Whats the minimum clearance for stock to barrel clearance? A smith here touched on this in the past and suggested a significant clearance.

Of course I don't want a big gap for looks.

Two of the newish SS/composite rifles that I have been shooting have been somewhat erratic. Most of the time they stay sighted in and the groups were good with one and just barely adequate with the other. For some reason they barrel channel clearances are no longer even. They were even when I got the rifles but they have been in and out of the stocks a lot and now both were just a little to one side. Not enough to touch but to clear quite a few folds of paper.

I filed each stock on the close side to increase the clearance and have shot each rifle on two occasions and they are considerably better.

What do you suggest?

The object is to prevent the barrel and forend from coming into contact as the barrel heats up and expands, as the barrel whips about during recoil, and if a poorly sealed forend of a wooden stock should warp. You should figure all of the potential causes into the clearance.

Next time you are at the range and dialed in, place your finger against the side of the barrel when you fire your rifle and see what just a slight amount of contact will do to your group. It dosn't take much contact to throw rounds.

As a rule, I base the amount of clearance for my personal stuff, on how much effort is required to force the barrel and forend into contact. If I can do it rather easily, I will either go for a much stiffer stock, or increase the clearance.

I like to glass bed full length from tip of the tang to the end of the foreend.....and in this way the barrel channel is also completely sealed in glass bedding.

I wrap the barrel in two layers of electrical tape prior to setting the barreled action in the glass.

Upon removal this leaves about .02 gap for the float but I still have to sand some to make this complete believe it or not.

This don't look like a lot of gap and seems to work well for me.

Many years ago Winchester left a very large gap for their free floated barrel...It lookeed like hell!!!!! I know what ya mean!!!!

The better stock fitters are not at all happy with this as it don't require a lot of skill to inlet the barrel channel this way....some of these guys are so good that they can float the barrel and almost not see it at all.....

Thanks all. It was Malm who in fact mentioned having enough clearance. Since he did not give a specific dimension I am left to guessing. I did not take off much at all and now both sides seem even.

After typing the above I measured the rifle thats been the most eratic which is a Kimber 8400 Montana 270 WSM. There is about .025" clearance or more on the left side and less than .010" on the right side. It looks like a lot more and in fact almost even because I broke the outside corner on the right side while filing it. I need to make a better fitting 'file' (sandpaper on a dowel) and sand some more off the right side although the rifle really came alive today and shot much better.

It's just that it's not even at all and .010" does not seem like much??

What say you?

quote:

What say you?

IMO if a dollar bill slides between the barrel and stock all the way to within an inch or so of the action it's good enough.

IMPO, a dollar bill may not be enough. You get a barrel hot and that dollar bill clearance will close. There will be times when more clearance is needed. That is why I don't give clearance specs. Savage99, the minimum clearance will be whatever it takes to keep the two apart. You will have to be the judge of that. Good luck.

I consider the thickness of a note card or business card minimum. I build benchrest rifles as well as big game and customs. I know wood to metal fit is important for looks so you have to ask your self how serious you are about the accuracy of your rifle. It doesn't matter how much clearance there is if it touches it touches and you just threw a shot. I like to pop the forearm with the palm of my hand also and see how much it takes to make it slap the barrel. I would be willing to bet that alot of guys go to pressure point bedding becaause their barrel is hitting the barrel channel and they don't know it, which is fine if you don't want the unsightly gaps.

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Originally posted by Nick Hughes:
I like to pop the forearm with the palm of my hand also and see how much it takes to make it slap the barrel.

That's funny you should mention that. A friend came by the other day to show me his new rifle. He handed me the rifle and then he said "what did you do that for"? I looked to see what he was talking about and noticed that I was balancing the rifle with the fingers of my left hand while whacking the comb with the palm of my right hand while listening and feeling for the slightest contact. It's funny how over time, you do things without actually realizing you are doing it.

Besides temperature effects, I want clearance to also alow for the barrel and stock deflecting toward each other from the weight of the barrel when in the benchrest. That can be allot of wood deflection if the barrel is stout.