Floating vs shimming/corking barrel

[ChronoCube]

I've seen online two ways of accurizing a rifle with adjustments to the barrel. One is to float it. The other is to put it in tight contact with the barrel by putting a layer of cork or other material, like here: http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu63.htm

The floating method seems pretty common and well-established. What about the corking method? How well does it work? Does it work by floating the barrel as well?

 

[Art Eatman]

The corking thing is new to me. I've always free-floated and then put a little shim up front with minimal pressure between the forearm and barrel, merely to act as a vibration damper.

Seems to me that a tight fit would cause an increase in the pressure of the forearm against the barrel as it heats up, causing a vertical string.

 

[browningguy]

Corking is very common, although the material may change a lot. Not to long ago the majority of factory rifles came with a pressure pad (raised piece of wood) to apply pressure near the tip of the stock, it was cheaper than doing a good inletting and free floating job.

Another option is to full length bed. I have a .300 Winnie that just didn't want to shoot all that well free floated so we bedded the full length of the stock.

 

[Art Eatman]

Corking may well be popular with old military rifles. I've never messed with them beyond a few sporterized versions back around 1950.

But in 30 years of gunshow tables and a heckuva lot of disassembly for cleaning of commercial rifles I took as trade-ins, I've never seen any sort of insert of that type. About all I ever saw in a forearm channel was varnish bubbles...