Originally Posted By: AcroninOk, on another post I let everybody know about my troubles grouping my rem 700 in .243. The consensus was to free float my barrel. I agreed so I did exactly that.
So today I go to school (I'm a principal) and one of my friends/teachers tell me that Remington 700's are designed to not be free floated. He said there is an intentional pinch point and that free floating my bbl won't make it more accurate because of that.
I trust this guy as he shoots regularly, reloads and glass beds his own guns. Is there truth to what he is speaking?
I disagree with your friend, generally.
Remingtons are like most other barreled actions, they like to be accurized. Free floating the barrel and bedding the action always improves accuracy, if done proper.
This is because of harmonics. The explosion of the powder charge along with the bullet traveling down the barrel creates harmonics in the barrel tube its self. Making these harmonic vibrations always the same, or consistent, is key to accuracy. The barrel vibrates in a orbital fashion in the direction of the rifling twist. When the bullet leaves the barrel muzzle at 12:00 one shot, then 8:00 the next you will see this on your target down range. That is why getting the bullet to always leave the muzzle at say 2:00 every time is so important to accuracy.
Any pressure point along the barrel can and most certainly will effect the harmonic vibration differently each time a bullet travels the length of the barrel. Having said that.
The only time I have seen pressure on the barrel work was with a 22-250 that I have with a sporter barrel and wood stock. It would not group well no matter what I did. Float, bed the action and every load combination under the sun resulted in poor accuracy. [1.5 to 2.0 inch groups @ 100yds. Then it was mentioned to me that placing a piece of rubber at the tip of the floated forend with a bit of up pressure on the barrel would most likely "settle it down". I tried this out of desperation, and it worked very well. That is the only time I have seen a pressure point work. Ever. I own more Rem 700,s than I care to admit and all of them respond favorable to free floating and bedding of the action except that one ADL. I will rebarrel it when I get around to it just because of this pressure point.
What is also odd, is that I have other sporter barrels that shoot better totally free floated than the one does with a rubber pressure point.