Hawkeye Compact; Freefloat or solid

[Big Bubba]

I am asking this question to those who own a Hawkeye Compact rifle. Does this rifle shoot better with the solid factory bedding on the barrel or it is better to free float the barrel?

This rifle seems to have a rather thin barrel, like the Remington Model 7, and it seems it would be better with some forearm pressure against the barrel to dampen vibration.

Just like to hear what others have found when using this light weight rifle.

I have found floating the barrel on my rifles with heavier sporting type barrels works best for me when tightening up groups.

 

[Ditmo]

I've got the wood stock in 7.62x39. Put a leupold 2x7 on it.

I've gotten consistent 4 shot one inch groups with 123gr FMJ, twenty something gr of AA1680 (can't remember exact charge), in a winchester case. I'm not going to touch the rifle until it starts opening up.

I had a bunch of loads that I tried with BLC(2), but those didn't shoot as well as the AA1680. All of the bullets were Hornady 123gr FMJ. All of my hand loads are under 2" at a 100 yards. So far I'm really pleased with this rifle. I still haven't crono'd any of the loads yet.

With Wolf I'm getting about 3" groups, and with golden tiger 1.25" groups at a 100 yards. I don't know why it likes the golden tiger, but I'm happy with that if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to hand load.

 

[Black Frog]

I've got several compacts. I've tried floating the barrel on two of them.

The first rifle I was getting about 1.5" groups from the factory, using different Rem and Fed factory ammo. I used the appropriately sized deep well socket and some sand paper and cleared out the forearm barrel pressure point so that the barrel was free floating and I could slide a folded dollar all the way back to the recoil lug. I sealed the sanded areas with polyurathane.

My groups opened up to 3". I was not happy.

So I went back and bedded the rear tang and recoil lug area with Devcon Plastic Steel, leaving the free-floating barrel alone.

Then my groups shrank to just about an inch, maybe a little over. I left it like that.

My other Compact I free floated actually helped the groups vs. from the factory.

So I guess the answer is... "it may help".

You might want to try shimming by the recoil lug and rear tang so that the barrel is sitting up a bit higher in the stock, and the barrel is not touching the factory pressure point. Cut up milk jugs work well for shims. Shoot it and see if it helps or hurts your groupings.

 

[Big Bubba]

Thanks Ditmo and Blackfrog. My Hawkeye is in 7.62x39 too. Good to hear about the great groups you are getting. I haven't had the chance to get out and shoot mine yet, but I will be using a handload AA2015 and a .310" 125 gr. Horn. soft point and the same load behind a Sierra .311" 125gr. soft point in Winchester cases. I have used this load in various other rifles in this caliber.

For now I have mounted a 4x Burris scope on my Hawkeye. Burris and Leupold are the only scopes I use, as they are both very dependable. The exception being I also own several Shepard scopes on some of my long range rifles, and they have proven themselves over the years.

When I get the chance to try out the Hawkeye, I will post the results. Hopefully it will shoot as well as yours with the factory inletting.

 

[hadjii]

I have a 77 Hawkeye, and although it's not a compact, it has a light barrel contour. Out of the box, it shot 1.00" MOA, so I floated the barrel, and it then shot .75" MOA. That was with some old handloads I had laying around from a previous 77 Liberty that was so crappy, I let someone else own it. also with the LC6 trigger, which in my opinion is still crappy. I took it to a gunsmith and had the trigger replaced with a timney, recrowned the barrel, pillar bedded the stock and glass bedded the action it will now shoot .375-.500 MOA consistently. I will do the same thing to the new 300 RCM I have ordered. I can't remember ever having a rifle that didn't improve with a barrel float.