To 'float' or 'not to float' barrel

[chasespaugh]

Ruger m77 mkII .204 ultralight. Groups are stringing vertically to about 3".

[Jim White]

I bed all my actions and free float all of my barrels. It's always made a positive helped.

Jim

[Bill K]

I belive most rifles will shoot better free floated. Some need slight pressure/point near the forearm. You need to try each on your rifle and see what works. Bill K

[Rick in Oregon]

+ One for what Bill said. Virtually every one of my rifles is bedded, and almost all are floated, most without any forend pressure. All shot better after being bedded/floated.

Float the barrel, shoot it, record your results, then shim the forend to give some pressure to see if it improved or worsened your groups. But bedding the action and chamber area is a given.....it always works to the betterment of the rifles accuracy.

[Hedge]

+1 bed and float

[GaCop]

A lot of the thin "spaghetti" barrel, so popular these days, can stand to have some up pressure near the end of the forearm to improve accuracy. My standard weight sporter, varmint and bull barrels are fully floated.

[GaCop]

Ruger m77 mkII .204 ultralight. Groups are stringing vertically to about 3".

Are you shooting three or five shot groups? How long are you waiting between shots. It sounds like your barrel has a pressure point that touches the barrel AFTER it heats up.

[Sth Oz Dan]

Hey chasespaugh
I've got a Ruger M77 Hawkeye and had a few issues with consistancy until my father inlaw wisened me up.
Found a point at the stock fore-end where the barrel was rubbing. Shimmed it next to the forward action screw and got better results straight away.
After a few months it had crept back though. There was plenty of vertical clearance, but it was rubbing on one side.
Took the action off the stock and shaved a little material off that part of the stock.
Now it's working beatifully.
Don't reckon I could ever expect to match the accuracy and speed most guys on this site are getting considering it's a factory model with 20" barrel, but after testing my first ever batch of reloads recently, I'm happy. Nothing over 1 3/4", and a few under 1" (5-shots).

Off to the reload bench to fine tune those charges.
Still haven't messed with seating depth either

[chasespaugh]

Thanks Guys.
Update - after floating the barrel and reloading my own shells i re-tested, i still had problems vertically with 5-shot groups going 2"-3" with 5 min rests between.
Good news followed for my last group of the day, down to .67". I had a friend loan me some tools to snug my new scope and check the bedding screws...i just went a little tighter on each, nothing big and i expected nothing from doing so, boy was i surprised! i dont think the scope was the problem, rather my hunch is the action needed persuasion.

[chasespaugh]

i was wrong! it was not the action...the scope got loose again. using loctite and will go back for more tests.

[chasespaugh]

the loctite may have helped the scope stay tight but i was hitting 3" high with 1/2" groups when i began testing and previously i was 1/2" high on average considering the vertical stringing of the group. as i adjusted my nikon buckmaster to shoot 2" lower it hit 1.5" too low. i fired 20 shots getting the scope sighted back in and wound up being just 1/4" from where i started...how can a nikon be so wrong on the clickers and then 'get right' after firing about 20 rounds?