10/22 - should the forearm contact the barrel?

[tacotime]

Modifying a factory stock to accept a .920 barrel. Channel was sanded out nicely.

Fit is good - but should the barrel contact the forearm at all?

It appears that a factory target stock has a little rise at the end that contacts the barrel on the 10/22T.

Right now, the area right at the end of the forearm is touching the barrel, and may even be pushing up on the barrel a bit when the stock screw is tightened.

Thanks.

 

[ArmedinAZ]

Because of the single action screw Ruger designed the stocks to lock in at the rear of the receiver and touch the barrel at the front of the stock. When you tighten the screw it does put it all in a bit of a bind. Just the way it is. If you free float the barrel you may end up with an action/barrel assembly that rocks on the screw if the rear mechanical lock isn't real tight. If that happens you can add a pressure pad made of a piece of bicycle innertube or something similar, or you could glass bed the stock, or you could let the stock touch like it did from the factory.

 

[tacotime]

Sounds perfectly reasonable.

I wonder if the light barrel-forearm contact could have any noticeable affect on accuracy with a 16 inch stiff bull barrel?

My feeling is not too much... but I have been wrong about physics before.

 

[96/44]

I like to have a contact point at the end of the forearm on a 10/22 with heavy barrel. I feel it helps keep the barrel more steady than just hanging from the v-block. IMO the only reason all the manufacturers are going to free floating barrels is to reduce labor costs when building. Just beware that the factory stock probably has enough flex that if it does contact the barrel you will most likely get a different point of impact depending on if you are shooting offhand, sandbagged, or off a bipod.

 

[mohavesam]

I've seen some very very accurate competition 10/22Ts with a fully-bedded barrel and free-floated action/trigger group. It is only an aluminum receiver, remember! The barrel weighs 5-6 times as much as the rec. Hanging the heavy barrel off a bedded receiver is a lot to ask of the aluminum receiver ring and screw boss.

 

[Precision32]

I have one 10-22 with a 0.920" bull barrel sporting a $200+ Bell & Carlson composite stock. It has a pressure pad at the front of the barrel channel to support the end of the barrel.

AGI tells you to place two layers of tape on the bottom of the receiver's front end when you glass bed the action in the stock. That way, after the bedding sets and you remove the tape, you pull the front of the receiver down as you tighten the action screw, preloading the barrel upward as you do. I've done it, it works.

 

[ArmedinAZ]

Try to tighten the action screw the same every time you put it back together no matter what you end up doing.