I've played with my M-70 featherweight in .300 WSM magnum enough to see that its a capable gun but would benefit from a pillar bedding job and free-floating the barrel. The one concern I have with the forearm on this rifle is that its so thin it seems a tight sling position would pull it to one side whetehr it was bedded or not...anyone have any experience or comments in this regard? Also, I decided to replace the alloy triggerguard with a blued steel replacement. Anyone seen or used the Harris mfg. replacement steel trigger guards?
Thin barrels generally shoot better with some tip pressure. Big fat benchrest barrels generally shoot better free floated. People get confused and think that setting up a flyweight sporter is the same as a bench gun. It is not. Now I reverse myself, sort of. Try it. If it shoots you don't need to worry about the zero shifting. I think odds are it will shoot worse though. That said my favorite hunting rifle is free floated. I gave up about 1/2 minuet accuracy and traded it for stability. It now shoots about 1". Used to shoot ragged holes. I don't think the buck will know the difference. : )
Posts: 813 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 02 November 2000
just finished pilier bedding & floating the barrel on that vary rifle. it had a large chip in the stock right where the recoil lug fit. i bedded it on SS pillers and glassed the recoil lug area with the barrel floated about .050". you have to put a lot of twist into the forearm to make it touch so i fill it'll be fine. rifle was shooting 2 - 3/4" groups about an 1" apart. i fired 10rds about an hr ago, 1 group about 1" whith 165gr partions.
------------------ born on a mountain, raised in a cave, hunting and fishing is all i crave!
I had that very same M70. When I got it, it was bedded with up pressure and it wouldn't shoot worth a hoot. Tried everything but was reluctant to free float that skinny barrel. When I finally did just prior to rebarreling to solve the accuracy problem, it started shooting half inch groups for 3 shots. Any more than than they wandered because of heat. I bedded the chamber area and gave plenty of clearance to the forend to avoid contact under stress.
Conversely, a friend asked me to accurize, bed and free float his in 30-06 Featherweight. Did the same things and that one wouldn't shoot until I put 12 lbs up pressure on the forend. What Scot says is very true. It depends what that particular barrel requires.
Posts: 1261 | Location: Placerville, CA, US of A | Registered: 07 January 2001
A tight sling will move the forend around but then again it'll do that on anything. I free float all my barrels because I don't want the zero wandering around between days that are humid or raining and dry days. I'll give up a bit of accuracy to not have to worry about wandering zeros. So far I haven't found a barrel, even on my featherweight, that shot better with pressure than free floated. If I did come across a rifle that wouldn't shoot free floated, I'd rebarrel it or get rid of it.
I have bedded and floated my Featherweight,(among other work) and it shoots good that way. The same thing happens with mine as what Bob said. It will put the first 3 rounds into about .75". If you shoot 2 more the group will open to 1.25". (how many times do you need that 4th and 5th round in a hunting rifle anyway?) The fore arm on mine is rigid enough that it does not touch the barrel even while using a sling. My featherweight is a stainless walnut model,(not too many made), it came with stainless bottom metal to begin with...ol blue
Posts: 373 | Location: USA | Registered: 05 December 2000
This business about free floating solves all problems or pressure up front solves all problems is the assumption of thoes with little experience in gun building....
The fact is all barrels respond differently depending on the stresses in the steel..Many light sporter viberate so violently the upward pressure is required, others are just the opposite and lend themselves to free floating...Some even respond to being bedded tightly from tang to forend.
Of note, is I never want a "gap" on each side of my barrel for crap, water, dirt or whatever to filter through...It should be undercut if it is free floated, Its called inletting, and it has been working for centurys.
Ray is absolutely right. Rifles are individuals and they all like something different. But like Scot said, Bull barrels tend to shoot better floated. As for the sporter weight barrels, my 30-06 likes forend pressure but my 25-06 is bedded full length. Thats just what these two like, the next one off the assembly line might like something else.
On the ugly gap problem....I put one layer of PVC pipe wrap around the barrel, then glass with clear glass. When you take the tape of the gap is tiny, almost un-notticeable. Sand the top of the stock and barrel channel flat, finish as usual. The clear epoxy blends with the finish to make a super crisp and straight edge . It looks great and you have pleanty of floating room.
