The Accurate Reloading Forums
Glass bedded vs free floated....
14 April 2003, 01:03
sakofanGlass bedded vs free floated....
I posted this in the Benchrest section originally, so please forgive my redundance..
My beloved Sako shoots pretty good for a hunting rifle...3/4 at 100 yards or less typically..
Sako's barrel's or at least mine is free floated, would glass bedding improve accuracy, performance of this rifle???
I love this gun, but it wont out shoot my Rem. Sendero, even on a good day, which by the way is free floated too...Thanks for any help..sakofan...
14 April 2003, 03:21
Rob1SGI don't think I can give you an answer.Some rifles shoot well right from the factory like your Sako.It could improve your rifle but maybe it won't. 3/4" and better is pretty hard to beat.
14 April 2003, 05:39
RogerKRelax, and the next time you load, take a pinch of powder, a bullet you are loading, a casing, a primer, and put them in a sunny corner of your yard in an alter arrangement. Then take the pinch of powder and scatter it to the winds and then thank the Loading Gods for what you have, because it's good. Damned good.
Forgot to add, that if you mess with it, only three things can happen; you can shrink, you can open up your groups, or they stay the same.
[ 04-13-2003, 20:42: Message edited by: RogerK ]15 April 2003, 15:17
fredj338You didn't say what caliber or model bbl. your Sako is, but if you can routenly get under 1MOA, as was said earlier, you are more likely to mess things up.
I have rifles that didn't shoot well free floated & needed a pressure point, some shoot great free floated, some fully bedded, etc. etc. You know the saying; "if it aint broke, don't fix it".
15 April 2003, 16:10
AtkinsonIf it ain't broke, don't fix it!!! yours ain't broke...
JJMHO,leave the bbl free floated and glass bed the action. derF
16 April 2003, 11:39
sakofanIt's a 300WM, in a Sako Model 75 Stainless Syn...
I also noticed that, the forearm seems to be touching the barrel slightly on one side.
I can easily slide 2 buiness cards between the forearm and the barrel on one side, and barely one business card on the other side, at the top of the forearm.
I realize that this is considered good for a hunting rifle, but NOT good enough for me, fellas!!
The barrel might be heating up and touching the the forearm, making it pull...maybe, thanks guys!!...sakofan...
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16 April 2003, 14:30
SeanD.75 moa for 300 win mag sporter and its not good enough? That is outstanding accuracy. You may be able to do better, but man id be tickled pink if all my rifles shot that good. Seriously, i would probably bed it, just because i recently did my first bedding job, and its a piece of cake. Fun, actually. I personally wouldnt bed it for the sole reason of improving a .75moa rifle's accuracy, but more for consistancy. And pillars make it nice to be able to pull the action to clean and replace it and still be very close to zero. All of my rifles will be bedded in the future. And for you, it might give you some piece of mind. A good bedding job i dont think would hurt accuracy but it might not improve it. A bedding job done incorrectly would probably make it shoot worse than it does now.
18 April 2003, 16:45
JacobiteMy 300 win mag would not shoot a group at all till it was bedded. It was a model 70 Winchester. My gunsmith don't have much faith in free floating barrels. He likes them bedded. I just had her restocked by him after using the original stock and bed job for years. Just brought her home today. Hope to see how she shoots tomorrow. If nothing else bed just the front two inches and if it don't help take it back out. I plan to do that to my .308 It like yours has more gap on one side than the other. I hope bedding the tip will make it shoot consistant.
19 April 2003, 10:02
<eldeguello>sakofan, HEED Mr. Atkinson's advice! Leave it the hell alone! Any sporter that shoots 3/4" groups is EXCEPTIONAL, if not downright OUTSTANDING!!!
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19 April 2003, 12:25
JacobiteWell I took my .300 out today. My load that used to shoot 1 inch groups now clover leafs. And a new load had two in the same hole. Only had a few rounds of each load so nothing is written in stone. If you are not happy with 3/4 inch groups keep working. I was happy with the one inch groups before but knew I could do better. Before the rifle was in a right handed factory stock. I shoot left handed so I had a left handed thumb hole stock built for her. Works nice on bipods that way hunting. Especially as I am right handed.
19 April 2003, 22:54
sakofanJacobite....I too am left eye dominate, and right handed....I think I'll glass the action and leave it free floated, or maybe switch stocks like you did.
Iam non my way out the door to the range now, lets prctise a little more....sakofan....thanks everybody for your expertise and great suggestions....
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