I need some advice on a 9.3x62 I have. I originally did my test loads on my pattern stock to make sure the original Husqvarna barrel was still good. I had it scoped and looked good, but never know until you shoot it. Shot Partitions and Woodleighs well, so had the stock copied.

I got the stock stock finished (bottom of page 1 here: Bottom of Page 1.

I shot it a few weeks ago with some various loads and nothing grouped.

I think the issue is that I forced the barrel with a clamp into the front of the stock when I bedded it. There is essentially a very, very, very thin skim coat of epoxy at that end. So the fit was very tight, but not the natural position of the barrel. So when I would shoot it, the barrel would move at the end of the stock. The first picture below is what the barrel looked liked in the stock before shooting. I could shoot it and it would move out some, see second pic. But I could always push the barrel and stock back together and it would stay until shot. So today I removed a very small amount of the skim bedding and got the barrel to a neutral position - the second picture again - and it cannot be forced back to a tight fit in the stock.

OK. So based on this I think I have a 4 options to pursue.

1. Leave as it is now and see how it shoots since it appears to be neutral

2. Free float the barrel in front of the banded sight ring forward (I can't slip paper in here now)

3. Rebed the front of the barrel with epoxy into a neutral position

4. make an epoxy pad near the front of the stock for upward pressure (I guess I could experiment with tape)?

Other thoughts?

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If you cut a shim out of a business card and put it under the receiver by the front tang screw it will temporarily lift the barrel off the stock enough to tell you if free floating will help at all. The same piece of business card moved up between the barrel and stock about 2 inches back from to tip of the stock will tell you if a pressure point will help.

Experiment first. Make things permanent after you know if they will do any good or not.

Forcing the barrel to do anything is a very bad idea; they don't like that. Remove all the barrel bedding and start over.

quote:

Originally posted by speerchucker30x378:
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If you cut a shim out of a business card and put it under the receiver by the front tang screw it will temporarily lift the barrel off the stock enough to tell you if free floating will help at all. The same piece of business card moved up between the barrel and stock about 2 inches back from to tip of the stock will tell you if a pressure point will help.

Experiment first. Make things permanent after you know if they will do any good or not.

OK - I like the business card idea. I have my base results before I removed some of the bedding. I just loaded up more rounds of one flavor that is part of my next set of bullet/powder combos to try. So I'll be able to get 3-4 sample sets with the same load and different shims.

Did some testing today. Successs!

A single shim tightened up my Woodleigh load, a double shim a bit more. Originally they were 3-4" and got to less than 2". However, these were Norma 203B loads. When I changed to the Varget loads I got less than 1"!!!! Trying the Partitions tomorrow.