Why Floating a Rifle Barrel Increaes Accuracy

[MrJakelusk]

would it help a .22 magnum? i use a extremely fast and heavy load my uncle makes and im grouping 2.5 inches at 200 yards

[momotheclownent]

good video. thank you.

[asdf8926]

I'm guessing free floating the barrel won't matter with a synthetic stock?

[sgtleroym]

Heres a question. I seen people state bedding and then free floating a barrel is meant primarily for wood stocks because of expansion and compression. That this becomes irrelevant to free float synthetic or fiberglass stocks.

My question is you say this improves accuracy but i seen many debates. how is it that fully bedding the action and barrel provides phenomenal accuracy?

It seems to work for David Tubbs

[tigger2943]

The consistencie problem with the Handi Rifle is typically cause by the shooter. The long lock time by the actual hammer and people having the knowledge or the ability to hold after the shot. You have the same problem with people shooting pellet rifles because the pellet is so slow out of the barrel. I have one in .308 that is sub .5 MOA at 100 with standard factory ammo.

[mossy500camo]

I may be Nutty. But I placed a sink faucet washer between the barrel & forearm stock. (freefloating) I can tell a difference in accuracy. Cheap fix!

[TonyInTopeka]

Excellent info and video man, I've known that free floating increases accuracy but the way you explain WHY makes a lot of sense, thanks

[paintballhead03]

does free floating matter to synthetic stocks? if so please tell me because my synthetics are supposeply *free-floated* but I have not checked

[AirsoftWorrior315]

the 308 stevens i just bought has a free floating barrel. :)

[mbcyclery]

you look nothing like what i had envisioned you would... as typical when you first match a face to the voice.. are you related to seth rogen?

[survivalpodcasting]

@mbcyclery - no but people do keep asking.

[kbent88]

Theres plenty of videos on YT showing gun barrels wobbling and bending in slow motion.

[gmoneyw]

Good thorough explanation that was not boring. thanks.

[wootwoot409]

sire so what about haven a 4inch grip as the front of the stock to u can hold on to it with iron sights would that work it probly look ugly but figure somethin out just have the butt stock attached

[foestauf1]

Aren't all newer Savage's floating barrels?

[joslinnick]

Quick Question: Is the reason why a bull barrel is considered to be more accurate and consistent than a traditional barrel because the thickness of the steel allows for less oscillation?

[BAGboy0032]

@joslinnick bull barrels absorb more heat hence they dont "walk" or shift as much after putting more rounds through it versus a thin barrel.

[survivalpodcasting]

@joslinnick - Sort of, since it is more rigid there is less, but you still have it. The key is it is more consistent. Of course the weight of the barrel helps with general shooting as well.

[starr8719]

I wonder how much variance there is I noticed you used a dollar bill to check it.

[survivalpodcasting]

@starr8719 - If you mean variance in how uniform the space between the barrel and stock are, it really doesn't matter. As long as the two don't make contact it is irrelevant as to the variance of space between the stock and the barrel. If they do not touch they do not effect each other.

[varun009]

whats the point of floating the barrel on a single shot bolt action rifle? i mean the opoint of floating is not to increase accuracy but consistancy and as it is that's not possible with a single shot since you have to constantly reload your weapon. however this would make sense with the barrett m82. other than that great video i learned alot!

[survivalpodcasting]

@varun009 - A gun either is or is not consistently accurate. Just because you may only fire it once at game doesn't change that.

[survivalpodcasting]

@varun009 - What I mean is that a gun that has tension on the barrel will shoot differently as the pressure changes even with a "cold bore shot". Additionally as you zero your rifle that barrel will heat up, that changes pressure on the oscillation and you put it away happy. Now you go to shoot at game cold bore and your shots are hitting differently.

[varun009]

@survivalpodcasting but, wouldnt the time taken to reload make up for that?

[jjspirko]

@varun009 - That has absolutely nothing to do with anything. You are assuming the only time floating improves accuracy is when you fire multiple shots. That only barrel heat effects tension on the barrel from the stock. Many other factors do such as the temperature of the environment, humidity variations, how the weapon is held, etc. So if you zero at 800 ft elevation, in Sept with humidity of 70%, on a bench. Later you are at 5200 ft, hunting deer, humidity is 20% resting on cold ground.

[conatuslife]

@survivalpodcasting this is why an experienced shooter will zero then let the rifle cool and maybe even clean the bore and shoot another shot to see where his cold and clean cold bore shot goes. i have found with my savage 22-250 the cold and clean cold bore shot will be in almost the exact same place every time so i can adjust for it.

