vanguard s2 . barrel free floating
- Thread starter rar
- Start date
does shot 3 always go in the same direction? if so you have a pressure point so floating the barrel might help. the other option is that your rifle might like some up pressure on the barrel. take a matchbook cover or business card and insert between the barrel and the stock and go shoot your group to see if you get the same, better or worse results. then go for the floating or bedding as dictated.
I'll chime in my worthless advice....lol.
I have 2 Howa 1500's and 2 Vanguard's. They are basically the same rifle, but Howa's come free floated, and WBY says they NEED barrel bedding with upward pressure. Both my Howa's shot better then both my WBY but not by a lot, more consistent though without the WBY flyers.
The worst was a VG2 in .257Wby, it was throwing rounds everywhere (good thing I reload and don't shoot factory). I finally decided it was something to do with the bedding...had to be, as all the other rifles shot great. Upon closer inspection, the molded stock was folded up off square. One half was a good 2mm proud of the other the entire length of the barrel channel, so out came the dowel and sandpaper and I evened it out....not enough to free float it, but enough to have it sitting even along the barrel channel.
Shooting it later showed me success, no more flyers. 2 rounds back to back will touch most of the time now where my cross hairs are. I don't like running 3 quick through it as you could just about light a cigarette off the barrel after that.
It just happens that I have a short and long action in each of the Howas and the Vanguards, so I tried the 257Wby in the FF Howa stock.... shot the same, made me happy, both ways seem to work fine with these rifles as long as the barrel bedding is even.
I have 2 Howa 1500's and 2 Vanguard's. They are basically the same rifle, but Howa's come free floated, and WBY says they NEED barrel bedding with upward pressure. Both my Howa's shot better then both my WBY but not by a lot, more consistent though without the WBY flyers.
The worst was a VG2 in .257Wby, it was throwing rounds everywhere (good thing I reload and don't shoot factory). I finally decided it was something to do with the bedding...had to be, as all the other rifles shot great. Upon closer inspection, the molded stock was folded up off square. One half was a good 2mm proud of the other the entire length of the barrel channel, so out came the dowel and sandpaper and I evened it out....not enough to free float it, but enough to have it sitting even along the barrel channel.
Shooting it later showed me success, no more flyers. 2 rounds back to back will touch most of the time now where my cross hairs are. I don't like running 3 quick through it as you could just about light a cigarette off the barrel after that.
It just happens that I have a short and long action in each of the Howas and the Vanguards, so I tried the 257Wby in the FF Howa stock.... shot the same, made me happy, both ways seem to work fine with these rifles as long as the barrel bedding is even.
I've had/have many Vanguards. Tupperware ones shot well with the original lay-out. Bedded them into Boyds stocks freefloated and they shot like that too. Got a couple more with fancy wooden handles and forend pressure. Guess what? They shot too. It's almost like there is no wrong way to do this.
