Pillar bedding a rifle BARREL

[Sashi]

Has anyone had any experience with this?
I read about this years and years ago.
first free float the barrel
Second you find the natural vibration null point on your barrel.
Then insert 2 wooden dowels in the stock to lift the barrel at this point.
I had a Zastava M70 come with this dowel bedding, the gun was very accurate.
If anyone can enlighten on this subject please respond.

[Desert Eagle]

It all depends on the rifle. I have had factory rifles that shoot quite well with a pressure point, sometimes with wood, it can get wet and swell, and throw off your shots. I always aim for free floating barrels as I have experienced the pressure point shenanigans years back. It is quite uncommon that the rifle won’t shoot the same or better free floated as it does with the pressure point, but each setup is individual. The nice thing is, it’s easy enough to add it back in if needed with epoxy or bedding, etc. a good wrap of tape is a good temporary pressure point to try it out.

[Sashi]

Yes I gained only 1/4" on my groups, but 1/4" is fair. the thing about pillar bedding is if it doesn't work out, remove the pillars, and your back to free floating.
Life is simply experimentation, and learning.

[pikergolf]

If it is a wooden stocked thin barreled hunting rifle you risk the point of aim changing with every humidity and weather change. How much I don't know.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

If it is a wooden stocked thin barreled hunting rifle you risk the point of aim changing with every humidity and weather change. How much I don't know.

Even with a synthetic stock, if you have a pressure point, the point of impact can change with temperature.

[Pathfinder76]

It’s a stupid idea at best.

[hogie]

It can work and has been done for many years on certain rifles. Full stock Lee Enfield no4 is one. The barrel is pressure bedded at the end. A proper bedded one if you push the barrel off it will come back to its rest position. About 5 lbs of pressure I think? I had one with a warped stock, pushed on the side, I opened up the end and center bedded the barrel. Improved accuracy.

So lots of sporterized Enfields lost that bedding and didn't shoot well.

I believe I had a newer budget Weatherby Vangurd about 10 years ago and it wasn't a free floated barrel. Shot sub MOA. If it shoots well doesn't matter.

Would it be my first choice if I was after accuracy, probably not, but is an option.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by hogie

It can work and has been done for many years on certain rifles. Full stock Lee Enfield no4 is one. The barrel is pressure bedded at the end. A proper bedded one if you push the barrel off it will come back to its rest position. About 5 lbs of pressure I think? I had one with a warped stock, pushed on the side, I opened up the end and center bedded the barrel. Improved accuracy.

So lots of sporterized Enfields lost that bedding and didn't shoot well.

I believe I had a newer budget Weatherby Vangurd about 10 years ago and it wasn't a free floated barrel. Shot sub MOA. If it shoots well doesn't matter.

Would it be my first choice if I was after accuracy, probably not, but is an option.

I bought a Vanguard MOA used around 15-20 years ago, and when I removed the barreled action, the factory bedding crumbled. I glass bedded the action, and the rifle wouldn't do better than 1-1/4", so I added a pressure point back where I had removed the original one. The rifle then shot 3/4", so the pressure point obviously helped. I sold the rifle to a friend, and he is totally pleased with it, but the poi does move a little with temperature, even with a fiberglass stock.

[Salavee]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

It’s a stupid idea at best.

Rather than the stupid one line responses you tend to frequently provide, why not explain the "why'?. We'not as smart as you appear to be.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

How in the world can you have organic material putting constant and consistent pressure on a barrel? It’s a bad idea. How could it be any other way? But you do whatever you want. I do not care. Nor do I have an obligation to explain everything to you.

Not just organic, plastic stocks are softer in hot weather, and more rigid in cold weather, which can change the pressure on the barrel. The barrel steel expands and contracts at a different rate than fiberglass and plastic, or wood, so again the pressure on the barrel changes with temperature. So no matter how you do it, a pressure point on the barrel gives up some consistency.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Originally Posted by pathfinder76

it’s a stupid idea at best.

this ! Rj

[barsik]

I still own a rifle that had a small piece of what looked like foam pipe insulation inserted right at the tip of the forend. when the action was tightened down the barrel compressed the foam a little bit. it was about 1 inch in length and 1/8 inch thick and wrapped around the inside of the forend. my experience with it was that it did help accuracy at a particular temp but above or below that the point of impact did wander a bit and not just high or low. barrel harmonics is a thing. I eventually removed it and went full free float, I didn't have the patience to deal with the wandering POI even though the group size did shrink a bit.

