Free float barrel or not, need advice please

[Ledd Slinger]

Thanks for all the information and help, I have never pillar bedded or glass bedded before, is that a hard job? I found a Mills glass bedding kit at Cabela's

Dont use glass bedding. The stuff is horible to work with and leaves air pockets if you're not careful and don't know what you're doing. Pick up some Devcon Steel Puddy 10110. Follow the mixing ratio instructions and apply it like any other bedding. Much easier to work with, virtually no shrinkage, much tougher than glass bedding, and won't leave air pockets.

 

[Coondog]

Old school way for checking barrel to wood contact. Remove action and barrel from stock. Light a candle hold the barrel channel over the candle a little bit so the soot from the candle coats the barrel channel. Install the barrel action CAREFULLY into the stock and tighten screws. Fire the rifle a couple times, and carefully remove action. Inspect barrel channel and see where the barrel makes contact. Or use the above dollar bill method and just free float it all the way. Good luck, Barlow

Thanks, that's good info I never heard before

 

[Coondog]

Going back through your posts in this thread it appears that you don't know with certainty that you are getting contact between the barrel and stock. If you haven't established this yet you would eliminate a bit of conjecture by doing the dollar bill test.
It sounds as if you'd benefit from bedding regardless of the barrel/channel contact.

I have tried to run a dollar bill under it and it won't go, it gets binded up and stops before it even hits the wood on the black tip of the forearm at the beginning of the stock. Again thanks to everybody for the help it's much appreciated

 

[Mickey D]

I have tried to run a dollar bill under it and it won't go, it gets binded up and stops before it even hits the wood on the black tip of the forearm at the beginning of the stock. Again thanks to everybody for the help it's much appreciated

When I free float a bbl I use a dowel a little smaller than the bbl. 8-10 inches will work. 100 grit paper will cut fairly fast. You can use 60 grit but use caution.

 

[Coondog]

When I free float a bbl I use a dowel a little smaller than the bbl. 8-10 inches will work. 100 grit paper will cut fairly fast. You can use 60 grit but use caution.

So pillar bed and float?

 

[savagedasher]

So pillar bed and float?

They are what your bolts for the action goes through. Both and the bedding hold the action
Larry

 

[Mickey D]

They are what your bolts for the action goes through. Both and the bedding hold the action
Larry

First I piller bed. Brownells has them. Next take the dowel and sand paper and sand the bbl channel. Get rid of all the high spots. Remove enough stock material at the lug to be able to bed the lug. Now place the bbl action in the stock and tighten the screws snug.
With a smooth bbl channel try the dollar bill between bbl and stock. If it slides easily you are in business. But if it doesn't remove the bbl action and take electron tape and 2 " in frount of the lug make 3 raps around the bbl. Reassemble and check with the dollar bill. If it is still tight remove more stock material. If the dollar gets hard in one spot mark it with a pencil.
When you are able to slide the dollar all the way to where you wrapped the tape you are ready to bed the lug. I use JBWeld and Johnsons wax for release agent. Modeling clay works to keep the JB Weld in place. Roll a string out and place one on the bbl where you used the tape. And one string on the action side of the lug. Use plenty of release agent.
What you have done is metal to metal where your stock meats the action. The lug is beded so when you shoot the action doesn't move. And your bbl is free floated so your harmonists are the same on every shot.
Pardon for the long post. And remember Google is your friend.
Mickey. Sorry for the poor spelling.

 

[Coondog]

First I piller bed. Brownells has them. Next take the dowel and sand paper and sand the bbl channel. Get rid of all the high spots. Remove enough stock material at the lug to be able to bed the lug. Now place the bbl action in the stock and tighten the screws snug.
With a smooth bbl channel try the dollar bill between bbl and stock. If it slides easily you are in business. But if it doesn't remove the bbl action and take electron tape and 2 " in frount of the lug make 3 raps around the bbl. Reassemble and check with the dollar bill. If it is still tight remove more stock material. If the dollar gets hard in one spot mark it with a pencil.
When you are able to slide the dollar all the way to where you wrapped the tape you are ready to bed the lug. I use JBWeld and Johnsons wax for release agent. Modeling clay works to keep the JB Weld in place. Roll a string out and place one on the bbl where you used the tape. And one string on the action side of the lug. Use plenty of release agent.
What you have done is metal to metal where your stock meats the action. The lug is beded so when you shoot the action doesn't move. And your bbl is free floated so your harmonists are the same on every shot.
Pardon for the long post. And remember Google is your friend.
Mickey. Sorry for the poor spelling.

Thanks for the information

 

[expiper]

Simple float test:
Use plastic material, about credit
card thickness. It must be flexible
enough to form to the curvature
of the barrel channel, Put one piece
where the front stock bolt comes through.
It needs to come to the top of the stock
forming a U shape in this area, same as
bedding would do.
Next cut a small tab, and place it where
the rear tang bolt comes through.
This should completely float the barrel,
if the stock is straight. LDS

OP/coondog,,,,this is good advice from an "old" timer,,,,,this simple-quick fix can tell you if you need to float the bbl or not,,,I just did this to a Rem 700 tupperware stock rifle (.223 cal) that was not shooting as expected for this cal,,,,I put four thickness of the little pocket calendars that you get at the bank (.010" thickness each) under the reciever ring area just as Larry recommends and that gave adequate clearance al the way down the bbl channel,,,( I also removed the little pressure points at the front of the fore end,,),,,just use a hole punch in the shim stock for the reciever bolt to pass thru and torque as required,,,the gun went from shooting proven loads ~3/4" to shooting them ~3/8"....Roger
PS...I put a bedding bolt in the front action hole and place the card/shim stock over the headless bolt then push it thru the stock with the shim stock in place,,,then remove the bedding screw and install the factory action screw,,,,sometimes the screw is too short with the shims in place requireing a longer bolt from the hardware store (1/4-28),,,