I recently acquired a Model 7 in .308 for my wife. I sighted it in and it shot awesome, except for an occasional flyer.

A guy I know who has a Model 7 tells me his is very fickle with pressure on the forearm. Particularly if he uses a sling to support a standing shot. This gentleman claims the Model 7 is designed/built without a free floating barrel and you don't want to free float the barrel.

Now a local gunsmith that builds long-range rifles is telling me that I need to float the barrel because he thinks that is the problem.

Any of you guys with experience with this model that can offer some help here?

Thanks in advance.

I have two free-floated Model Sevens and a third that I'll free-float when I eventually swap stocks for an aftermarket upgrade.

The first is an old youth model in 7mm-08, re-stocked and nickel coated. The second is a fully-custom Brown Precision High Country in .308. Both shoot very well, even with minimal load development.

The thrid Seven is an XCR in 7mm-08 that I've yet to break in or test-fire. I'm planning to re-stock her sometime after I deal with my problemmatic Kimber Montana.

Are you using factory ammo or handloads? If your Seven shoots really well with just occasional flyers, precision handloading may rectify the flyer situation to some degree. I'd try that first before I free floated.

Also, do the flyers tend to occur after the barrel heats up, or can it be the very first shot or two? If she'll go two or three shots before throwing a flyer, I'd leave it alone.

You know how they say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Good luck!

There are two reasons I can think of to float a barrel... The first is to fix something broken (not shooting well). The second is to remove the influence of the fore-end on the barrel, so that things like bipods or how it's rested on a sandbag or pack, or tension from a tight sling, won't move your POI around.

I'm no expert, but I just let the rifle tell me. Of my bolt guns, 7 are floated and two are not. The two that are not, are quite accurate and have shown me that they are not sensitive to the things I mentioned above.

If you float it, you should probably bed it too.

Just IMHO. Good luck!

I'd bed it first. I've had one M7 in 7-08 and it was very accurate even tho it had the 18.5" barrel and was very light.
I bedded mine but left the pressure point in. I can't remember (rifle has gone down the road) but I may have added a pop can shim to the pressure point to make sure I had good contact. That might be something for you to try after you bed it.

The Seven's bane,is their handle(s). All of mine wear McMillan and responded most favorably to that transion(all S/S synthetics,running the .378",.473" and .532" gamut).

Is there something mechanical inherent the Seven's barreled action,that precludes it from doing wonders when floated? Certainly not.

Undoubtedly the stock is your woe and bedding is much mooter than that. I'd FL and rock on.................

You might shim up the action with a piece of credit card to get the barrel off the stock and shoot it that way before do the bedding. That will usually tell you if floating and bedding will help---or you can just leave the shim in and use the gun.

I do not like front end pressure points. They are just waiting for climate changes which usually mean poi changes.
JMHO
Tim

I only own one Rem Model seven that I bought about a year and a half ago. It's a CDL in 223. First thing I did after cleaning it well was to sand out the lump at the end of the stock in the barrel channel, so the barrel was floated.
It shoots extremely well; no fliers or bad groups.

If this rifle seems to shoot well/better without the contact point, why is it there?

Thanks for your results to this point.

Anyone have a good high-end synthetic or laminate stock for a Model Seven they want to part with?

Use the shim trick. I did it with mine in 7/08. Didn't really improve things much, but it didn't hurt groups at all either. At least I know that moisture or bench technique won't change the POI.

Shimming beneath the action,is the last thing I'd do............

What stock does it wear currently?..............

Shimming beneath the action,is the last thing I'd do............

I hesitat, but must ask---why would you do the simplist (and cheapest) thing you can do (that will tell you something) last?????
Tim

The idea is to put shims around the action screws between the stock and the action as a temporary thing to lift the action away from the stock. You are in effect free floating or pillar bedding the rifle. Shoot a few groups like that to find out if free floating will work. Lots easier than hogging out the barrel channel then finding out it didn't work.
You want to put the shims around the front and back screws.

stillbeeman
I know why and how. I was questioning PaleWhiteCracker's statement.
Raising the rear of the action is not necessary when shimming to check for.....
Tim

I have got two model 7s in .308 one of them drove tacks from the factory the other was a different story ended up floating the barrel but i shimmed first worked out pretty good i used that clear packaging that aa batteries come in

Purposely compromising the inlet,isn't going to answer questions that pertain elsewhere to the inlet.

Sanding out the speed bump is affordable on most incomes and then you've some real time extrapolations to read. From there you can induce differing amounts of upwards barrel pressure via a folded piece of tinfoil,no wider than the pad once was,to see how much "up" she wants. Neutral FL bedding is my default favorite way to fly in this scenario,but if I float,I mean it.

Again...I never caught mention of the particular stock in questions make up?........................

The rifle has a standard wood stock on it now.

MichiganRoadKill, my post wasn't directed at you. If you only shim the fron of the action, won't that put it in a bind when you tighten it down? Or bind the stock?

Wood is good,as it provides options that injection cannot muster.

Dab the lug and shoot with the bump. Then if you are happified,simply rock on. If not,remove the bump,grant her a favorable float and extrapolate those findings.

I remain a neutral FL fan..............

stillbeeman
I didn't take anything personal--just curious to the thought process on not thinking a temporary shim for testing was bad.


One shim has never been a problem for me---but I am just a rookie not an expert. If you shim front and back your barrel stays straight with the stock, but takes more to get "off" the bump. I shim only the front for testing, but then epoxy all contact points when bedding.
I enjoy taking factory guns and making them shoot well while still looking factory--- and staying economical.
JMHO
Tim

I'm all about squeezing potential out of a rifle,thus the shun of shims.......................

MichiganRoadKill, a rifle tinkerer, that's me too.

MichiganRoadKill, a rifle tinkerer, that's me too.

Took the rifle to a local smith specializing in accurizing.

He says he has had a number of these rifles over the years. So, he's going to bed the action and first inch of barrel, float the barrel and recrown the barrel.

Sounds like he knows what he's doing. Looking at some of the competitive targets he's shot, I'd say he can definitely build a good rifle.

All this is getting done pretty cheaply to boot.

This sound like a good route to go to you guys?

very good advice

The proof is in the puddin', so they say.

I've just finished tweaking my Rem 673 (based upon a model 7 action). The speed bump always bothered me, so I put it in an HS Precision Sporter stock and floated the barrel. Before that, I was shooting 1.00-1.75 inch groups at 100 (I'm no great marksman). I made my first range trip yesterday and was happy with the results. .75 to 1.50 inch groups without the flyers I used to see. In fact, my first three at 50 yds, after adjusting for the point of impact change from replacing the stock and floating the barrel (2 inches by the way) were one ragged hole. I think you'll be happy with your decision.