piller bedded rifle stocks?

[shilo]

If a rifle is piller bedded and the barrel free floated, how stable is it? Does this eliminate or reduce the changes in point of impact? I like the stablility of synthetics, but prefer the look of wood. I'm currently looking at a rifle that come from the plant piller bedded - Kimber. Or do they still have problems with shifting points of impact with changing weather conditions. If I'm out all day in the rain and then overnight it turns to snow and I'm out the next day in freezing conditions how stable will they be? How likely is it that the POI may have changed?

[Cement Man]

With a high quality rifle like a Kimber, a free floated barrel and pillar bedding,you should have no problems with changing POI. To answer your question, these things do eliminate or reduce POI changes. Make sure the stock is kept completely sealed against moisture.  The free floated barrel is to remove contact between the barrel and the wooden stock, eliminating deflection caused by wooden stock changes.  It's always possible that some woods can get get a little snaky, but some judicious sanding and sealing can cure that.  More than likely it won't be necessary.  The pillar bedding eliminates changing POI from variances in how the action screws are tightened.  Synthetics and laminates are the most stable, but I believe a good wooden stock, free floated and sealed well is a pretty safe bet.  I once had a couple of model 70 Winchester stocks that were kind of wild and USRAC replaced them for me under warranty. I probably could have sanded and sealed them myself, but I felt they were a little too wild.  I only hear good things about Kimber, I'd sure buy one with confidence. Maybe call them and ask about it.  The only thing I have against a nice wood stock is that I tend to not use them as much because they are so pretty that I hate to scratch, soak, & dent them. 

[lilabner]

Pillar bedding is advantageous because it reduces the variable of stock compression from tightening guard screws and gives the action a good solid footing. Glass bedding is a good way to go also. I have an old but very good Springfield Sporter with a highly figured stock that tended to warp with changes in humidity. The action was already glass bedded up past the recoil lug. I glass bedded the barrel all the way to the fore end tip with a built in gap to free float it. That ended the warping problem and now there is no way for moisture to get at the wood where the stock is inletted.

[The Sodbuster]

I know some target rifles and custom gunmakers bed a portion of the barrel closest to the action, and float the action.  They claim a heavy, 26" barrel puts a lot of torque/stress on the action and they get better results by bedding part of the barrel.  Not exactly sure how this works; can you remove the barrel & action if the barrel is secured to the stock? 

I guess for most hunting rifles it's probably simplest and best to bed the action.  Not sure if there are any advantages to fully glass bedding a barrel as well as the action; especially with a stable stock such as laminate or fiberglass.  I've never tried it.  Even synthetics will move slightly with changes in temperature, though not with changes in humidity.

[shilo]

Called Kimber today and was referred to their custom shop. Their custom shop answered in just a couple rings with a real person. A person that was knowledgable about my question. I was shocked to get a real knowledgable person on the phone instead of the dial 1 for blah blah blah and then get put on infinate hold. The person I spoke with said basically  the wood stock is not going to be as stable as a synthetic, which I already knew. And said the wood stock it shouldn't be a problem if I sealed any open wood , like the barrel channel , with a couple coats of stock sealer like tru-oil and wax the exterior with a stock wax. He felt that between the piller bedding and the stock being sealed up it should be pretty stable.