I have a weatherby markV 22-250 and it does not shoot as accurate as I would like.
Maybe I should floating the barrel? In the past to float a barrel I would just put a packer under the front mount of the action rather than sanding out the fore stock.
Any suggestions would be appreciated

Free floating is a good idea, but it doesn't always work. Long ago I quit fiddling with the factory barrels and, in stead, starting getting first-rate after-market barrels put on - usually a heavier barrel. I like Krieger, Shillen, Hart - they all work well. I like 26" with a muzzle diameter at .7 to .8 inches. Bottomline: get a decent heavy barrel and your accuracy problems will likely disappear.

Pretty good advice. I don't know that I would quit using factory barrels, some shoot quite well. I've had some amazing luck with Rugers, Tikkas, and Winchesters. I've read of people who've had good luck with Remingtons, but I haven't. But that's not any scientific comparison.
I've found most will shoot if tweaked properly. It's sometimes finding the correct "tweaked properly" that can be maddening.
I'd float it and see how it shoots, my guess is it will respond.

I think AIU's advice is right.

Harold Vaughn did some experiments on barrels, and pointed out that it is very hard to make a really rigid threaded joint, as exists between receiver and barrel. He maintained that putting pressure on the barrel pre-loaded the joint, made it more rigid, and reduced fliers as the joint heated. If you take it out, and things get worse, you can always put it back.

Heavier barrels do work better. And barrels from the better manufacturers have a much better chance of shooting well.

I believe in glass bedding and free floating all barrels and actions and it has been a good policy for me. However floating a barrel by shimming the action up in the stock may not be best as it evades the bedding issues needed of the action.

I have never bedded any action (well rifles actions that is)But I have sanded down the inside of the stock until a dollar could be slipped all the way to the chamber. For myself I hav efound this has always been enough to get the accuracy I wanted. But I suppose I need to try some stablization of the action also.

Try using a more stable benchrest before you try anything. You may just be surprised

Free floating barrels require proper action bedding.

For me, if a correctly bedded action and free floating barrel will not shoot, then the barrel goes.

Mike

quote:

For me, if a correctly bedded action and free floating barrel will not shoot, then the barrel goes.

That is my policy as well.If the gun won't shoot well with a floated barrel,something is not right with the gun.

Seems a lot to ask us all to "armchair analyze" your accuracy problem with so little to go on.

The weatherby markV synthentic is supposed to have a Krieger criterion barrell. So I expected it to shhot. I bought the rifle from a gun smith who trued the action. The first time I load developed and ran in the barrell I was not impressed with results. I have now fired around 350 shots at targets and rabbits with some happy results. The latest thing I have done is had silencer fitted, it works really well sounds like a 22 LR high velocity. But the accuracy is not there.
Am using 50gr vmax ADI 2208 37grains of powder. and sometimes I can achieve a 31mm 5 shot group at 200m but with the same load I get 80-100mm group at 200m.
The best results I have ever had to date with the rifle is 14mm at 100m consistly with 50gr vmax and 37.5grains 2208 doing 3850ft/sec but with the silencer the best is 37grains 2208.
But not consistent?? It is starting to piss me off and cost (waste) time and money group testing.
I new I should have bought a SAKO

quote:

Am using 50gr vmax ADI 2208 37grains of powder. and sometimes I can achieve a 31mm 5 shot group at 200m but with the same load I get 80-100mm group at 200m.

I assume that is a typo and you mean 31 mm at 100 yards.

By the way, it is not all that common for people to get good groups at 100 yards but their groups at 200 are more than twice as big as would be expected.

I would be the rifle and a Wby needs about a 1/2" of bedding under the barrel because of the postion of the front action screw.

The sort of inconsistencies you are talking about can also be scope and mount related.

Other causes are a load that is virtually on the verge of falling over. Sometimes resizing can bea problem in that some cases when full sized will have a couple of thou head space but others will not. Press spring causes that problem.

Also, loads that go well and then go off can often because by bullets seated out to far.

But whatever, bed the rifle and free float. That is the starting point. Free floating actions demand proper action bedding which is one reason the factories use a pressure point at the forend tip....because the factory bedding is shit. They also do it because quite often the barreled action is not straight in the stock and if the barrel was free floated it would not be centred in the forend.

One other thing you might try is to use Win 760 instead of 2208.

Also, if you nack your 2208 loads right off, say a few grains and the rifle starts shooting OK you can nearly bed the bedding is a problem

Mike

My last three new rifles have all been taken to the gunsmith for glass bedding the action, floating the barrel and trigger work. With two of the three we've removed that dippy little bumper Remington has started using at the front end of the stock. The only reason I can see for it is it lends a bit of stability while allowing the manufacturer to save even more money by giving us barrels with smaller diameters. I do all this even before taking the rifle to the range for load development. It's an extra $250. which I'm not happy about shelling out, but it seems we don't have much choice.
Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

quote:

Originally posted by Mike375:
Free floating barrels require proper action bedding.

For me, if a correctly bedded action and free floating barrel will not shoot, then the barrel goes.

Mike

But what about load development? I had a .308
Omark, Lightish Ferlach barrel, that would shoot
(by memory) about 1/2" to 3/4" at 100 y. but with one load only. Either way up or down went
bad, up to 2 to 3". Had the same thing with
a .22RF and different ammo.
John L.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike375:
[QUOTE]Am using 50gr vmax ADI 2208 37grains of powder. and sometimes I can achieve a 31mm 5 shot group at 200m but with the same load I get 80-100mm group at 200m.

I assume that is a typo and you mean 31 mm at 100 yards.

No that is correct 31mm at 200 meters which I am really happy with but the 80 to 100mm straight after and quite regular pisses me off I would be more than happy if 31mm was consistent which is half MOA. Thanks for the advise I will go to my gun smith and do the bedding and floating

quote:

I have now fired around 350 shots at targets and rabbits with some happy results. The latest thing I have done is had silencer fitted

If I read you right, it shot well (14mm at 100m is plenty good to me!) until you fitted the suppressor? Hang a big chunk of metal (especially if done poorly) from the end and it could be like a whole new barrel...

OK:

1 - I do not believe the Weatherby action is exactly a first choice for obtaining/building an accurate rifle with.

2 - The results you've posted don't sound all that bad (or unusual) for a run-o-the-mill, off-the-shelf factory gun, i.e. ocassionally good groups, but inconsistent.

3 - Must be a hell of a suppressor on that gun - they're only supposed to work with sub-sonic ammo - how you're getting that much noise suppression with those loads beats me!

4 - Does your gunsmith have a sterling reputation for making guns that shoot well? Also what country do you live in where silencers are legal?

Get yourself a Rem 700 fitted with a top grade barrel properly fitted and bedded and enjoy 1/4 m.o.a. groups all the time!

quote:

The weatherby markV synthentic is supposed to have a Krieger criterion barrell

Do not confuse the criterion barrel with the well known kreiger cut rifle barrels as they are different products entirely.Of course,I believe that weatherby doesn't mind people confusing the two.

Mr. sonofagun, did you really mean 1/4 MOA all the time! I wish that I could say that about any of my benchrest rifles. Most of the time they will, but not all the time. Butch

When it comes to floating, I always try everything else (upwrd pressure near the forend tip, full-barrel channel bedding, etc.) first, as it it difficult to "cut it off a little longer". You can't put the wood back after you've hogged it out of the barrel channel.

Sometimes pencil thin barrels will not work too well if free floated. as suggested here, try other things before you go with eliminating stock mat.