[Montyfiable]

@varun009 consistency is accuracy

[varun009]

@Montyfiable no! wtf?!

[Montyfiable]

@varun009 yeah if a bullet consistently hits 10 feet to the left than it is accurate because it is the same each time.

[varun009]

@Montyfiable look. accuracy is determined by the position of the bullet landing with reference to the direction the gun was pointed, consistency is determined by the distance between one bullet from the next.

[Montyfiable]

@varun009 When talking about firearms, accuracy is interchanged with precision. All bullets are in the direction the gun is pointed, and the more consistent the rifle is, the more precise it is.

[Montyfiable]

@varun009 consistency is accuracy

[bowmaddnneess]

great vid

[saitotiktmdog]

I have a savage 110 and I have the barrel bedded all the way up the foreend of the stock. this was a common practice back in the day. I say back fifteen to 20 years ago. With reloads i can shoot less than a quarter inch at 100 yards. The problem is when the stock has uneven contact with the barrel. While free floating the barrel is better than uneven contact, it is not better than bedding the barrel up the forend.

[heading7593]

This is a awsome video I love it. Now someone please, look at my vids lol.

[75mxracer]

@BalazsDeathstar69 if you dont do that you will wear the spring out believe me i went to my camp about 3 hours away from my house and i left the spring with tension the next day i was to shoot a deer and all i got was click and it was the biggest buck ive ever saw

[awsomeshot]

@75mxracer also not true. I have bought surplus rifles that have been cocked for 15+ years the firing pin springs are fine. What wears springs is use. People who don't leave mags loaded because they think compressing springs ruins them are wrong. The frequent compressing/decompressing a spring is what will eventually cause breakdown and failure.

your comment makes it sound like you cocked your rifle the night before and the spring failed the next day?

[75mxracer]

@awsomeshot also true i did it before with my remington model 700 7mm rem mag and i cocked it for the 3 hour drive down cuz in my state if there is a bullet in the mag they can arrest you so when i pulled the bolt back it cocked it then when i loaded it the next morning it was still cocked so then we took it to one of the best gunsmithes in the US he said the spring was worn out and we had to buy a new one off him the the rest of the week all i saw was does and on spike

[awsomeshot]

@75mxracer your post is hard to follow because it is grammatically incoherent. why are you so hung up on three hours? How old is your m700? you make it sound by leaving a weapon cocked for 3 hours it wears out. I have left rifles shotguns and handguns cocked for years @ a time and because they are well maintained I have never had one problem. Maybe you need to take better care of your equipment.

[75mxracer]

@awsomeshot i really dont know my dad used it for a long time the i went to cabelas and went bought a 300 mag and let him have it and i use the 7mm rem mag so its at least 15 years old

[awsomeshot]

@75mxracer seriously proof read your comments.

15 years isnt much for a remington firearm. I have a 30 year old 870 it still shoots like a champ.

[barsmars]

Oh, and another problem I found with my synthetic stock was that I could get beautiful tight little groups from a sandbag rest on a bench. Then when I'd put a bipod on and fire prone the point of impact would shift up. Plastic is shit.

[barsmars]

That was a great video. Man you can talk at a rate. @patevans33 I have a .308 Remington model 700 sps varminter. The best thing I ever did was throw it's factory synthetic stock in the bin. Such a heavy, high pressure barrel mounted on a flimsy piece of plastic. As the fella said, it's all about harmonics. I replaced it with a bell and Carlson composite stock. That greatly improved the rifles consistency. But the bel and Carlson weighs a ton. Rifle weighs in at 16.1 lbs. Now I'm making my own s

[PatEvans33]

so if you have a synthetic stock which doesn't swell would i free floating barrel not make a difference?

[BalazsDeathstar69]

At 1:45 you have performed a dryfire! Do not ever do it again please, instead just press the trigger before and while you close the bolt back. That way you wont have to perfrom a firing-pin-breaking dryfire. Otherwise thanks for the lesson!

[survivalpodcasting]

@BalazsDeathstar69 - Dry fire damage with modern centerfire rifles is NOTHING but a myth. An old, tired, boring, annoying, false myth. Please go check out the research by BoxOfTruth and Shooting Times on this. It has been dis-proven over and OVER AND OVER but people cling to it like the Apostles Creed. 

If dry firing damages weapons how do m16s survive over 10,000 dry fires in BRM training every 10 weeks in the military?

