Free float M-77 barrel

I rcently got an older Ruger M-77. When I took it apart to clean it, I noticed a bulge in the barrel channel at the end of the stock. It looks like it is there to hold some upward pressure on the barrel.

I have always free-floated all of my bolt action rifles. I have heard about stocks designed to keep some upward pressure on the barrel but have never had one before. I want to float this barrel after the season and really don't think it will do any harm. Just want a couple of other opinions on the matter. I hunt a lot in wet weather, and love the feel of a wood stock. Just don't want the wood to swell and move the point of impact any.

My all weather M77 was the same way. I floated it and it seemed to shoot better. Mine had several pressure points besides the point at the end of the barrel. I opened it up all the way. Some may be different though.

When you're dealing with "lightweight" hunting rifle barrels, some shoot better floated and some shoot better with a bit of pressure at the forend.

If I have one that floated and ain't shootin' right, I'll cut shims from shotgun hulls. I'll build up the shim thickness one by one while shooting for accuracy. Once I find the sweet spot, I know where/how much to bed the forend.

Thanks for the opinions guys. Anybody else?

I have 2 wood stocked M77's and they shoot fine with the pressure points.....One is even a full length Mannlicher. I took that action out and placed it into a synthetic stock and floated and bedded it.....It went from shooting .75" groups to 3.5" groups......I put it back in the wood mannlicher stock.

Shoot it first....Find the ammo it likes best....If that isn't good enough then bed and float it to see if it helps.

Robert

Glassman said:

I rcently got an older Ruger M-77. When I took it apart to clean it, I noticed a bulge in the barrel channel at the end of the stock. It looks like it is there to hold some upward pressure on the barrel.

I have always free-floated all of my bolt action rifles. I have heard about stocks designed to keep some upward pressure on the barrel but have never had one before. I want to float this barrel after the season and really don't think it will do any harm. Just want a couple of other opinions on the matter. I hunt a lot in wet weather, and love the feel of a wood stock. Just don't want the wood to swell and move the point of impact any.

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I much prefer free floated barrels especially with wooden stocks. If the bedding is good, it should help accuracy. If not then bed the action. Just my .02...

I have a 1973 M77 that I've glass bedded the action and free floated the barrel. I'd do as Bruz says and by a box each of non premium cartridges such as Fed Power Shok, Winchester Power Points, and Remington Core Lok and shot if for 5 shot groups. Be sure the bore is absolutely clean with a copper removing solvent before you shoot for accuracy. If the accuracy isn't up to what you want then glass bed the action and try it again. Then if it's not up to snuff then free float the barrel and see where you're at. Take it one step at a time changing only one variable at a time.

Also with my M77 and the thin sporter barrel in 270 Win, the barrel with heat up fast and the zero shifts. Be sure to allow plenty of cool down between groups.

My experience is that typically wood-stocked rifles benefit from free-floating. As you pointed out, wood stocks are prone to slight warping, twisting, and swelling from humidity and heat. If the wood is in contact with the barrel, these changes can alter the amount of pressure and direction of the pressure on the barrel and change the point of impact, especially as the barrel heats up from continuous shooting. However, I have seen some wood-stocked rifles that did not benefit at all from free-floating and a couple that got worse as indicated in the above posts. If it gets worse after free-floating, it's not that big a deal to fix. Just make shims out of plastic or business cards and stack those under the barrel until it improves. That will give you an idea of how high to build up a pad of bedding epoxy for a permanent fix. You can even call the mfg and ask them how much upward pressure they recommend, and it's a fairly easy matter to attain that pressure with a pad from stiffened bedding epoxy.

I've never seen one that either didn't benefit or got worse from bedding the action...that always seems to help. I always bed and free-float at the same time. 9 times out of 10 there is benefit from both changes...the few times I've seen no improvement or a worsening, it was from floating the barrel and when I shimmed it, it improved immediately. Usually, it's the smaller diameter lightweight barrels that have problems when free-floated.

Many Ruger rifles shoot quite well with a bit of upward pressure. Back nearly 20 years ago, I saw the "bulge" you speak of on an M77 in 7mm Remington Magnum and promptly removed it. The groups were far worse after "floating" the barrel than they were before.

My gunsmith is a big fan of pressure neutral barrel bedding jobs and the ones I've had him done really shoot well. I have a .300 Winny Ruger M77 that wasn't a very good shooter before he did the bedding (around 1.75" groups) and now it shoots multiple loads sub MOA.

Glassman said:

Thanks for the opinions guys. Anybody else?

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You didn't mention how it's shooting, in it's present state.

Steve762us said:

You didn't mention how it's shooting, in it's present state.

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It shoots fine, 3 shot groups of about 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a 7 .lb trigger, but it can shoot better. Down to just under 1 inch with 2.5 .lb trigger.

I got this gun in a trade about a month ago and really like it. It will be is my primary (only) deer gun. I have never owned a rifle that wasn't floated, much less made with the intent of having pressure on the barrel.

I have a small list of things that need to be done in th off season. I worked the trigger already, so that's done. The guy I got it from coated the stock in high gloss polyurethane, while the action was in the stock. That means I am gonna redo the finish. I figured on sanding down the barrel channel prior to resealing, but that funny little pressure point threw me a loop.

Thanks for all of the opinions and personal advice. Looks like I may just have to redo the stock and leave the pressure point in it for a while. Cook up a few handloads and see if they will do what I want and go from there. Iknew I was gonna hav to wait till the end of the season to do any of this and was just seeing who had first hand advice on this subject.

Thanks.

Went ahead and floated the barrel anyway while redoing the stock.

Here's the results I got. 1st shot low and away got it on paper. Group high right was an overadjustment. Group in center was last one shot. Moved it a half inch down and let it ride. These were shot at around 100 yards off the hood of my truck.

I believe I can live with it.

Sorry bout the size of the pic. And thanks for the opinions and helpful advice.

my 7mm-08 mk 2 shot like t total crap free floated, put a lot of pressure back in the end and it tightened her back down

tons of variables with free floating barrels.


frankly If you bed the action properly and then float the barrel(with a touch of rear support) I've rarely seen a rifle that wouldn't respond to floating the barrel

just free floating the barrel without a proper bedding process is almost always a waste of time . especially with a wood stock.

lot's of variables ...lot's


CMs method for getting the right front pressure is a good one if you go that way.

Bump. Old thread but good info on barrel float and bedding action. (Not a gunsmith but was researching on advantages to floating my barrel.) Nice to have old threads sometimes.