Help!
I've got a .338 RUM Remington Sendero SS action I'm putting a 30" fluted tapered barrel 1.30" at the receiver and .970" at the muzzle. This is going into an HS Precision stock, but I'm not sure if a standard bedding job will be enough to support the weight of the barrel, should I go with a bedding block, or should I bed up the barrel past the receiver a couple of inches. What other options are there?

AB

"What other options are there?"
You could fit a sleeve to the outside of the barrel, than bed the sleeve/recoil lug only (leave the action hanging out the rear, unbedded).

A number of the top 1000 Yd. BR shooters in MT bed a few inches of the barrel in addition to the usual receiver bedding. I would do that, considering the barrel that you have on the Ultra. I'd guess it at about 9-10#? A 30" HV, 1.250 at the rear (6") and tapered to .925 weighs about 8#.

I've got a few rifles built with #7 contour barrels at 27 1/2".

I bed the action, recoil lug, and about 2 inches of barrel. Never had a problem, and they shoot great that way.

AB, consider bedding the barrel up to the beginning of the taper. That should give the barrel enough support. Also skim bed the action into the HS stock. I've seen more than a few M700 actions that just didn't sit right in the bedding block even though torqued to 65 in-lbs. Also suggest using MarineTex, Devcon Ti, Steelbed as bedding compounds.

I would bed the rifle conventionally and see what happens. Mostly, the difficulties encountered regarding the supporting of heavy barrels are psychological. In other words, the action supports the barrel just fine except in the mind of the shooter.
I don't like bedding the rear portion of the barrel because I have had more difficulty with vertical stringing with rifles so bedded. Regards, Bill.

Depending on your action I think.

WE have built very heavy rifles, with straight barrels of up to 30 inches, 1.100" at the muzzle, on Hall Giant actions.

These barrels are completely free floating, and never had any problems whatsoever.

I have built a couple, and I glass under the action and under the first two inches of barrel. I free float the barrel with extra clearance, so when the stock bends in the benchrest, the barrel will not touch.



Pictures of 45acp and 47/70 with bull barrels:





Picture of 91/30 Mosin Nagant converted to 45/70 with bull barrel