[survivalpodcasting]

@JoeS434 Exactly like I said the damage it does is a myth. Please do try to explain this to people like @BalazsDeathstar69

[123456789mischief]

@survivalpodcasting thanks for the information on dry firing. I was always told not to and just accepted it as a rule. after reading your post I actualy researched it and sure enough you were correct. from what I gathered it could be an issue on older guns but not the newer modells. so if nothing else it reinforced the rule to not take things as gospell and actually do some research. Thanks.

[GabrielKraus]

@survivalpodcasting - DUDE, THANK YOU! and that's all I gotta say 'bout dat.

[captainpegs07]

You can't float a Handi barrel at all. You can partially bed it.

[survivalpodcasting]

@captainpegs07 - sorry but you are completely wrong about that. Again check out the Yahoo NEF/H&R group people have been floating them for a very long time. Actually bedding is what you can't do, as there is NOTHING to bed.

[captainpegs07]

@survivalpodcasting Can't flaot anything when there's a stock bolted to it.

[survivalpodcasting]

@captainpegs07 Do you even know what "float" means. It means to remove contact between the forearm and the barrel. One can easily float the NEF/H&R right up to the forearm screw. One can also use what NEF enthusiasts call "the rubber washer trick" to float it past the screw all the way down to the claw lock at the receiver. Once done the only point of contact is the washer around the screw, this "floats" 95% or better of potential contact. Sorry you are just wrong, facts are stubborn things.

[captainpegs07]

@survivalpodcasting No, if the forarm contacts the barrel, the barrel is not floated at all.

[survivalpodcasting]

@captainpegs07 - Go get an education before you insist on injecting your opinion further. Also spend a bit of time with the dictionary and learn what the word "partial" means. You are a person insisting on black in white in a wold that is mostly shades of gray. Next you will be telling me the sky isn't blue and it doesn't get dark at night by pointing to clouds and street lights.

[captainpegs07]

@survivalpodcasting Someone made a video about you, you should really watch it, it's hilarious: xtranormal. com /watch/7175053/

[survivalpodcasting]

@captainpegs07 - actually I think that is about you. You know what the internet tells you.

[ChrisRoubis]

good info ty

[ss19800]

Free floating has nothing to do with the stock -- wood or polymer, or plain plastic -- what matters is bedding, not the stock material.

[survivalpodcasting]

@ss19800 - Bedding and floating are 100% completely different things. Floating is about the barrel and removing contact. Bedding is about the receiver and ensuring contact. Many people "free float a barrel and bed a receiver" but the processes for each are totally independent and one doesn't require the other.

[survivalpodcasting]

@survivalpodcasting - Additionally many people will coat the barrel channel with bedding compound but that is to "protect the float". In other words ensure that moisture doesn't cause expansion and contact isn't resumed. Yet a floating barrel simply means nothing touches it.

I can understand the confusion the two terms are so linked in a world where people are trying to squeeze ever drop of accuracy out of a rifle.

[SNIPERSTEVE420]

@ss19800 HAHA! you dont know jack.

[tmaxxmudin]

im just getting into the gun world and knew nothing of the barrel and how they react to the bullet being fired. so now that ive watched you're video im wondering what the barrel clamps or wood clamps (the rings that hold the small piece of wood on top of the barrel) do for the harmonics and how a barrel mount bipod would effect the oscillation and harmonics

[survivalpodcasting]

@tmaxxmudin - You will notice that almost no modern arms have them. Why? They really screw up harmonics. Every point of contact creates another variable. Mostly you see this on older military weapons where ruggedness is more important than pin point accuracy. Military conflicts from the advent of guns up to fairly modern times were about volume of fire and reasonable accuracy. Not tiny groups. A man is a big target. In battle a wounded man is better then a dead one.

[anamu7tram]

@survivalpodcasting

i have to disagree with the people helping the injured theory

[bottle2lip]

i live in a dry hot climate, and own a marlin .243 is it necessary to float in dry temps?

[survivalpodcasting]

@bottle2lip - It is never "necessary" but barrels and stocks will fluctuate as much with temperature as humidity. So if you have contact there will be a difference in harmonics from the warm early season to the frigid weather of the late season, as well as from when you have that rifle in your warm house and go out into minus what ever you are going to have to deal with so far north.

[680modultra]

No that savage is now called a stevens/savage 200

[TheSavage169]

wow that savage really got a high price now its in its $650

[welderman27]

Thanks for explaining about floating the barrel. I've always wondered what it meant when they said a rifle has a full floationg barrel. Very good info and seems to be pretty easy to do it. Now say you have a synthetic stock I assume you can do the same thing correct??

