Freefloat a tube fed rifle?

[DMK]

Would free floating a tube fed rifle be a waste of time?

I was looking at my Marlin 60 the other day and noticed that the barrel touches the stock, but the tube mag does not. I also noticed that the action sits on two pillars. That should be pretty easy to bed solidly at those two points.

I figured there's got to be some improvement to be made by some tweaks in stock fitment, but I wonder if that tube hanging off the barrel might hinder the quest somewhat.

One other thing I noticed was the tube fit tight at the clamp near the muzzle, but was loose enough in the receiver to wiggle side to side a bit. Should that fit tight in the receiver?

 

[rangerruck]

if you go over to rimfirecentral, there are a couple of fixes if you check the marlin strings, do a search for free floating a 60 or tube fed, etc.
as for you r second question, not a bit o' diff if the tube is a little loose by the receiver, since it is between the two take down screws , and near the most stable point of the rifle, the front of the receiver.

 

[Dionysusigma]

Personally, I think it's a bad idea to bed a rifle where you have to remove the stock from the gun every time you clean. Since it's an autoloading .22, this means every time you shoot.

As far as removing material from the stock around the barrel, though, it's a pretty sound idea. You don't really have to worry about the tube mag hanging off the barrel, either--that is, unless you grasp it or use it as a rest while firing. With the 60's barrel diameter, it still wouldn't make much of a difference. With that ratio of bore diameter to barrel diameter, minor tensions make a negligible differece; much less, say, than wind or ammo selection.

As far as tube-to-receiver fit goes, I wouldn't worry. Mine was the same way, and it never gave me problems in that area. Remington Golden Bullet, though...

 

[Art Eatman]

If the barrelled action is held to the stock by a single screw in the forearm, I'm not sure that free-floating owuld help anything.

If the magazine tube is sorta loose at the rear, it won't put stress on the barrel as the barrel heats with firing.

Most .22s seem to be finicky about ammo. E.g., I tried about ten different brands and styles before my 10/22 would give decent groups. So, I imagine that trying various loads of ammo would give the most benefit...

FWIW, Art

 

[DMK]

If the barrelled action is held to the stock by a single screw in the forearm, I'm not sure that free-floating owuld help anything.

Actually, it's held by a screw through the stock going into a post in the front of the action,and another screw goes through the plastic triggerguard into a post in the rear of the action. Here, a picture might help

What I've been toying with is coming up with a way to mount those two posts to the stock in a more solid way. Perhaps small metal plates acroglassed into the stock.

Personally, I think it's a bad idea to bed a rifle where you have to remove the stock from the gun every time you clean. Since it's an autoloading .22, this means every time you shoot.

Good point. However the action drops straight down into the stock, so it wouldn't be terribly difficult to seperate if it fit a little tighter. However, the whole bottom of the action is open, so you can't just acroglass the action in the stock.

With the 60's barrel diameter, it still wouldn't make much of a difference. With that ratio of bore diameter to barrel diameter, minor tensions make a negligible differece; much less, say, than wind or ammo selection.

Good point! I have the long barrel (and long magazine tube), but it is pretty stiff.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Maybe it won't make a huge difference, but it's starting to sound like fun to try.

 

[mrmeval]

I saw an accurizing system that uses a small plastic block to put a small amount of pressure on the barrel. I wonder if such a device could be used between the tube and the barrel and slid forward or back till you hit the sweet spot for the ammo you're using. Of course you'd not want too much pressure.
Also removing any wood touching the barrel can't be a bad thing. I do not know about bedding it though.