Floated barrel claims all wrong...

[loopal]

I dunno if I just got a few dud runs today, you're guys experience can tell me.

I was at the LGS today looking at a bunch of rifles.

I looked at a Sako A7, Anschutz 22 and Ruger which all claim to have floated barrel... None of them did.

The Anschutz and Ruger barrels were both touching their stocks at the fore end, and the Sako had a spot touching in the middle.

Sako and Anschutz are pretty top end obviously, and still no good.

Are they normally good, or normally need a bit of work?

I'm a bit new to this. Thanks.

[Chronos]

out of interest what was your testing procedure? Did you get out the old $100 note and test them? LOL

it's a worry if indeed these rifles had contact between the stock and the barrel


Chronos

[Apollo]

Any Rifle can have a floating stock as it is called but some have a pressure point in that a tiny section somewhere down the stock touches the barrel and is used to stabalise the barrel tuning / vibration.

This happens in a lot of lighter contour barrels which you may call hunting/lite weight.

With heavy contour barrels this is not the same case when fully floated means just that and in most cases you can just use a dollar note. Sorry Chronos, you have more money that I do..... Really the gap can be much more than even the corrugated cardboard on a carton.

Calibre, well I don't own any of those you mention but I'm taking it that they are .22LR Rimfire which could be a total different story to a centrefire rifle with a fully floating barrel. Check out what the specifications say.

[5Tom]

I got a tikka T3 lite with a synthetic stock which was advertised as free floating. Of course, it wasn't and there was a small notch deliberately in the barrel channel for support.

Recently I removed more material from the barrel channel, including the moulded support and it seems to have stopped shooting eratically when the SS barrel is warm/hot.

[batter]

A lot need a little shaved off the stock in my experience too.

[nords]

out of interest what was your testing procedure? Did you get out the old $100 note and test them? LOL

You've gotta do that and then take a moody black and white catalogue style photo of it to truly test it

[Lorgar]

Both my Rugers (one walnut stock, one synthetic) both had a pressure point about mid way down the fore-end of the stock.

I had to do the wooden dowling/sand paper trick to expand the barrel channel in both by about 1 mm so they both truly free float.

My barrel of my Anschutz 1416 also touches at the very end of the stock. On the Rugers I just sanded 'em back and slopped on a coat of oil and happy days.

The stock on the 1416 is so nice though I don't want to sand it back as I'd never get the same finish/stain again.

It shoots so good anyway I'm not fussed and am going to leave it.

Thinking about getting a Tikka Forest or a Sako A7 at the moment, going down on the weekend to have a look. I'll note how the barrel/stock look for you and post back.

[Lorgar]

FYI loopal. Had a look at that A7 and Tikka this morning. Both floating properly.