Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing To free float or not??

I just purchased a vanguard that is sitting in a B&C with an aluminum bedding block. I'm told that the rifle has been a sub moa gun, although I have not shot it yet.

I pulled it apart to clean it and noticed it had been bedded on the recoil lug and around the action. But it is not floated. The barrel rests on the two raised bumps at the for end of the stock.

Do you guys think I could gain by sanding these out? I would think being bedded that it isn't binding when it is tightened.

If it were mine, I'd shoot it first and and then go from there. If it truly shoots MOA then leave it alone, I know half the fun is tinkering with it and leaving well enough alone is sometimes the hardest thing to do. Thems my thoughts. CH

Since it's already bedded, I'd send a few down rage first and go from there. Not exactly a skinny tube on a Vanguard so likely those small speed bumps would not be missed if you sanded them out. Easy to add back a contact pad with some bedding material if you wish to see how it shoots floated.

What cartridge? Do you handload?

Shoot first, question later.

.270 Win and I do load for it. I am toying around with the 140 sst and 140 accubond. Im going to leave it alone for now and i will shoot it tomorrow.

Im hoping that i can get it to shoot .5 moa or better. The target that i got with it is 130 SGK infront of 4350 and it shot .5. But im not a big fan of sierras as a hunting bullet. And for that matter the SST's i have never tried. I have been an accubond guy for a long time.....

My opinion, flame suit on, get rid of the "bumps". Float the barrel. You can do as said above to just go shoot it to have a baseline to go from. I suggest you do shoot it as is , then float the barrel and see the difference. If it is the same you have lost nothing. The biggest thing is bed the action, float the barrel. Let us know and happy shooting.

I picked up a B&C Alaskan Ti earlier this year. I did an interesting experiment. I placed shims underneath the action until I was floating (as measured by a piece of paper) over the forend "pressure pads". I measured how thick the shim was when I could do this (I don't recall the thickness off the top of my head). I do recall that, base on a rotation point at the rear action screw, the forend would be flexing 0.10" upon the front action screw seating the action to the stock. I'm guessing there's somewhere between 5-10# of upward pressure on the barrel at the tip of the stock.

Oh yeah, I ground mine off lickty split.

It may shoot better with a little tip pressure. Shoot it first, then you could skim bed the action and free float the barrel...OR you could leave it be. If it aint broke...don't try to fix it.

I noticed that there was about .070 of bedding compound below the recoil lug. I think that it has been bedded in a manor that lets it rest on the points in the for end. I will report what I find tomorrow.

I went and shot it this morning. Have to say it was ok. It shot 1" at best and no more then 1.3 when it opened up. I tried to different loads with SST's and one with ACCUBOND. Both 140's.

I think i am going to sand down the risers in the forend. I thought that when they bedded it that there wouldn't be much pressure on the for end but i tried to pull it back and there was pressure there.

I saved the targets and will keep them. When i get done floating it i will post before and after pics.

I did notice that the trigger needs help. There is a slight pause in the travel that then gives away with a little more squeeze and gives you a false sense of where it is going to break.