Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Rem Mountain rifle- free floating or pressure point??

What's the concensus on this one??. I went to the range this morning with last winter's project. A stainless Rem SPS with a .260 Rem take off barrel in mountain contour in a Ti stock. I had tried a few loads in the Spring but wasn't getting the speed I was looking for. This time I tried some 120gr TSX and 140gr Hornady with H414. I got the speed I was looking for but accuracy was in the 3-4".

This is an unproven rifle so I don't know if I should waste more powder and bullets to find a more accurate load or start with a clean slate and bed/float the barrel.

What do you guys do with your Mountain and Ti rifles, float them or keep the pressure point??

You say you didn't get speed in the spring,did you get accuracy?

I have three, all wear or have worn Ti stocks. I have left the pressure points and each one is MOA capable. One thing you might make sure of is even pressure by lightly sanding down the pressure points with 300 grit and a round object like a small deep well socket wrapped in the sandpaper.

But if it's the pressure points, you should see the group rise or go left or right against the uneven pressure as it heats up.

I have never owned a rifle yet, that didn't shoot better with a floated barrel. Let the flames begin...

dogcatcher: Got a spare suit?.........float the sucker...

I used to think floating was a ridiculous expense.

Now, I can say the same as Dogcatcher.

All my rifles are free floating. My Vanguard's original stock had a built in pressure point...would group like yours. Switched out to a synthetic with free floating. If I'm on, it will shoot under an inch consistently.

Free float it. If your rifle groups like you say, I'd say it can only improve...probably substantially.

IMHO.

Don't know, I had only loaded a few cartridge with some H4350 and RL19 to test some charges. Didn't like the speed so I stopped to switch powder. Only got back at it now.

Floating was the first thing that came to mind as well but this is the first "pencil" barrel rifle I've had. I've heard a few times that they do better with some pressure. I wanted to hear from guys that been there and done that.

On my sons 7-08 Mtn rifle, groups dropped nearly in half after adding a pressure point. I had floated it originally, but it didn't group acceptably. This is an early version, walnut with black forend tip. My M70 Fwt. improved nearly as much with the pressure added back in. I would prefer to float a hunting rifle, but always go with what the rifle wants.

Unequivocally agree. My closest friend and business partner has taken the world slam of sheep and is one Desert Bighorn away from his second North American grand Slam - all with .270 mountain rifles full length neutral bedded. My son's (formerly my wife's, prior to her ULA) 7-08 LSS went to a true .7" rifle with near anydarnthing fed through it after the same treatment.

I float the barrels, but bed the action and 2 or 3 inches of the shank.

Has always worked for me.

Al

Maybe I'll try to old credit card under the barrel trick to temporarily free float the barrel to see if it helps before making any drastic change.

Does anybody know if simply sanding the pressure point is enough on those stocks to free float it or do you have to glass bed it to lift it up a bit?

If you have just a pressure point, sanding it out (carefully) shouldn't be a big challenge.

But you might have a good idea first in shimming the action itself enough to float the barrel for some rounds at the range to see what happens...keeping in mind that you don't want to create a different problem with the action's bedding that might mask the results of free floating.

Glass bedding is always a good idea.

Not pointed at any poster here, and at the risk of sounding "Big Stickish", which to me is a good thing, and to other anathema...

..this [bleep] ain't rocket science. Adjust the trigger. Assure the crown cut. Bed the action as per hoyle, and the barrel full length neutral. If the dammed thing won't shoot, then relieve the barrel...

Done

At the end of the day, that's what you do to make a gun shoot its best, isn't it!

I agree, totally.

I glass pillar and bed all of my mtn rifles, 3 so far, (keeping the pressure point gives me a better bedding job) shoot them and note the groups. If they don't make the grade, I then sand out the pressure point at the range and retest. Two of them so far have shot better free floated. The third a laminated stainless shot very well bedded with the minimal pressure from the point.

I also replace the factory bolt shroud and firing pin with GreTan or Tubbs. I chop the stocks by 3/4" and install a Decellerator.

I've got a fourth mtn rifle in the vise right now with the glass curing. I'll shoot it in a week and see what it likes.

+1 on aalf post and taz4570 is right target

If it isn't shooting, float the sucker. Like making children, it's easy to do with tools you probably have laying around the house! :-)

I would not float one without shooting it though. I've had two M700 MR's. One of them shoots GREAT with the pressure point. So you just don't know...

Well I tried to just sand off the pressure bumps at the tip of the stock but even with the bumps off there was still pressure at the tip. Even with a little more sanding the pressure was still there. So instead of hogging the channel too much I got the Acraglas out and bedded/floated it.

We'll see if it was the right solution.