Author Topic: Bed or free float?  (Read 509 times)

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Offline Maryland Hunter

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Bed or free float?
« on: November 02, 2006, 02:23:26 PM »
I just received my a stock for my Howa 6.5X55. I'm going to be bedding the action, but should I bed or free float the barrel?
Are there advantages to one or the other, or is it 6 vs. 1/2 dozen?

MH

Offline Don Fischer

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Re: Bed or free float?
« Reply #1 on: November 02, 2006, 02:41:37 PM »
I'd certainly bed the action and the recoil lug first. Then if the rifle doesn't shoot as you want or expect, I'd do a solid bed under the chamber, be sure that the beding is square where it ends in the barrel channel. Then if there is still a problem, I'd experiment with shims about a inch back of the forend tip, maybe 3/4" wide. Sometimes a little up pressure on the barrel works great. If the shims work, just tape off the spot with an equal amount of tape on either side of the shims and bed between the tape.

When I bed a reciol lug, I tape off with double thickness tape the front, both sides and the bottom of the lug then cut out some stock material behind the lug.

Much easier to bed in that order than to maybe take it out later trying to figure out why it did not work. Usually a solid chamber and floated barrel work for me but my 243 700 ADL likes a bit of uplift.
:wink: Even a blind squrrel find's an acorn sometime's![/quote]

Offline Maryland Hunter

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Re: Bed or free float?
« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2006, 09:58:02 PM »
Don,
Thanks for your help. This will be my first bedding job, and it sounds like you have a nice, systematic way of approaching it. Amid work and hunting, it may be awhile until it is done, but I'll post the results when I do.
Thanks again.

MH

Offline Don Fischer

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Re: Bed or free float?
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2006, 06:35:32 PM »
As this is your first shot at it, a couple things worth mentioning. Make real sure you get release agent everywhere the bedding compound even might go. When you do the action, remove the trigger assymbly if you can, nothing screws up a trigger like bedding compound. Take out a bit of wood under the rear tang and drill a few shallow holes to get compound into. Make sure the compound fills those holes. Same thing under the front of the action. You want the action on bedding compound about a shade over 1/16th inch thick min. Make sure and coat the front guard screw and the threads in the action well with release agent. Relieve the wood back of the recoil lug for compound and put a min double thickness of tape on both sides and the front of the lug. Put a shim, plastic tape works. around the barrel at the front of the stock. Fill the screw hole on the read tang and it's hole in the stock with clay. Then after putting in the bedding compound, reattach the barreled action with only the front guard screw. The shim up front will keep the rear tang from pulling up out of the compound and the clay will keep the compound from going into the rear tang hole. Tighten it down snug but not to tight so as to force out all the compound leaving you with little or no hard compound under those places. After it has set up, it will stick a little when you try to take it out. I give the barrel a rap upward right in front of the stock to loosen it. Then it will wiggle out, take the tape off the recoil lug and it will fit back in very nicely. Get the right size drill bit and drill the harden compound out of the rear guard screw hole from the bottom of the stock, don't force it out, drill it.
:wink: Even a blind squrrel find's an acorn sometime's![/quote]

Offline Maryland Hunter

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Re: Bed or free float?
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2006, 10:56:08 PM »
Great tips Don, thanks a lot.

MH