Barrel floating/setting

[7mmfan]

Thanks RadSav, I appreciate it. I began sanding today in my spare time and I made the executive decision to sand it all, There was very little of the barrel resting on the "V". I barely touched it with sand paper and was able to slide a bill under it freely. The front end I feel like I'm sanding and sanding and sanding and not getting anywhere...

[RadSav]

The front end I feel like I'm sanding and sanding and sanding and not getting anywhere...

I have a similar stock on a 7mm.  I felt I wasn't getting anywhere.  Then put the action back in the stock and    I had removed more than I thought.  Now I use a barrel channel tool instead   However, I think with that stock going a little too much isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[7mmfan]

My process is to sand for about 3-4 minutes, put the barrel back in and button everything down. I'm getting good at it  One of these times I'll be where I need to be. One side note. In a random streak of luck, I found the other shim that was missing! It worked its way under the coffee table somehow and I moved it to grab a screw I dropped and there she lay. We'll see if there is any difference having them both installed.

[RadSav]

I need to apologies for a senior moment and misunderstanding of what you were describing as a shim.    When you said trigger assembly I was thinking something completely different than the bottom metal.  I should have noticed my mistake when you posted that second picture and I did not.  Sorry!

I once had a guy with a model 700 who had used shims alongside the trigger assembly to straighten the action in the inletting.  His thought was that by applying pressure to the assembly would place the barrel in the stock properly without creating a flex point in the action.  Of course that caused all kinds of problems.  And is probably why my mind went that direction instead of paying more attention to your photo.  I cooked up some homemade chili yesterday and perhaps that's the source of my brain fart 

I have placed shims/spacers between the bottom metal and stock a number of times when dealing with after market stocks and hinged floor plates.  Easier to place a spacer in there than to sand the bottom of the stock and then refinish.  Sometimes a simple spacer is all that is required to get the floor plate to work properly and not bind.  Almost every laminated aftermarket stock I've gotten from Stockystocks has had hinged floor plate issues because of bottom metal inletting being too deep.  Takes only a minute to cut spacers and eliminate the problem.  And it's a whole lot easier than bedding the bottom metal which I have done a number of times too...BIG PITA!

Unless you have action screws that are too long having the spacers or not having the spacers should not effect accuracy. That is unless not having the spacer causes pinching of the magazine box against the action which does happen when Remington, Ruger and Howa inletting is too deep.  One of the more common mistakes inexperienced and hobby smiths make when bedding the action.  When that happens the choices are to either skim bed the action, add shim/spacers to the bottom metal or grind the magazine box.  As you can imagine the easiest is definitely to add the spacers.  When fitted properly you should be able to wiggle the magazine box slightly after all action screws are tightened and the floor plate is released.  Pinched magazine boxes can and do effect accuracy!

[RadSav]

I remain a little concerned about the first picture and what seems like an inletting issue at the lug.  Hopefully that is just an optical illusion!  To me it looks like the lug is not being placed in the recess square   Hopefully that is not an issue and just the photo.  Once the barrel channel is relieved you should be able to notice within the first two or three shots if it is a major issue.  If you have the barrel perfectly centered in the channel before shooting and then after a few rounds the barrel seems to favor one side or the other that's a clear indication the inletting is not true.

For clarities sake...In school we mostly played with flat bottom actions.  So my Remington experience is limited to maybe only eight or ten pieces.  Someone like Biggerhammer has obviously had much more hands on experience with the 700 action than I have.  So when he says that removing the hump has helped time and time again I would probably lend more credit to his experience than mine.  Hopefully following his lead and floating to the lug will result in the accuracy you are looking for!


Be sure to let us know how she shoots next time you hit the range.  I am hoping all will be resolved!  However, if you do not see improvement or not enough improvement I will do what I can to help.  Might be another good H-W "cookies for labor" exchange or something like that. 

Or of course you could donate it to my wife's 7-08 build I have planned for next year

[7mmfan]

No problem on the chili induced brain fart! I will admit, I am still quite a novice when it comes to gun and ammo talk. I'm getting better though! If I knew that the bottom was simply called the bottom metal, then that would have eliminated a lot of confusion.

I sanded and sanded and sanded some more last night, and I am now to the point that I can run a bill from the end of the stock all the way to the recoil lug. I just need to touch it up a little bit and then load a few rounds and take it out to shoot. I do think that if I'm going to go this far, I may as well bed the action as well. If I can get it to huntable standards, I will probably do that this winter.

Rad you mentioned that it looked like there was a problem with the lug not sitting in the inletting square... what is leading you to that? When everything is put together, the recoil lug is definitely sitting down in there. Are you thinking its not far enough down in there or what?

Thank you for all the insite and help, I greatly appreciate it.

[RadSav]

Rad you mentioned that it looked like there was a problem with the lug not sitting in the inletting square... what is leading you to that? When everything is put together, the recoil lug is definitely sitting down in there. Are you thinking its not far enough down in there or what?

I'm actually thinking the inletting or the action is not square.  I think I am seeing the recoil lug recess cut further to the right side of the channel than the left side.  While that doesn't normally mean much it could because of what I think is factory bedding goo on the left side of the recess/groove.  If that really is the almost worthless rubbery goo factories consider bedding I would assume there would be more on the over cut side than the typical cut side if the lug contact was flush with the inletting.  And even a larger concern is that it seems the goo is located and squirting up behind the lug instead of in front of the lug like you would want.  Makes me believe the lug is not making even contact with the more solid wood.

