BSA,
Actually, if you read my last post more carefully, I did mention floating the barrel as the next possible step after removing the fore end screw.
Seems to me that if you remove the screw, but leave wood to metal contact, you haven't done all that much changing. At least for the good. What you have is much like an unaltered featherweight.
Next step is to mess with the fore end pressure. Or forget that, go another direction, and float the barrel.
Next step after that is glass bed, possibly with a floated barrel, but not necessarily.
Or you could go another direction, ala Melvin Forbes, and full length bed the whole barrel. (But note Forbes usually or always? did this with a synthetic stock.)
It is worth mentioning that we have two goals here, accuracy and consistency. You usually don't truly need gilt edged accuracy on a hunting rifle. But you really do need consistency. I suppose that is where wood might give you the most concern compared to synthetic, or no contact at all.
But having said all that, you have to wonder why Winchester built them as they did? Even the featherweights,which didn't have the fore end screw, were not floated. Did we simply not understand the advantages of a floated barrel back then? They sure did float them in 1964. Nowadays, are most new bolt guns, of any brand, floated from the factory?
