Heavy barrel Vs. Free float

[crazyivan]

What would you pick free float or heavy(bull?) barrel if you could not have both?

I ask this question because I was looking at the savage Edge today and I see it is free floated but is not a heavy barrel.
I am looking at it in .308. Does anyone know how many rounds can go through it before the barrel get so hot that it starts to twist or bend for a non-heavy barrel? I guess in hunting you only fire just 1-5 round to get what you are hunting.

I also saw a Remington 700 VTR which is not free floated but has odd barrel that claims to reduce heat.

 

[unwise11]

free float all the way, thats what i did, even though i could have both, i chose a howa m1500 22" medium barrel. in .308

 

[PCCUSNRET]

What are you going to hunt and where? I hunt deer in WV and I sure wouldn't want to be lugging a heavy bull barreled gun around those hills for very long. I like the heavy barreled 308's from Savage and Remington but they only get range time as we don't have any 4 legged varmits in this town. For deer hunting I would definitely go for the standard barrel. Hope this helps.

 

[unwise11]

def get the regular. trust me, the 4 pound difference is alot.

 

[NCsmitty]

I guess it's all about what you plan on using the rifle for, hunting or bench shooting. Lugging a heavy barrel rifle when hunting gets old pretty quickly.

I float all my centerfire rifles.

NCsmitty

 

[dawico]

Hunting with a rifle I hope I only need 1 shot. Anyways, I'll take free floated over heavy if I had to choose. A heavy barreled gun isn't really for hunting big game, as the extra weight makes it very cumbersome to carry. It is nice on a varmint rifle that will probably be shot from a rest and not carried a whole lot.

Save up a little and get exactly what you want. Don't settle for second best. I can assure you a Savage 308 with a heavy barrel and Accutrigger is definitely worth saving a little more for if it is what you want.

 

[crazyivan]

What I would be hunting with it would be deer, where I would hunt they would be out no more than 300yds but most likely around 75-150yds. I would like it to be capable of getting smaller animals as well.
When it comes to weight the Rem 700 VTR that I held did not weigh any more than the savage edge. I ask about the heat messing up the aim because I would also like use this for target shooting for fun.
Yeah both would be nice but from what I have seen to have both the price jumps up a lot.

 

[crazyivan]

Yes I would be useing it for hunting mostly. Maybe I might get a Savage Edge for hunting and later get a heavy barrel for target shooting.
Thanks for the info guys!

 

[slowr1der]

Why not pay the little bit extra and get a Savage Model 10 with the accu trigger? Much better trigger, and easy to change barrels on it and not much more money.

 

[blackops]

For hunting I don't want a heavy barrel so floated obviously would be my choice. Either way a heavy barrel can be floated very easily.

 

[TonyAngel]

Heavy barrels are really nice for the bench, but not for carrying around. I'd go for the floated thinner barrel, especially for hunting. It's not like you're going to have to rattle off five shots real quick anyway.

 

[usmarine0352_2005]

.

Free Float all the way.



For nearly all hunting your going to want a lighter rifle and that means free float. A heavy barrel is mostly for stationary shooting or hunting such as benchrest target shooting or prairie dog hunting where you don't move at all.
.

 

[NCsmitty]

Remember, if you remove material from a wood stock barrel channel, you'll need to reseal the bare wood to keep moisture out.



NCsmitty

 

[Captcurt]

Ok guys, I see a bunch of you like floated barrels. Let me tell you a little story. I had a friend who bought a Rem. 700 that shot as good as any that I have seen. But since he thought that all barrels should be floated he hacked out the barrel channel until it looked like it was hand hewned (but then I guess that it was). His groups went fom 1/2 MOA to 2".

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I have actually seen guns that shot better with a little upward pressure 3" behind the forarm tip. It is amazing what a business card under the barrel can do.

 

[Art Eatman]

Deer? Smaller stuff like coyotes? No more than 300 yards? .243 or 7mm08 would do quite well.

Sporter-weight barrel. Free floating a barrel is trivially easy to do. I always then insert a shim at the forearm tip, giving very light pressure against the barrel as a bit of a damper. Sorta like a poor man's BOSS, it helps with shot-to-shot uniformity.

 

[joed]

Every bolt rifle I own has the barrel free floated. I have a few Rem 700's with wood stocks. New these grouped slightly over 1". After floating they are well under an inch, my VS with heavy barrel is now 1/2".

I've heard horror stories of free floating, I've seen none. I'm a firm believer in free floating a barrel.

 

[ctaylor]

Captcurt has it right. Heavy barrels dissipate heat better and will maintain zero better (all other things equal) longer in the shot string than a light whippy barrel. I have an ultralight that weighs five pounds and shoots under a half inch all day...as long as I wait a couple minutes in between shoots. So they aren't more accurate, just more stable.

Barrels are funny creatures that have their own little habits. I have a new (1995 rifle, very lightly used) Cooper 17 Remington I'm working up loads for. It was shooting in the .2's. I took it out of the stock to tweak the trigger, and when I put it back I torqued the screws to 38 in/lbs. Right where I like to torque barrels in a wood stock. The barrel (sort of heavy straight taper) didn't like that. Now it shoots in the .4's, and I haven't been able to get the sweet spot back.

I would always opt for the floated barrel. At least then you're dealing with one less variable.

 

[Red Cent]

Crazyivan,
The guys are saying float 'em all the way. I agree but.......
When you free float, it is best to bed the action along with free floating the barrel. From the utmost rear of the action to about 2"s of the barrel needs to be bedded/glassed at the same time. If the rifle is a heavy recoiler, relieve about 1/16th" in front of the recoil lug. Where it counts is the rear flat of the lug. Taking your time, the barrel channel can be removed in an even and almost unnoticeable fashion.
As to shimming the fore end tip, I wouldn't. It will work until the stock swells, warps, coughs, spits, and finally moves the POI. Free float is just that. Remove all things that would/could touch the barrel and change the harmonics.
I have built a number of rifles and I have one rifle that would not agree with free floating. It is a Douglas sharp taper 22" barrel in 6MM, Savage action (ooolllld action) and Fajen stock. I guess that short stiff barrel got lonely. I glassed about three inches of the barrel from the fore end back. Barrel has a fast twist and loves 105 gr. Spitzers.

 

[Red Cent]

.....

 

[crazyivan]

Thanks for the information guys learning a lot of great stuff!