Should I remove stock pressure pads?

[smokepoler]

Other manufacturers have put pads on skinny barrels. Had a Remington factory 17 fireball with the pad. It shot ok so I thought it would shoot better without it. Same loads turned in to shotgun patterns. I wound up buying another stock without a pad and it shot the same. As other have posted, develop your loads with the pad. Remove the pad and you'll be opening up a can of worms.

 

[smokey3]

In an earlier post i inquired to ask if an adjustable pressure point has been tried and would it have any value for tuning. Pressure value in pounds were discussed and the measurement was never disclosed as how this was accomplished or what the value was compiled with.my 25+ years as a mechanical designer tell me an adjustable pressure point is very possible.

I actually purchased such an item about 2 years ago. It is called "Gunstock Smart Stock" and it is inlaid into the forearm of the stock and essentially is an adjustable threaded shaft with a pressure pad that slides along the barrel allowing the shooter to fine tune his barrel for different loads.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Sounds ridiculous but .........................

I ran into a guy at our club that had an accuracy problem with a pencil thin barrel on his rifle. Out of desperation, he pulled the barreled action and filled the barrel channel with silicone rubber. You know, the kind that you use to seal up your bathtub.

He swore that his groups shrank considerably. It almost sounds like it could work. I hope he used some releasing agent. LOL

 

[Castro]

Sounds ridiculous but .........................

I ran into a guy at our club that had an accuracy problem with a pencil thin barrel on his rifle. Out of desperation, he pulled the barreled action and filled the barrel channel with silicone rubber. You know, the kind that you use to seal up your bathtub.

He swore that his groups shrank considerably. It almost sounds like it could work. I hope he used some releasing agent. LOL

well i guess it doesn't leak now!

 

[nksmfamjp]

I would do start by skin bedding the action, lug and shank of the barrel with the action torqued to about 25-50% torque….like 20 in lbs to squeeze the epoxy out.

Obviously torque to about 50 in lbs when complete. This should get you a light pressure pad. Try that.

Add thickness with tape at the forend tip to tune groups. Tape should be like 1" back from the tip. Then when groups are best, epoxy bed in front of tape to make a permanent pad. It has been a long time since I did this. Will be trying a Ruger soon!

 

[bigbrad53]

Sounds ridiculous but .........................

I ran into a guy at our club that had an accuracy problem with a pencil thin barrel on his rifle. Out of desperation, he pulled the barreled action and filled the barrel channel with silicone rubber. You know, the kind that you use to seal up your bathtub.

He swore that his groups shrank considerably. It almost sounds like it could work. I hope he used some releasing agent. LOL

This would help control harmonics found on thin barrels. Makes sense to me.

 

[bigbrad53]

I would do start by skin bedding the action, lug and shank of the barrel with the action torqued to about 25-50% torque….like 20 in lbs to squeeze the epoxy out.

Obviously torque to about 50 in lbs when complete. This should get you a light pressure pad. Try that.

Add thickness with tape at the forend tip to tune groups. Tape should be like 1" back from the tip. Then when groups are best, epoxy bed in front of tape to make a permanent pad. It has been a long time since I did this. Will be trying a Ruger soon!

Used to use strips of match book covers to find amount of pressure barrel liked then bed in barrel.

 

[GW Hunter]

I bedded and floated my early 80s Japanese built 7mm Weatherby years ago and it definitely improved my groups. Having the light #1 contour requires patience when doing range time though. I would do 3 shot groups as if in hunting conditions and let the barrel cool completely before the next group.

 

[JohnnieB]

I removed the pad on a Japanese 270 Wby, No. 1 barrel countour. Barrel shot even worse. Tried another barrel on the action and same thing, it shot poorly. So I did the electrical tape thing, got the gun to shoot much better, then epoxied the area. Still shoots great!

 

[26Reload]

Have and like my noodle barrels on old rems with the discolored bolt handles......old mtn rifles.....used rifles
Shot the 2506 a lot..trying to figure out loads....not impressed...removed the pressure points and scattered shots...changed powders and back the loads down some(110ab@3200)
And 2 holes touching and third just off....worked the load a fraction and it became a loose 3 hole group...always one just off.....well...kid killed 2 elk and 2 deer and a nuisance nutria with that rifle.......when is good enough..good enough...........
Free floated..bedded......just don't think shooting the barrels til they get hot is very smart.....

 

[isaaccarlson]

I'd be interested to see how it shoots first. BUT, I'm a guy who can't leave it alone. I like floated barrels, so I'd measure the height of the pad and then have a reference in case it needed to be put back in. OR....you could make an adjustable pad.

Shooting it first is an effort at saving ammo....if it shoots well. If it doesn't, then it's a waste of ammo. You don't know until you try, so flip a coin or go with your gut. It's ultimately up to you anyway. We're just here to eat popcorn and enjoy the show, with the occasional bit of chit chat or advice.

 

[BillLarson]

Free floating is not always the answer.I have done the reverse adding silicone with good results...

 

[shortgrass]

Free floating is not always the answer.I have done the reverse adding silicone with good results...

There are not set rules when it comes to having a pressure point, just generalizations. There is such things as too much pressure, and not enough pressure. As far as I know, the only 'test' I am aware of is "how does it shoot?". It is a trial and error process. IMO, most factory and aftermarket stocks exert too much pressure. If it doesn't satisfactorily I'd remove a bit of the pressure a little at a time before removing it all. I know of no way to measure how much pressure is being exerted by the stock to the barrel. The 'proof' is always in the shooting. No 2 barrels will shoot the same. There are no absolutes.

 

[bigbrad53]

There are not set rules when it comes to having a pressure point, just generalizations. There is such things as too much pressure, and not enough pressure. As far as I know, the only 'test' I am aware of is "how does it shoot?". It is a trial and error process. IMO, most factory and aftermarket stocks exert too much pressure. If it doesn't satisfactorily I'd remove a bit of the pressure a little at a time before removing it all. I know of no way to measure how much pressure is being exerted by the stock to the barrel. The 'proof' is always in the shooting. No 2 barrels will shoot the same. There are no absolutes.

Rest rifle on top of 2 chair backs with someone holding it. Put a trigger scale in the front swivel stud and pull down till a dollar bill just starts to slide between pads and barrel. Read scale, that's your pressure on barrel. That's as close as I can get you.