Over the decades, I've owned No.1 "red pads" in .223, .22-250, .357Mag., .30-06, .45-70, and .375 Ouch & Ouch. Influenced by Jon R. Sundra's article, mentioned by LeonHitchcox, above, I epoxy bedded the three forearm hanger points, but didn't see much point in keeping the forearm clear of the receiver, so I bedded that too, on all the rifles. Then, I entirely free floated all barrels, just enough so I could not squeeze the forearms enough to make contact with the barrels. They all shot marvelously. As an example, I put 20 300 gr. Sierra BTs through the .375 off the bench at 100 yards one day (a sobering experience) with the last five going into an inch. Trouble was, I couldn't get anyone to answer the phone I kept hearing, so I didn't do that anymore.
Sadly, all those No.1s found new homes, as time passed, leaving me with none. But, I still have a Kepplinger single-set trigger without a No.1 to cling to, so I've kept looking for the right one. Found it on GunBroker the other day: a Lipsey's No.1-A in .275 Rigby, with a 24" barrel and express sights. It's on the road to me, now. Though it has a red pad, it's of recent manufacture, and I have high hopes for it.
Steve
