I have two Mannlicher stocked Mauser carbines. One is a 7x57 stocked with upward pressure at the forend, the second is a .257 Roberts that is free floated. The .257 will group 3 shots into a cloverleaf, but the 7mm will place the first 2 together and the 3rd. shot about an inch away. Examining the 7x57 I found the steel schnable bearing on one side so I relieved it with a needle file. I haven't had a chance to fire it since but was wondering what the consensus is here. Should a full stock be free floated or bedded with upward pressure?

Thanks for you response. I'll be searching for the problem. Detective work is always fun!

Being a living being, a long wooden stock will always be changing with the weather; nothing you can do about it; then you have that metal thing hanging on to the end, which is not conducive to best accuracy. (Foreend cap) Mannlichers were not designed as match rifles; they are hunting rifles made to look cool. Give it some upward pressure somewhere along the way. NO side pressure but the tip has to touch somewhere.

My best shooter cloverleafs)is free-floated. My conclusion on wanderers was that any barrel to wood or metal contact will change the barrel alignment when the barrel heats up unless the contact is uniform. Uniform contact about the action and bottom metal is also important. Top talented builders like a recent poster can perform these feats among others rather routinely. For guys like me whose talent is such that I will retain my day job, I free-float and Acraglas. CB

With all the changes in humidity like we have here, wood moves no matter how well you try to seal it.

Duane,
Without revealing your darkest secrets, could you describe how you achieve pressure for that section ahead of the receiver? I've read of hanging xx lbs off the fore end while inletting/bedding which results in upward pressure on the barrel (usually at the tip) when the weight is removed. Something along those lines or are you full contact bedding that section of the barrel with the rest "floated"?

Years ago, I used to have a Steyr-Mannlicher Luxus Stützen in 7x64. I felt enamoured at 1st sight and I had to have that rifle. I topped it off with a Swarovski-Habicht Nova 1,5-6x42 in a Mannlicher proprietary swing-out mount.A thing of beauty, no doubt. The first groups proved the rifle possessed good accuracy potential and I rapidly found several sub-MOA loads. The problem was that, day in and day out, the POI moved constantly. When zeroed, it rarely shot in the same place a week later. I ordered a spare Schnabel, which I modified and filed to free float the bbl. I had to open it to the point that the stock forend hung away from the muzzle to obtain stability. By then the honeymoon was over and I got rid of the rifle.

Since,I've had and still own an Anschütz 1418 Stützen in .22 LR. Same story, I took off the front screw that keeps the forend against the barrel and now the rifle stays zeroed.

Interesting.

In case it's helpful, somebody posted many years ago that Paul Dressel had good success routing a deep channel under the barrel on Mannlicher stocks to weaken the wood a little and keep it from shifting impact.