Bill, Please give a little more info on what kind of foam and the availability of O rings. SWhat is the shape of your foam insert. I'll have 30-06 on its way soon and would like to get a head start on any potential problems. TO EVERYONE=What's been your best luck with knocking down heavy triggers. I still feel wierd paying a smith for stuff I want to learn but screwing up a trigger might cost more than the smith. The FAQ has opposing info. The shorter trigger FAQ recomends two surfaces touching a few times in the article where as the longer one recommends a 90* angle. What gives. :-[THNX
I think you want to just shoot the new gun first and see. The O rings are in the sticky also look under barrel break in etc.
What I did worked on my barrel...........twice. I tested several ways to be sure...........twice. I can't say it will work on all but here it is.
It's just the old forearm pressure pad (business card,bedded epoxy,hang weights off the barrel 5-15# upward pressure,hack out the wood leave a high point,Remmington uses them,etc.) that has been used on sporter barrels for years. It applys upward pressure,changes harmonics and basically makes the barrel think it's shorter. The
differance is the use of foam pad. A tech from Volquartsen (custom semi auto rifle manufacture) gave me the tip one day. They float and pressure bed their Volquartsen's and converted Rugers using a foam pad between the forearm and the barrel at the forearms end this acts like a vibration isolator (foam) while applying slight upward pressure and is weather proof. He told me to "just use weather strip from the hardwear store". I have used the same on other guns.
The foam weather strip is approx. 3/16" thick x 3/8" wide and has a sticky back. Of corse it will compress when the action screw is tightened. You can compress it by hand to see how far untill it stops. Most bedded perminate pressure points are between 1/16" - 1/8" high. The proper way for perminate can be found on the net and stickys here by Fred. It involves shooting with various amounts of upward pressure on the barrel, basically like a bug hole tuner does. The foam pad is a little differant while it applys slight upward pressure it is more a vibration isolator. The foam strip should be cut so it just slightly rides up the sides of the barrel channel approx. 3/4"-7/8" long works this also stabalizes the action cetered in the forearm if there was any play. If you don't use a O ring one strip thickness works. If you do use the O ring as I do, then two of the strips stacked work as the O ring lifts the barrel slightly off the forearm. Ya just stick them in about 1/2" back from the forearms end centered. I then take a wooden dowel approx. the size of the barrel o.d. and press it in pre forming it or you can use your hand. If you don't like it take it out..........easy. If you do it won't go anywhere nor will water,weather etc. effect it. I then tighten my action screw good and snug/tight by hand plus 1/4 turn from there. If you have a torque wrench better yet. I count the turns and mark the location with a awl on the stock after testing for accuracy by tightening. Mine, with this barrel always shoots best tight. Of course this creates some slight upward pressure on the barrel at the forearm and "beds it........pressure beds it" along with adding vibration isolator qualitys of foam. Cost is less than 5 bucks. Time 15 minutes. Easy to remove.
I don't see a real way to free float a handi. I see various pressure bedding techniques. The most you can float is about 4.5" past the action screw so imo you might as well make the barrel think it's shorter by putting a pad on the end..........at least thats what works on this barrel. What you have to watch for is changes in p.o.i. from stock swelling, barrel heat etc. but you will have that no matter what you do with a Handi imo and I don't think 4.5" makes a differance. The laminates are less likely to swell. If you have a pallet wood stock, coat the inside of the forearm with a couple coats of tung oil first and once a year for maitenance. The p.o.i. changes I have seen mostly come from cleaning practices. If I clean it the first one is high as noted by others and true with my Hornet it likes dirty it's not a match barrel. My best rifle barrels like clean........not the handi.......which is actually "handi" for me because it's not really a bench gun and never will be. Any other p.o.i apparent changes come mostly if just shooting 3 shot groups which are poor for determining average accuracy imo but fine to play with. If you shoot a 10 shot group it shows better average accuracy and the apparent minor poi changes are likely gone and filled with bullet holes. 3 shot groups move around, 10 shot groups don't.Thats my simple pressure/vibration isolator bed job on the Handi.
I just shoot factory ammo through my Hornet. From bags w) a 12x scope it
averages 1.25"-1.4" 5 shot groups at 100 when all groups are shot on the same paper as in a 5x5, the better ones you can completely cover with a quarter. I shoot some 3 shot only groups and they are certainly sub moa with some being under .5"........luck,sevral you can cover with a dime. I am not big on "best" or "it will do this". I am more into averages 3-5/ 5 shot groups on the same paper or a 10 shot group shows better average for me. However many quote moa using 3 shot groups and it's certainly 3 shot moa accurate. I would have to lock the gun in a vice in perfect weather to see what it would really do.......but thats no fun. In the end the realty is that this Handi Hornet shoots as well or better than likely 75% of the factory Hornets out there using factory ammo and only cost 200 bucks and it's moa is fine for it's 200 yard range on varmints.
Best of luck. The gents on this board are a very helpfull bunch.
Bill