Then again, I just might be seeing something that isn't really there.  Might just be some dirt

[7mmfan]

There is no "goo" anywhere in the stock, just straight wood. I think what you are seeing is a mix of shadows and some dark dust from me sanding the front end of the stock. Also, I think the picture I took yesterday was at a slight angle, so here is a straight on pic, or as close as I can get holding it. Don't pay attention to the steelhead plugs on the floor, had a box failure 

[RadSav]

That looks better!  Guess it's time to get my eyes checked again   Been almost five years since my last set of lenses  

BTW - ClatterTads...NICE

[RadSav]

But if you wanted to save a couple bucks I know guys that have used JB weld with Kiwi shoe polish for a releasing agent.

Always use Kiwi neutral.  Best release agent there is IMO.

I bought a gun off a guy who needed some money badly.  Gun was a huge pile of pitted Smith & Wesson trash, but he wouldn't take my money unless I took something in trade.  Bore was good so I decided to do a home brew bluing and a quick bed job to get it useful enough to donate to someone in need at the church.  Took it to the range with some 300 WM 180 Core-Lokts.  As expected the groups were about 3.5"

I figured all I could expect was to get serviceable accuracy out of the gun.  So I wasn't going to spend much money on it.  That meant taking the extra time to use up some slow rust bluing I had laying around since school,  JB Weld, and some Linseed Oil I used on my drift boat.

Once the rifle stock was stripped of all the flaking varnish I relieved the appropriate surfaces and bedded with the JB Weld.  Then I replaced the crown with a target style crown.  Stripped the old bluing and while the four week process of bluing took place I worked on sanding, truing up the checkering and rubbing down the stock.  After nearly three months of slowly working on the gun little by little it looked pretty dang nice for being thrown together with elbow grease and bargain supplies.  The old Weaver scope looked out of place on the nice blued action but heck...someone was going to get it for free

Fishing was picking up so I didn't get it sighted in until my parents told some guy from the church that I probably had a gun he could borrow for elk season.  I said, "I sure do, but I'm not sure how she is going to shoot.  Lets hit the range together."  The darn gun shot 1.125" groups with the factory Remington ammo and that old Weaver scope! 

Ten years later I'm now living in Seattle and I get a call from some guy named Richard.  "Sorry" I say, "I don't know anyone named Richard ******".  He tells me I gave him a gun after his wife left him years ago so he could go elk hunting with his father.  He wanted to call and tell me he was still shooting the gun, had just put a Leupold scope on it and had a friend work up a hand load.  Gun was shooting .750" groups!...fast forward another 8 or 10 years to my folks wedding vow renewal goofball thing... I run into the Richard character and he tells me the gun is still shooting 3/4" groups with his hunting rounds and the year previous he had handed the gun down to his son who had just taken his first bull with it.

Point to the story   JB Weld is actually pretty dang good stuff when you need a bargain bedding

[RadSav]

I don't always take the shortest route to my destination, do I   

[BOWHUNTER45]

Here ya go ..Just tuned in my .270 since Bear season starts in a few days ...I cleaned the barrel and started fresh ..Here is the results with a 140 gr hornaday interlock loaded with 54.3 gr IMR 4831 ...Note: the 4 shot group is letting the barrel cool down about 6 to 10 minutes ..Mountain rifle is very touchy ..it takes time to wait but if you want bullets to hit each other out of a gun like a mountain rifle this is what I recommend 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Here ya go ..Just tuned in my .270 since Bear season starts in a few days ...I cleaned the barrel and started fresh ..Here is the results with a 140 gr hornaday interlock loaded with 54.3 gr IMR 4831 ...Note: the 4 shot group is letting the barrel cool down about 6 to 10 minutes ..Mountain rifle is very touchy ..it takes time to wait but if you want bullets to hit each other out of a gun like a mountain rifle this is what I recommend 

So just to clarify how did that go? Did you shoot and clean after each shot on the clean shot ones? Or did you shoot the first three out of a clean barrel without cleaning between each shot?

I cleaned it 1st ..then put three down range ..I waited a few minutes on the 1st three and then waited until it cooled down and shot the next 4 about 6 to 10 minutes apart ....Once I clean it I do not clean again until I put it away for the year ...

[7mmfan]

I am finished floating the barrel as of this morning. I can easily slip a bill from the end all the way up to the recoil lug. I loaded two different loads yesterday with 140 gr Interlocks, and I'm going to head out here shortly to test drive them.

BOWHUNTER, I've heard of people doing what you're saying you do, not cleaning the gun all season. I've never been able to convince myself this is a good idea, (i'm kind of a neat freak when it comes to my firearms).

Do other people out there do this as well? I'm very curious about it.

[RadSav]

As mentioned in my third post I never hunt with a clean gun.  Always at least three pills down the tube before I hit the woods.  Most of my hunting rifles are thin barreled guns.  And for some reason the are finicky until dirty.  My target guns generally shoot spot on after a single fowling shot.  But for whatever reason those light barreled guns like two.  And I like to error on the side of caution so I put three down range before I'm comfortable hitting the brush.

I do run tape over the end of the barrel if it is raining.  If I forget tape and spend a day out in the nasty stuff I will clean as soon as I return home.  Nice thing about having back up guns ready to go.  If I do not have time to fowl the barrel again I grab the next rifle in the bag for the following day.  Usually with my #1 gun in the truck just in case I find a safe and non-intrusive spot to drop three more rounds into the dirt.

My old girl friend whose father was the old Marine sniper would have us write down our fowling shots and our hot string shots.  That way if we needed to hunt with a clean gun we knew where to adjust our first shot aim and our hot barrel aim if we needed one.  Seemed to work rather well.  But I haven't bothered to keep doing this since I find it easier to just carry a dirty gun and have a backup.  I've thought about doing it a gain.  But I guess I'm lazy.