I've got a 700 .223 varmint laminate stock. It wouldn't take but a minute to sand down the pressure point. Would this be a mistake? It shoots well for an outta the box gun, just an amateur looking for the easy things to fine tune. Primarily bench shooter. I'm not quite ready to pillar or glass bed it myself. Worst case I just have to add it back. Just curious if any one with the same rifle has done it.
Free floating a 700
- Thread starter Joe-ker
- Start date
I did mine with a chisel paring against the grain, but this is a tool of my trade,putting back can be a challange ,cause you can put it back unevenly or too much, just do little by little as you slide a dollar bill betweem stock and barrel ,i use a 100.00 bill make me feel I am doing a more expensive job
The pressure point has long been a Remington feature. Harold Vaughn opined that putting one on a rifle in a form he called "O'Connor Bedding" was one of the few bedding tricks he was aware of that produced consistent and significant grouping improvements in hunting type rifles with light, whippy barrels. There is even an outfit that makes an adjustable one so you can tune the contact point to the barrel.
If you float the barrel, you will probably have to tune your loads a little more carefully. It will allow additional modes of vibration. It certainly isn't a cure-all, and Remington may have the points at the right place for your barrel already. How well it shoots is certainly a measure of that.
Vaughn did the bedding by pulling down on the forestock with 10-20 lbs of pressure and inserting paper match stick like wedges and moving them until he found the right spot. He then pulled the action, applied mold release to that part of the barrel and put the action back and clamped the stock down and weighted the front of the stock by the same number of pounds, soaked the matchsticks thoroughly with slow-set epoxy like Acraglass or System 3 T-88, and letting them set up in place. He let the epoxy continue to harden for a week or two, IIRC. The slow set type does keep hardening for awhile.
If you float the barrel, you will probably have to tune your loads a little more carefully. It will allow additional modes of vibration. It certainly isn't a cure-all, and Remington may have the points at the right place for your barrel already. How well it shoots is certainly a measure of that.
Vaughn did the bedding by pulling down on the forestock with 10-20 lbs of pressure and inserting paper match stick like wedges and moving them until he found the right spot. He then pulled the action, applied mold release to that part of the barrel and put the action back and clamped the stock down and weighted the front of the stock by the same number of pounds, soaked the matchsticks thoroughly with slow-set epoxy like Acraglass or System 3 T-88, and letting them set up in place. He let the epoxy continue to harden for a week or two, IIRC. The slow set type does keep hardening for awhile.
"...because it can always be put back..." Yep. Easily and inexpensively too. Taking the pressure point out is the only way to find out of your rifle likes a floated barrel or not, as well. Not all rifles like it. If it doesn't you just put a dab of bedding material(usually just 2 part epoxy with a fibreglass filler.). JB Weld is epoxy with powdered steel. It'll do as well.
However, if you're going to do it, you might as well glass bed the thing at the same time. Glass bedding isn't difficult either. Buy an Acraglas kit and follow the directions on the box.
Pillar bedding is steel(usually) or other metal, um, hollow 'pins' that have the stock screws going through 'em to keep the stock separate entirely from the barreled action. Slightly more involved to do.
Neither of 'em give a 100% guarantee of better accuracy, but they will give more consistent groups.
"...a 100.00 bill..." A what? snicker.
However, if you're going to do it, you might as well glass bed the thing at the same time. Glass bedding isn't difficult either. Buy an Acraglas kit and follow the directions on the box.
Pillar bedding is steel(usually) or other metal, um, hollow 'pins' that have the stock screws going through 'em to keep the stock separate entirely from the barreled action. Slightly more involved to do.
Neither of 'em give a 100% guarantee of better accuracy, but they will give more consistent groups.
"...a 100.00 bill..." A what? snicker.