[Sashi]

Finally got to the range again. The rifle shot 0.580 inches at 100 meters.:sHa_shakes hout:

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

It’s a stupid idea at best.

Weatherby and many others did it for decades! Best you provide facts rather then opinion.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

Weatherby and many others did it for decades! Best you provide facts rather then opinion.

The fact is, it’s a stupid idea. It’s great for manufacturing because it is a cheap way to circumvent proper bedding and free floating. But it causes a host of other problems.

How many of your competition rifles, or anyone else’s, have a wood pillar putting pressure on your barrels? Looking for some facts here. Thanks.

[6.5 shooter]

Pressure points will make a poorly bedded rifle shoot better in many instances. With a tupperware stock and a poor bed job, pressure point will more than likely outshoot floated. With an aluminum block in a quality stock, floated is definitely the way to go.

Notice it is a properly bedded rifle that wins not just free floated.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

Pressure points will make a poorly bedded rifle shoot better in many instances. With a tupperware stock and a poor bed job, pressure point will more than likely outshoot floated. With an aluminum block in a quality stock, floated is definitely the way to go.

Notice it is a properly bedded rifle that wins not just free floated.

I have only had one rifle, with a properly bedded action, in a fiberglass stock, that shot better with a pressure point.But yes, it is likely the easiest way , to get unbedded rifles to shoot decently, so that is why some manufacturers choose to go that route. I do actually recall one rifle made with an adjustable pressure point, so that you could adjust the pressure point for each load, like adjusting a barrel tuner. I believe that it was a German rifle, K-15 sounds familiar. But the negative, is that the point of impact usually wanders as temperature changes, and the pressure on that pressure point changes, so for that reason alone, I prefer to avoid pressure points.

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I have only had one rifle, with a properly bedded action, in a fiberglass stock, that shot better with a pressure point.But yes, it is likely the easiest way , to get unbedded rifles to shoot decently, so that is why some manufacturers choose to go that route. I do actually recall one rifle made with an adjustable pressure point, so that you could adjust the pressure point for each load, like adjusting a barrel tuner. I believe that it was a German rifle, K-15 sounds familiar. But the negative, is that the point of impact usually wanders as temperature changes, and the pressure on that pressure point changes, so for that reason alone, I prefer to avoid pressure points.

Totally agree but it was the way it was done long before Tupperware stocks came into vouge. I know I have personally free floated many a barrel and have yet, to bed any of my hunting rifles. One of the many advantages of rolling your own ammo.

[Pathfinder76]

Handloading is a barrel tuner. It can’t overcome a bedding issue. Just like it can’t fix a fire control problem, scope mounts or a scope issue. What you are doing with bedding, fire control, and sighting system is allowing your barrel to do its thing the same way every time. That is why pressure bedding is not a great idea. It has a high propensity to change what that barrel is doing shot to shot or day to day.

[Pathfinder76]

In many ways pressure bedding tame action bedding problems. The old adage that two wrongs don’t make a right applies.

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Handloading is a barrel tuner. It can’t overcome a bedding issue. Just like it can’t fix a fire control problem, scope mounts or a scope issue. What you are doing with bedding, fire control, and sighting system is allowing your barrel to do its thing the same way every time. That is why pressure bedding is not a great idea. It has a high propensity to change what that barrel is doing shot to shot or day to day.

Just remember all the fine rifle tuning in the world can't control the nut behind the gun. Seen it a lot in competitions and in the hunting fields. All the best gadgets, fancy scopes and custom built rifles and could still not hit the broad side of an elk at 100yds.

Most casual shooters never fire their rifles enough to even know they have a problem. Whether it is the rifle or the shooter. But that is just my humble opinion.