No 4 Parker Hale Sporter - Barrel Bedding?

[Tudenom]

I have a No4mk1* sporting rifle converted by Parker Hale that I'm playing around with and I'd like to get your opinion on barrel bedding.

The barrel on my rifle has pretty consistent contact along the entire length of the fore end. It's quite a bit different than the standard full military bedding (uplift at the muzzle only), so I'm wondering if Parker Hale did this on purpose, and if so, why?

was this for accuracy (barrel dampening) purposes? Or maybe it's to reduce the chance that debris will collect under the barrel?

Has anyone tried free floating the forend on a no 4 sporter? How did it turn out?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Potashminer]

Wow! What a great question! I have No.4's in both full stock military and Parker Hale sporter persuasion, and a AIA No.4 Mk. IV that was barrel packed by a former Bisley shooter. I know on conventional rifles, like a Win Model 70, or a Mauser 98, you can simply place a shim under the action flat to free float that barrel in that stock without altering anything - gives you a before and after comparison between tip pressure and free float in that unit. Since the No. 4 relies on the draws to pull the fore-stock back onto the recoil face on the wrist, I am not so sure how one would do the before and after thing, without permanent changes. Looking forward to more knowledgable replies than I have!!

 

[jtaylor]

Hi Tud. The SMLE barrel was reasonably lightweight and skinny. Thats why you had an inner band pulling the barrel down and the muzzle end would rest on the front of the fore. The No. 4 rifle barrel was heavier and the muzzle also rested on the front of the fore. I believe the barrel was heavy enough where all you needed was to stabilze the barrel in such a way in order for it to come to rest after each shot consistently in one exact place. Fultons (of Bisley) reamed out the barrel channel but surrounded the barrel mid way with their patented grease which stabilized the barrel. With the No.4 most bedding jobs consisted of stabilizing the body expansion (after each shot)with dowels, fiberglass compound, or even lead and sometimes the same stuff used in strips in the fore to keep centre. To answer your question I think P-Hale realized that with a sporting stock it basically makes no difference in accuracy to barrel bed. JOHN

 

[cosmic]

All of the factory sported No4's I've had displayed tight barrel contact with the forearm. Free floating them generally worsens performance. Bear in mind that the attachment of the forestock on a no4 is relatively weak after the forestock is shortened - it was never designed to function without banding at the muzzle.
Putting a sling swivel in the forearm often results in the forearm coming loose through use with a sling; again this is problematic wrt accuracy. As stated above, putting a shim at the tip of the fore-end with a few pounds of preload is a worthwhile experiment, and allows you to compensate for any loosening over time, and mitigates any lop-sided barrel contact in the barrel channel.

 

[Butcherbill]

Has anyone tried free floating the forend on a no 4 sporter? How did it turn out?

Thanks for the help!

My No.4 sporter is free floated under the forend, it was like that when I bought it. With S&B 150g factory SP and Federal blue box 180g SP ammo it will shoot 1”-1 1/4” five shot groups it’ll I do my part. It’s a 43 LB with a 2 grove barrel.

 

[Ganderite]

I am struggling to get a sporter to shoot.

I have tried free floating and forend pressure. Nothing yet.

You can do a before and after at the range.

Shoot a group as is. Then take a piece of ammo box cardboard and inset it under the barrel, near the tip of the forend and see how that group works.

 

[303EppsFan]

I've had two Parker Hale #4 rifles. The first was a "deluxe " model with Monte Carlo stock that I received as a Christmas gift .over 40 years ago. I eventually fully glass bedded this gun in the fore end using Acra-glass. It made it a very consistent shooter that holds it's zero well.My brother is still killing deer with this rifle.
The second #4 was a cheaper version with the altered military stock which I replaced with a Bishop sporter stock set I bought at Epps.
I gave the fore end the same treatment and still shoot this on occasion. I've managed to get it to clover leaf 3 shots a couple of times over the years but that's not the norm.
One gun has a fixed 4X and the other a 1.75-5X scope in Parker Hale mounts.
Both of these guns will shoot 1.5 moa easily and consistently and the zero virtually never changes. The glass seals the fore arm well and results in even pressure along the barrel.
I was well satisfied with results. These are sporting hunting rifles and consistency in all weather conditions is important. No worries about wet rainy weather warping a fore end and changing a zero.