact pressure on it will increase with a rifle that has barrel-stock contact.

 

[IvoB]

We went from a hunting rifle (original post/question) to a bench rifle - for a hunting rifle most/all can shoot three shots MOA or better (think Weatherby) their barrels are not floated at least my Vanguard 240wby isn't. Will free floating help? I really don't care since I will not be shooting 10 shot strings with it. Hunting rifles don't have to be free floated in my opinion - if your shooting bench then knock your socks off.

 

[bunny]

We went from a hunting rifle (original post/question) to a bench rifle - for a hunting rifle most/all can shoot three shots MOA or better (think Weatherby) their barrels are not floated at least my Vanguard 240wby isn't. Will free floating help? I really don't care since I will not be shooting 10 shot strings with it. Hunting rifles don't have to be free floated in my opinion - if your shooting bench then knock your socks off.

I agree, if your talkin about synthetic or laminate, but for walnut, I prefer free floating.

 

[bunny]

Years ago I bought a brand new Ruger tang safety.35 Whelen. It was extremely frustrating to get to shoot, so I free floated the barrel. the point of impact dropped at a 45 degree angle by 18” at 100 yards. The walnut stock had warped enough to put that much pressure on the barrel. That was about 30 years ago and since then that rifle has never needed a scope adjustment, from below zero to very hot summer days the POA is the same.

 

[G.E.FLACH]

Forend pressure such as Weatherby and Ruger and Remington are done to shorten the barrel vibration (node)so Easier to find a load that groups and to compensate for poor quality barrels.The trouble with that is you have a constant shift of point of impact .I don't care how stable the wood is it expands and contracts with temperature alone let alone moisture.There are some merits to a pencil barrel being neutral bedded ,the only issue with that is you have to adjust your shooting technique to put the same amount of upward pressure on the forend or you point of impact will be affected.Just try shooting off of a bipod or over a branch in field position with one ,the point of impact shift is substantial .You might get it to shoot better with for end pressure but consistency is key with a hunting rifle .You won't get it without stability so you need to eliminate the variables .Then you don't have to wonder why you missed that shot or where that odd flyer came from when you shoot a group.I would rather have a 1.5 inch group that is predictable than a .5"that is constantly chasing zero or unpredictable flyers. Better to not have that dought in your mind.If the barrel wont shot free floated than its time to rebarrel with a quality barrel.Never seen an instance where that did not fix a consistency issue .I think Guntech will agree .

 

[guntech]

I can't remember an instance where free floating didn't work better than a bedded barrel... there must be a few though... but quality barrels do not require a pressure point.

I think the machined in pressure points in mass produced factory wood stocks are simply easier for the factory to do... it holds the barrel centered in the barrel channel and it will shoot relatively good as is.

 

[woodchopper]

in my experience I will take a free floated barrel and a synthetic stock.

I had a Ruger M77 in 7mmRM wood stock with the forward pressure point, I spent a lot of time and ammo trying to get it to shoot a group, never succeeded, first shot from a cold barrel was about the only predictable shot the rest wandered around and as the barrel got warmer they wandered further, it was fine for hunting.

Got pissed off at not being able to shoot a group so I went out and bought a Savage 110 in 300WM non-accutrigger and synthetic stock. Savage shot great out of the box so the Ruger got put in the back of the vault for about a decade.

One day there was a sale on ramline stocks so I got one and slapped it on the Ruger, and what do you know it will now shoot a decent and predictable group.

 

[South Pender]

Well, the consensus seems to be clear re free-floating the barrel to optimize accuracy.

Let me slightly redirect the discussion a little:

With a free-floated barrel coupled with factory wood action bedding, is there much benefit in having the action glass bedded?

 

[Potashminer]

Is in my mind that I want my hunting rifles to have very snug fit at the recoil shoulder - so most all of them I have done the epoxy bedding. I am to the point that I think everyone should be able to do that, without a lot of fuss or commotion. I have a few - 1920's guild rifle, Schultz and Larsen - that I chose not to touch - I want to use them as the "old folks" made them - is no sign that I can find at all that there is anything to "fix" in the bedding that they did with their wood scrapers and chisels. But also need to be sure that the receiver and barrel are proper depth within that stock, that there is something done for support for the rear of the action, and so on. I have several examples of various attempts to "glass bed", that basically ruined the rifle - did not appreciate, at all, what they should have been trying to do. So epoxy bedding the action can be a good thing, can not be needed and can actually cause a great deal of difficulty, if done sloppy.

About the worst, I think, is inadequate clearance, then torquing down the action screws when epoxy bedding and actually putting a bend or bow in the action - where a phrase about "stress free" comes from - is opposite of torquing it down for epoxy to set up... followed very closely by being chintzy with the release agent and gluing parts together, and then using a pry bar to separate them - and breaking those parts.

 

[Lodi]

With a free-floated barrel coupled with factory wood action bedding, is there much benefit in having the action glass bedded?

In general yes, a properly bedded rifle will increase consistency which in turn should increase accuracy.

But other factors do figure in, quality of the shooter, quality of the ammo, iron sights or scope, little targets at long range or big targets at close range etc. etc.. So the term 'benefit' does need to take into consideration how the rifle is used and goals to achieve.

 

[chuck nelson]

I can't remember an instance where free floating didn't work better than a bedded barrel... there must be a few though... but quality barrels do not require a pressure point.

I think the machined in pressure points in mass produced factory wood stocks are simply easier for the factory to do... it holds the barrel centered in the barrel channel and it will shoot relatively good as is.

I agree. I have to think that if a barrel needs help it needs to go. There are those that swear by neutral bedding a barrel. But in essence that is the same concept as free floating with all the possible down side to having the barrel in contact with something other than the receiver face.