how space much is enough when floating?

[the444shooter]

I have a 700 LSS 300 RUM, and I just floated the barrel--wooden dowel and 50grit sandpaper does wonders!! My question is how much space is good for a sporter taper barrel when floating? I've got about 1/8" space on the sides and about 1/16" worth of space between the bottom of the barrel and ths stock. Would a factory sporter profile barrel produce enough whip to touch the stock with that 1/16" apace? If so, what should I open it up to? And when glass bedding, how much of the barrel do you guys bed? I've always been told the first inch after the recoil lug should be bedded-is this conistent with everyone else's experience?

 

[Fiftydriver]

Ben,

Basically you want to set the rifle up as you would have it for hunting. IF your using a bipod fit the rifle with a bipod and set it up on the bench level. Check to make sure the barrel is floated with slight down pressure on the barrel.

I generally run a heavy index card between the barrel and barrel channel and it has to pass easily with slight down pressure on the barrel. If it does you have plenty of space around the pipe.

Most cases the barrel touching can be caused by how you hold the rifle when firing. With a light barreled sporter, variation in forend grip can result in significant poi shifts.

As far as bedding goes, with a factory barrel, I generally bed the length of the barrel shank(full diameter section in front of the receiver). In the case of a barrel contour like the Rem 700, I generally start with a totally floated barrel and check for accuracy and if needed bed the first portion of barrel.

You may also find that the light factory sporter barrels will shoot better with slight up pressure at the tip of the forend. Basically its a trial and error issue with factory rifles.

What your doing sounds like a good place to start and see what happens!!

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[the444shooter]

Thanks Kirby,
I decided to float the barrel because I don't want there to be such a dramatic POI shift between shooting off of a hard surface (bench/bipod) or soft surface (backpack). Right now I can cause the bottom of the barrel to touch the stock just by wrapping my hand around the barrel and the end of the stock and squeezing. I might run a few more strokes down the channel with the 50grit just to make sure that it won't touch when fired--don't have much else to do today in the snow!

 

[257speed]

SNOW!?!?!?! It was 85 here today.