For those who want to know why I want to float the barrel when I haven't shot the rifle yet, I never said I wanted to float the barrel. I added the last sentence to post #1 saying that this is a discussion about free-floating and possibly why the M77 wasn't. It's been a good discussion, but most seem to think I'm trying to make changes without trying the gun first. I just wanted to start a discussion. A lot of today's rifles tout the fact that their barrels are free-floated and that makes them more accurate. But Chuck Hawks thinks it's done for economic reasons. Maybe he's right, maybe he's not. He sure knows more about the workings of a rifle than I do. That being said, I truly value the opinions of those on this board. I'm always impressed with the knowledge displayed in the discussions on here and I try to learn from them.
So I was just looking for a discussion about floating in general and maybe why the M77 Mk II wasn't. Right now I'm not planning to make any modifications to the rifle.