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Does anybody here still full length bed their barrels? I've floated the few I've bedded with good results. I have noticed that a lot of the older custom Mauser rifles were full length bedded(including the one I had built for my Dad 20 odd years ago). My Dad had a gunsmith friend(who passed in the early 90s) that bedded the barrels on most if not all of the rifles he built, what, if any, is the advantage of this?


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When I was building custom rifles and stocks many years ago, I almost always full length bedded them. I felt that especially the magnums performed better that way as it cut down barrel vibration. I might add that most of mine shot under and inch. Nowadays, free floating seems to be the norm and perhaps the barrels are made better. I don't know, but I still think there is a place for full length bedding or pressure at the end of the barrel.

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Of the two dozen or so rifles that I have tinkered with over the years, I generally got better accuracy out of a rifle after bedding the action and free floating the barrel. Cannot recall ever having a decrease in accuracy.

Having said that, there is a gentleman in WV who builds light accurate rifles for a living. And my understanding, he full length beds every rifle he builds. Given that his rifles have a proven track record for being accurate, and he has a back log of work, I'd take my experience with a big grain of salt...



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All I do anymore is free floating and result's are great. But when I do them, I also bed the action. Year's ago I bedded a 7mm mag full length and it was one of the most accurate rifle's I ever had. But really didn't care for how much bedding material I had to use the get there. That pressure at the fore end, I always remove. Always bed the action first and then the barrel. Tape around the barrel at the fore end tip catch's on the stock and keep's pressure off the front action screw letting the rear tang float.

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Cowboy Tim;
Good afternoon, I hope that this last one of 2017 finds you well.

To be clear I've had no formal training in 'smithing and am only a lifelong tinkerer with all types of firearms. I want to say that I've bedded somewhere around 6 dozen rifles so far and have seen enough anomalies that most of my firm theories have gone by the wayside.

That said, I'll say that all actions aren't created equally in stiffness and that likely has some bearing on whether or not full length bedding the barrel will make a difference. Military Mausers for instance with their thumb slot cut out are less rigid than some of the newer Tikka, Ruger American or even the old Remington 788 actions.

It makes sense to me too that if one is hanging a heavier barrel, say a No 4 contour on a military Mauser, then that's another factor in the mix.

Lastly the stiffness of the stock has to have an effect on whether or not full length bedding is going to be successful. I like stiff fore ends on any stock that's going to be full length bedded.

Again these are just some observations and as noted there's anomalies to most things.

All the best to you in 2018.

Dwayne


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Interested in hearing other’s answers. I have been doing some research on this the last few days. I was interested in why a rifle like the Barrett Fieldcraft was fully bedded. It seems the consensus is longer, thin barrels ( FW/MR and similar) may benefit from full length bedding due to the stock and barrel acting as one complete, stiff unit. It will not take out the vibration but will change it so there’s less distance away from the node (may not be saying this correctly). The frequency of the vibration will be shorter and more intense. Stiffer, heavier barrels do not need the additional support and can be free floated. In either scenario you should be able to find the node and a good load with a little a experimentation.


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Originally Posted by BC30cal
Cowboy Tim;
Good afternoon, I hope that this last one of 2017 finds you well.

To be clear I've had no formal training in 'smithing and am only a lifelong tinkerer with all types of firearms. I want to say that I've bedded somewhere around 6 dozen rifles so far and have seen enough anomalies that most of my firm theories have gone by the wayside.

That said, I'll say that all actions aren't created equally in stiffness and that likely has some bearing on whether or not full length bedding the barrel will make a difference. Military Mausers for instance with their thumb slot cut out are less rigid than some of the newer Tikka, Ruger American or even the old Remington 788 actions.

It makes sense to me too that if one is hanging a heavier barrel, say a No 4 contour on a military Mauser, then that's another factor in the mix.

Lastly the stiffness of the stock has to have an effect on whether or not full length bedding is going to be successful. I like stiff fore ends on any stock that's going to be full length bedded.

Again these are just some observations and as noted there's anomalies to most things.

All the best to you in 2018.

Dwayne



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Originally Posted by SWGAShooter
Interested in hearing other’s answers. I have been doing some research on this the last few days. I was interested in why a rifle like the Barrett Fieldcraft was fully bedded. It seems the consensus is longer, thin barrels ( FW/MR and similar) may benefit from full length bedding due to the stock and barrel acting as one complete, stiff unit. It will not take out the vibration but will change it so there’s less distance away from the node (may not be saying this correctly). The frequency of the vibration will be shorter and more intense. Stiffer, heavier barrels do not need the additional support and can be free floated. In either scenario you should be able to find the node and a good load with a little a experimentation.



That too


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I free floated one this morning, if it doesn’t do what I want, I’ll full length bed it and see what happens!

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I had Cooper full-length bed this one (.30-06) on special order. It shoots superbly. A slight bit of upward pressure at the forend tip (usually a matchbook cover that's placed at the end of the forend wood, where it meets the forend tip) seems to help. I would imagine it has about 5-8 pounds of upward pressure.
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Now that is some beautiful wood' Yes, five lbs on the tip is good

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I have both with #1 taper barrels in synthetic stocks and the free floated one is the more accurate of the two. That said I wanted my 7mm-08 synthetic solid bedded because it was one less thing to worry about getting snow, rain, pine needles, twigs or tree bark underneath that barrel. Most of my shots are well under 100 yards and super accuracy just isn't that important at close range.


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The NULA rifles are a good example of full neutral bedding and they shoot really well. Classic inletting was full almost squeaky contact but neutral bedding. A stiff stock full length with full length bedding can provide excellent accuracy. I think one factor is the older custom guns always used high grade really well seasoned wood blanks so stability was less of an issue than with kiln dried or blanks with a shorter air drying period. Floating the barrel was a dodge against warpage. Many synthetic stocks are not that stiff so floating is more likely to produce consistent accuracy.


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Based on my limited experience, you will get either the shoot well, but not with the same load. I full length bedded a M70, 7mm-08 with a sporter contour barrel many years ago. Worked up a load that was shooting 7/8inch at 100. I later got a new stock (nicer wood), and bedded the action/lug and floated the barrel. That sub-MOA load was now shooting 1.5in+ at 100 with the floated barrel. I was able to work up another load, with a different bullet, that shot a little better.

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Curious if the barrel was needed in an acoustic isolator/deadening material (sounds scientific right😁) how the pencil profile barrels would respond. I think something that was stiff enough to return to position with enough give to absorb energy. I wonder if anyone is doing any development work with Phase-Change materials involving polymer/rubbers

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Originally Posted by gremcat
Curious if the barrel was needed in an acoustic isolator/deadening material (sounds scientific right😁) how the pencil profile barrels would respond. I think something that was stiff enough to return to position with enough give to absorb energy. I wonder if anyone is doing any development work with Phase-Change materials involving polymer/rubbers


There was an outfit that bedded in soft rubber like material and also they put toggle links on the action screw so it had a sort of free battery effect. That group didn't stay around long and I never saw any conclusive testing done to see how well it worked. I have hollowed out wood and synthetic stocks and then used ground cork and micro balloons to fill in but I usually did conventional bedding on top of this so no idea if it dampened vibrations or not. It was done for weight savings but it did get rid of the hollow sound on the synthetics.


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