# Free Floating barrel question



## rottengander (Oct 2, 2010)

I have a REM 700BDL. This rifle has a sporter barrel on it. It's shooting pretty good .75 to 1, 5 shot groups at 100. I noticed there is a rise in the stock above front sling swivel that makes contact with the barrel. My question is if I were to smooth this out and let the barrel be completely free floating will it make a difference?


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## driggy (Apr 26, 2005)

Yes.

Better, worse, who knows. You have to experiment.


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## AdamFisk (Jan 30, 2005)

I would not touch the pressure point unless you plan on bedding. Just removing that pressure point alone could have very negative affects on your groups. My brother dremeled out the pads in his SPS stock and accuracy went to CRAP. If you're shooting .75, I wouldn't chance it unless you're prepared to buy a new stock or put some work and money into your factory stock if accuracy goes to hell.


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## rottengander (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm hesitant to try this cause I've also heard that being its not a heavy contour barrel, freeing it up may cause more movement with the barrel being less stiff than heavier barrels. Resulting in loss of accuracy. Is this true?


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

Yes, your accuracy could suffer and it could get better. Theres know way to really know unless you do it. Personally, if its shooting that well, I would just leave it be and get some more trigger time. Chances are that some practice will improve your groups more that modifications right now.


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

I should add this to clarify a bit. The SPS stocks flex quite a bit. If you are putting the stock on your rest towards the front end of the stock, you could try moving the rest back a bit. That could possibly help some. I've also read that adding something like a piece of matchbook over the pads to add a bit more pressure can help groups too.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I had a sporter barrel 300 WinMag that grouped about 1.5 inch. I removed the forend pressure and the group opened to 2.5 inches. I used business cards between the barrel and tip of the forend. Two cards just made contact and groups were about 2 inches. Three cards cut the group to 1 inch. Four cards cut the group to .7 inches. Five cards opened it again to 1.25 inches. So I epoxy bedded the front 1.5 inches using the four business cards to space correctly. After that I had .7 to .8 consistently, but that's about all that light barrel gun would ever do. 
Years ago everyone said free float it and it will shoot better. That depends a lot on barrel contour and caliber. I free floated a Winchester Featherweight in 223 and that worked great. I have free floated a few larger calibers and that has never worked out for me in light barrels.
Some stocks hold epoxy well, and some don't. The "Tupperware" type rubbery stocks do not. If you have a wood or better type after market fiber stock you could sand away your pressure point and try it. In the good stocks it's easy to add pressure with epoxy bedding. Most often you don't see anything and you can even get away with JBWeld.


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## People (Jan 17, 2005)

I have a rem700 in 7mmSTW started life as a 700 mountain rifle with the plastic stock and it would shoot great when cold as soon as it would get hot groups would turn into patterns. I ground down those lugs and had to open the barrel channel quite a bit. With this rifle it helped a lot. The stock still bends a lot but I can shoot it until I am done and you can boil water on it and it shoots quite well. Granted if I do get it that hot the casings are garbage.

I have a second 700 in 30-06 with a wood stock and I did the same thing and it got better but not much. It shoots solid hunting rifle accuracy about one moa.

My friend has a Interarms rifle (Mauser copy) and we did the same thing and it got much worse. We put new shims under the barrel and experimented until it shot as good as it could. At that point he was happy. I took his rifle in and got it pillar bedded for his birth day and the smith said the stock was in very bad shape. He said it looked like they used a claw hammer and just beat out what they did not want. Any way the rifle shoots much better than it ever has.

You never know what will happen with you start tinkering with your rifle. If it gets worse you can always reshim it or have it bedded. There is no reason why I thin barrel can not shoot well. All of these rifles above are thin tubes. My STW was rechaimbered and the muzzle was recrowned and a break put on.

Chuck Norris once round-house kicked a salesman. Over the phone.


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## rottengander (Oct 2, 2010)

Thanks for the info guys. Guess its time to start playing with the rifle. I do have a couple cheapo rimfires I can practice bedding and getting the feel for it. Thanks again.


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