Model 7 free floating or not?

H

Howard Nguyen

New member
I have a Mod 7 in .260 Rem. It shot fairly well bone stock with handloads.....about 1.5" circle at 100 yards.

However, after about 200 shots down the barrel it now does not hold groups that well any longer. It is bone stock with the factory pressure pad on the front tip of the synthetic stock. Do you recommend free floating it instead? several people say Mod 7 shoots best with that pressure pad on.
 
If it shot good before and you use the same load as before, and no damage was done to the rifle, I'd suspect bore fouling, most likely copper. Use a good copper remover and give it a good cleaning. then a few fouling shots and you should be good to go.

Barrels don't go bad in 200rds. Leave the rest the way it was. It worked before.
 
Just because it's not shooting well doesn't mean it's Just the difference in pressure from summer to winter could cause a change in accurracy. If the velocity changes the accuarracy can too.
 
I have corrected several Model Seven problems for friends of mine and my own rifles by adding to(not taking away)that pad. A small piece of thin rubber material will serve the purpose of bedding the barrel more snuggly. Lots of folks regret floating a synthetic Remington Model Seven stock, they might shoot groups, but not consistently. It is going the wrong way!!!

BUT, I DON'T THINK THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM. I suspect copper fouling to be the culprit here, as someone has already mentioned. Take action in that direction and you will be more pleased.
 
I have one Model 7, in 223. I sanded the lump out of the stock forend so the barrel is now free floating. Mine shoots 1/2" groups, or less on occasion, at 100 yards for 3 shots.
As mentioned above, use some Sweets, or other copper remover to get that barrel of yours clean.
 
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Almost all rifles, light or heavy barrel, will benefit from having the barrel free floated. However, they must also have a good bedding job. Without a good bedding job free floating can make a rifle worse.

Jack
 
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I have a 18" 243 youth. I tried more pressure point, less pressure point, no pressure point. Right now it is full floated with epoxy bedding. It shoots factory 100gr coreloc's into 1 1/2" consistant groups. And my 85gr sierra HPBT gamekings a little better. A great improvement over the 2 1/2" + groups it started at. If i had your rifle i would clean the copper then free float it. Easier to accomplish on the wood stocked guns
 
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