I've been visiting a number of benchrest rifle sites lately. I cannot find a single example of a conventional bench rest gun that uses a bedded barrel system. That is, the barrel breech area is the primary bedding point and the securing screws are located there. The action being free-floated or not part of the bedding system. Does anyone know if they exist? It seems I saw a Finnish Mosin-Nagant target rifle once that was bedded this way.

I can only find examples of conventional action bedded guns with heavy actions or sleeved actions to make them more rigid. These usually have free-floated barrels. The other type is the rail gun, where the barrel breech area is clamped to a steel or alloy rail and the action hangs out in space.

The Mauser M03 sporting rifle has developed a great accuracy reputation using an embedded stock rail system where the action housing and barrel are attached to the rail, but not connected to each other. The bolt (w/floating bolt head) locks directly into the barrel and the barrel breech (5-6 in) beds on the rail with the rest free-floated. At first appearances, this looks like a hybrid between the conventional and rail systems of bench guns.

When I look at all the expense and effort that goes into building an ultra rigid action for a benchrest gun, I have to wonder why they just don't build an ultra stiff barrel and bed it like the 03 Mauser? The action could be attached to the rail or just free-floated. Then it wouldn't matter about the action. It wouldn't need to be stiff. As long as it had a good trigger, fast lock time, and square locking lugs it should work. Does this sound reasonable or am I just full of pooh?

butch Lambert is the man to ask, but I would hazard a guess that weight is the issue.

The four basic classes:

1. Light Varmint (LV) 10.5lbs w/scope. Specific taper barrel. 3" fore end on stock
2. Sporter. Same exact rifle, but must be 6mm caliber. The reason 6PPC is so popular.

3. Heavy Varmint (HV) 13.5lbs w/scope. Slightly heavier taper barrel.

4. Unlimited Class, no restrictions. Railguns are very much the preference.

There is also Hunter Class. Intended to entice guys with hunting rifles to try bench rest out. Must be a repeater, 6mm minimum bore size, 30-30 case capacity, narrower fore end. 6X scope

With the cost of moving backers for group matches, HV for score is becoming popular. You shoot any of the other 3 rifles, but at the HBR target.

Rich

Rich, the sporter class is not restricted to 6mm. The rifle cannot be chambered in anything smaller than 6mm. The cartridge capacity of the Hunter class case must be equal to or, greater than the 30-30 Win. but is not caliber specific.

I seem to recall some early rimfire benchrest rifles were constructed by Bill Calfee with "free actions" and bedded barrels, but that was quickly abandoned in favor of stiff, glued in actions and floated barrels.
I don't recall any centerfire BR work done in that fashion.
Butch would be a better historian than I.
Bob

Actually, lots of long range BR guns utilize barrel blocks bedded to the stock. The barrel is clamped into the block and the action free floats. Also, Bob Scoville has made a number of short range stocks that utilize a barrel block system as well. They are certainly not the norm however...

Sorry, I meant minimum caliber on the varmint classes.
John Gammuto tried a 17 for a year or so.

Recoil is a factor as well, these rifles are almost always shot free recoil.

LV and HV and Unl are any caliber, just sporter is 6mm or larger.

You see barrel block bedding where the weight is not an issue.

Rich

John Gammuto. There's a name I have not heard in a few years. The last time I asked Tommy Merideth where his "buddy" Gammuto was, I got a one finger answer!

Eddie,
Funny thing, Gammuto has not returned the money he owes me. BR rifles are much more sophisticated than the rifles that Bobster mentioned. They are the most accurate rifles built in the world for short range [330yds&shorter] shooting from a rest. The vast majority have the receivers glued into the stock. As mentioned above a few have rings similar to scope rings bedded into the stock. The barrel is held in the clamps[rings] and the receiver and 18" or so of the barrel is floating.
Bobster, I hope this is answering your question.
Butch

Thanks all. That gives me a better view of things. I guess I'm looking at it as more of an engineering problem, in that securing a big honkin' barrel to a stock would be more rigid if the mount point was closer to the muzzle. Then you wouldn't need to build massive actions that had to be glued in the stock. Kinda like what Chrysler did with their inverted V16 hemi developed during ww2. They mated two v8's together in a reduction gearbox so they could take the power off from the middle of the engine instead of the end. This put less stress on the bearings and hence reduced the mass of the block. However, you can't argue with success and the tiny groups I see shot with these guns bears that out.

All of the BR classes other than unlimited have rules to keep the rifles looking like rifles. I would have to go back to my rulebook, but I don't think you can do any gluing or bedding of the rifle over an inch or two forward of the receiver.
Remember the stocks are wood-carbon fiber laminate or most of the so called glass stocks are carbon fiber with fill. They are very rigid. The receivers aren't massive. Most of them are Remington weight or less unless they are in the 13.5lb class or unlimited. Balance is very important.
Butch

Doc & Butch,

either of you two remember Manley Oakley? Original founding member of the Puget Sound Snipers Congress right after WWII. I can imagine the reaction if you started a BR club and used that name today. He was in the Seattle area. I bought an 11 1/2"x1 3/4" bedding block for a Remmie 700 LA, and an unlimited stock for it from him.

Rich

I remember the name but, never had the pleasure of meeting him. I was fortunate to have had a friend and mentor in the person of Homer Culver. I could learn more in 15 Min. with Pappy than I could in a week of Vo-Tech.

Can't read tonight. Manley not Manny.

DocEd,

never had that pleasure, but I did get to spend most of an afternoon/evening visiting with Seeley Masker at the SS. He was making waves with his 6MM Seeley Masker Wasp for a year or two. He and Dave Tooley and Clay Spencer.

Ahhh, them good old days...

Rich

Dave and Clay are still around and doing well.
Butch

Good to hear that. I only made it to one SS, but it was a very interesting week. The Tony Boyer Ed Shilen debate was worth the drive.

Rich