Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

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Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by jeener » 27 Mar 2014, 1:37 pm

Hi,

I get that walnut can swell with moisture and whatever.

If you had a closely floated barrel and it's wavering between touching and not that's obviously a problem.

If your barrel's floated with a full 2-3mm of space, more that it could ever swell out, that's problem solved?

Or could the swelling still give you problems around the action?
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by bobnob » 30 Mar 2014, 6:15 pm

If your stock got really wet of course it could distort your aim. However, a well free floated barrel will keep this to a minimum.

If your rifle gets really wet, get it home or back to camp, pull it apart, dry and oil it. And take your backup rifle out the next morning.

Jeez I've been out and got well rained on and as long as I dried the rifle out that day I have never needed to rezero. Good bedding helps in regards to pulling the rifle apart and reassembling,and maintaining zero.
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by Mark TAC » 30 Mar 2014, 11:08 pm

^^^ +1
as an addition - I am perplexed as to why a wood stocked rifle always has a lovely external finish, yet raw wood in the inletting and under the butt pad.
Remove the action and after bedding / floating etc, mask up the outside and varnish the hell outa the inside. Can't hurt...
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by Lorgar » 31 Mar 2014, 1:54 pm

Can't say I ever had a problem with my Walnut Ruger.

More than a few days out lugging it through wet ferns and all the other crap in VIC forests.
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by Lorgar » 31 Mar 2014, 1:55 pm

Actually one additional bit on that.

The factory job of floating the barrel on it was terrible. Two contact points on the barrel.

I opened it up myself to be 2mm all round, but after that no worries at all.
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by bawoog » 31 Mar 2014, 1:56 pm

Mark TAC wrote:I am perplexed as to why a wood stocked rifle always has a lovely external finish, yet raw wood in the inletting and under the butt pad.


I guess they dip or spray the stock before inletting them?

Too much effort/cost to seal that interior for some brands?
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by Grrzrr » 31 Mar 2014, 1:57 pm

Easy to fix yourself at least.

Float the barrel properly yourself then give it a brush with something to seal it.

Anyone should be able to manage that.
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by batter » 31 Mar 2014, 2:01 pm

I dunno.

I'm the master of cocking up "easy" things :lol:
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by Seconds » 31 Mar 2014, 2:02 pm

Grrzrr wrote:Float the barrel properly yourself then give it a brush with something to seal it.


That's all I did with mine. No problems of course.

Head to Bunnings for some advice. Easy done.
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Re: Is walnut swelling an issue for a well floated barrel?

Post by jeener » 11 Apr 2014, 2:43 pm

bobnob wrote:If your stock got really wet of course it could distort your aim. However, a well free floated barrel will keep this to a minimum.


Thanks bob.

Not worried about it getting "really" wet. I won't be walking around in the rain for hours...

But you know, you brush past a wet fern or something and get a bit of a splash... Just sensible stuff was the concern.
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