[survivalpodcasting]

@babbler254 - Well it isn't "necessary" to float any barrel but it is often helpful. Given the low pressures of the 17HMR and the stiff barrels they have to begin with it won't make a huge difference.  It may help a small bit, most 17s are more accurate than the shooter to begin with.

[bigse63xy]

Very nice video. You explained it perfectly.

[Donnybrook10]

Excellent explanation and very informative. Thank You. I'll be watching your vids.

[twoedge123]

Fantastic video! Great speaking voice and super clear descriptions.

[beethovenmetalhead]

how to float a barrel if the stock isnt made from wood??

[lutherblackeye]

Thanks Jack, helpful and informative as always.

[AColonDashSix]

Great video. Very informative :)

[monsterman27]

will barrel thickness make a difference in harmonics?

[soulecho1]

Alot!

[phil656565]

@monsterman27 heck yea, a heavy barrel will not oscilate nearly as much as a standard barrel

[NormanMatchem]

Very informative video. I'm gonna practice this later on when I have a proper area to work on my rifles.

[triplewhiper]

very well done video, very informative

[survivalpodcasting]

@triplewhiper Hey thanks for the kind words.

[triplewhiper]

you are welcome, thanks for the good video...its a nice change from alot of the other shit where people dont know what they are talking about and watching it is a waste of time

[jsore14]

What if you have a synthetic stock? And I have been debating on whether getting the Remington 700 or this Savage 110. Any suggestions? Or any other guns that you guys know of that are good but not too expensive?

[survivalpodcasting]

@jsore14 You can float a synthetic stock as well. It is generally considered to not be as necessary simply because they don't swell in humidity, shrink in cold, etc. That said the barrel does heat up when fired repeatedly and that varies pressure so there is definitely something to be gained.

[TheFlowerchimp]

Hello,

Could i have some advice please?

Is it possible to float the barrel of an air rifle.

Would this make any effect on accuracy?

Wierauch 90: brake barrel; spring; .22

Thank you for any advice

C

[survivalpodcasting]

@TheFlowerchimp It would have no real effect on an air rifle as they don't oscillate. Air rifles have forward recoil which is why they kill off cheap scopes. That recoil is far more of a detriment to good groups then any barrel to stock contact in an air rifle.

[SigmaBallistics]

@survivalpodcasting I'm not sure if I agree with your statement "they don't oscillate", as it's power plant dependent. An airgun with a pre-charged pneumatic power plant I could understand, but I believe that airguns with a spring power plant could potentially benefit from being free floated, if they had a stock that they sat into, which the majority do not. On the other hand I think bedding the action into the stock could yield some good results. Anyhow that's my two cents.....

[survivalpodcasting]

@SigmaBallistics - Unless you are shooting in the Olympics it won't matter. When you look at range of an air rifle any difference would be meaningless. When you get good enough to shoot off hand and make one hole at 10 meters you can start tweaking an air rifle. NOTE I am NOT saying I can or even intend to try.

Just like if you float an accurate center-fire and shoot it at 25 yards you will see little to no difference. Move out to 100 or 200 yards and you can see the improvement.

[duckh8r]

Not a bad vid. I'll also add that wood stocks are affected by weather, and swelling can change bbl pressure as well. A good reason to float. Synthetic stocks can also be floated with sandpaper.

[louie000007]

good vid!

[Rathearia]

Thanks, Nicely Explained.

[CmdrALF]

nice video and excellent explanation. i thought about floating my 91/30 but i've heard that it's better for heavier barrels. i think i might just do it anyway. :)

[frodo5481]

you can writhe this? i no speak inglish..

[ph0t0mac]

Now, I know what a full float barrel is and does... Man I don't feel so dumb. LOL!

[Morris1962]

This was an excellent video sir. Thank you, and I hope you continue to upload more to youtube.

[AssassinGA]

great video----------------good info

[GJB7733]

Question for ya. You mentioned specifically in this vid, wood stocked rifles. WinI have a Remington 710, a polymer stocked rifle (in .270 Win). Are polymer stocks affected the same way?

Thanks, keep up the good work.

[GJB7733]

Oh wait, I think I just answered my own question. You mentioned WOOD stocks are affected by humidity.

Maybe I should have thought it through a little more :)

[AndrewKH85]

floating a polymer stock is still a good idea

[cmg617]

Good intstruction Jack! Although, we would like to see some more variety in your wardrobe ;-)

[harryogre]

Good video Jack.