Floating my CZ stock this morning...Help Please

[chadflys]

just a quick question before I get to far...I have started sanding and doing a little at a time. I have read to sand from front barrel lug forward. Leaving the barrel in front of lug compleatly free from stock and Leaving the wood behind the lug for stability. There is just a bit of contact just forward of fron lug and the last inch at front end of stock. and about how much clearence would be adaquate. I have heard business card thickness, I have seen about 1/8 of an inch on some of the custom guns. I thought I'd shoot for about 1/32 of an inch. And last... should I be able to find a screw handle type torque handle at Sears to set the Lugs the correct torque? I dont have a torque wrench and would prefer screwdriver handle type...

Thanks,

Chadflys

[KAZ]

Sounds like you are doing it the best way. I use a proper size socket with the sandpaper wrapped around it and try to keep it even. After you have the sanding done remember to seal the barrel channel with some type of finish over the bare wood. Don't know about sears, but midway has some choices on the wrench. Good luck!
http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/#torque ... -4_8-16-32

[recumbent]

I float to the thickness of 2 business cards or a little more.

Float From front lug all the way forward. Be sure and seal the wood when your done.

My CZs shoot the best with 24 inch lbs of torque on both screws, I would suggest to try 24 in lbs if that is not good for your rifle start at 15 and work up in 2 lb increments. i wouldn't go higher than 30 in lbs.

[Bullseye]

Sounds like you've already gotten some sound advice on floating your barrel. The socket wrapped in abrasive paper is a great home DIY way to hone the barrel channel for free floating the barrel. A 1/16th inch clearance all around will allow for barrel heating/expansion and not effect your harmonic performance. Torquing the screws is an absolute essential to maintain a solid receiver position. Otherwise the receiver may shift and cause the barrel to touch the stock and therefore create an inconsistent shot pattern.

R,
Bullseye

[chadflys]

Yep thats exactly what happened. I went out and shot it today. I floated until I could tightly get two cards through....After barrel heated up I could hardly get one card through.....Good thing I hadn't seeled it yet. I don't have a torque screwdriver so I started light. Shoots well with light tention, but I can tell the barrel shifts slowly to right. So I did a medium snug and it seemed to stay. I'll be doin some more sanding in a day or two. If you have any more advise please share.......I'm wondering if this barrel shift will still happen even torqued down.....

Chadflys

[KAZ]

You might look into bedding it to assure that everything sets it the stock straight and nothing in a bind. When you say shoots well, what kind of 5 shot groups at 25 yards? It should shoot a tiny,touching group. Be sure and test on a calm day and use the best ammo you can like SK Match or RWS Rifle Target if it likes one of those. Sounds like you are having fun Regards

[chadflys]

So far and being conservative, about 50% of the time, its shooting touching 5 shot groups at 50yds with remington subsonic and Federal Automatch. I think a little better and more consistant with the subsonic. That equates to about .5-.7in. The other % of the time there are those that wonder to the 1-1.2in size group. I hope and don't think its the barrel, but think it is the ammo or me or wind or barrel shifting in the stock. I have not tinkered with it enough to know for sure yet. I just ordered several different types of ammo to try, but don't want to use it untill I have the stock stable. I'm going to sand out some more to assure nothing thouching and try the different torque settings and see if it still moves. I don't have a torque screwdriver yet either so It might be a day or two before I torque it down. I hope to not have to bed and piller it, but if I have to I will. I think it just has too much potential to be really great shooter. I would like to show up the benchrest guys every now and then with a gun that cost a fraction of theirs and from bags too. On Bedding and Pillering. Its just finding someone I trust to do it right.

[Bullseye]

Keep experimenting, that's the best way to learn and also to get it right.

R,
Bullseye

[KAZ]

You will be making some great shots! One thing to keep in mind especially with 22RF is the wind. Even what you believe to be calm will effect at 50yds, and make you crazy chasing your equipment and skills If you can find an indoor range for testing it takes wind out of the equation. At the very least build or buy ($40) a wind flag so that you start to learn how to shoot the wind.
Get this: At 25 yds a 5 mph wind from 9:00 will drift your bullet to the right about 1/4" and down to about 4:00. A 5 mph wind is so mild that it will feel calm due to the fact that it is rarely constant and varies from 0 to 5

[recumbent]

Keep trying different ammo.
If you don't have wind flags get some stakes and staple a 3 ft piece of surveyors tape to the top end.
Place them at 10, 20, 30 & 40 yards.

You may think it's calm but you will be surprised what you see the flags do.

This was a very windy day at one of our clubs 22 benchrest matches each competitor has his own set of flags.

[Bullseye]

I like seeing that picture of the benchrest range flags. They are especially important for rimfire benchrest matches. In High Power rifle (service or match) you have to rely on the range flags mounted on either side of the KD yardage lines.


(photo posted from odcmp.com, reading the wind part 2)

Here's some more useful links about wind and bullet path.

http://www.odcmp.org/1206/USAMU_Wind1.asp
http://www.odcmp.org/0107/default.asp?page=USAMU_WIND2

Having a clock correction pattern chart is also a very useful tool. These are generally specific to bullet caliber and distance for windage sight corrections.

Hope this helps.
R,
Bullseye

[chadflys]

Got it floated and didn't shoot well today. With any ammo really. should the action screw and barrel lug screw be the same tension. I have them snugged down pretty snug as far as I can feel. Nothig moves. Not to happy. My scope will not zoom either in or out...stuch on about 20X ???? Huh...

Chadflys

[KAZ]

Welcome to the NFL! You will have to deal with the scope issue and make sure that it isn't a problem before you start doing torque,ammo test. There are just so many factors and as you've found out we have to just work through them. Regards

[bearandoldman]

My s0/22T has the action and about 2 inches of the barrel just ahead of the reciever bedded and the rest of the barrel is floated, Tried a lot of brands of ammo and used a bughole tuner but the damn gun shooots the best with a poamf pressure pad about an inch back from the forend. My DSP ashoots the best that way also, my 2 carbines shoot the best with the barrel band left on, that works for me, others will vary immensly. You migh try the pressure pad, it may work for you too. I think it may have something to do with damping the oscilltions of the barrel when firing, you telll me. Just an old mans theory, but it worked for me.

[chadflys]

Common sense to me says a thin piece of high density foam pad would work for about every gun....I did try it first after my first session of sanding. I put a small piece under the front barrel lug and stock( cut out like a washer)...a small rectangle under the action (just resting on it) and again a small washer like piece uner the action between action screw and stock. All fit real nice...and it shot pretty well except I know the barrel shifted because I could the gap change between the barrel and stock ever so slightly after several rounds. I could put them back in and try again. My only concern was I thought the foam would hold moisture and increase the likelyhood of rust.....What do you think.

chadflys