I am building a muzzle loading pistol from scratch and I have designed the pistol stock on paper but I am curious if anyone out there has free floated a muzzle loader barrel, pistol or rifle? Or if anyone has any knowledge of it?
Tommy
Tommy
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is there any benefit in free floating ml barrels?
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B.Habermehl
45 Cal.
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Not to disagree or argue with you F.D.(Gee that description covers both of us 
) But I have seen two guns that shot best when the barrel channel in the stock was deliberately scraped oversize after problems were had getting it to group. Of course the underlugs had generous slots too. And yes the fore arm of the stock is or should be thin enough to be flexible enough to make truely free floating a barrel impossible. These guns for some reason needed a loose fit in the barrel channel to make them shoot. I certainly would not build a gun this way my self, but I have seen these two odd balls before and after and the targets speak for them selves. I repeat I certainly would not build a gun this way as these really looked like heck afterward by my standards and would get the gun builder run out of town on a rail for lousy workmanship. Just a report on a unusual pair of guns. BJH
) But I have seen two guns that shot best when the barrel channel in the stock was deliberately scraped oversize after problems were had getting it to group. Of course the underlugs had generous slots too. And yes the fore arm of the stock is or should be thin enough to be flexible enough to make truely free floating a barrel impossible. These guns for some reason needed a loose fit in the barrel channel to make them shoot. I certainly would not build a gun this way my self, but I have seen these two odd balls before and after and the targets speak for them selves. I repeat I certainly would not build a gun this way as these really looked like heck afterward by my standards and would get the gun builder run out of town on a rail for lousy workmanship. Just a report on a unusual pair of guns. BJH
Stophel
75 Cal.
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Hey, the little "Queen Anne pistol" that Dixie sells has its barrel held in the stock only by the tang bolt ....technically it can be done, but I don't recommend it.
Of course, if you want to go "modern" you can do all kinds of wierd things, and those underhammer guns don't even have to have a fore-end!!! Talk about free floated!
When people meet me they sometimes say "hey, you're not fat"...o.k., how 'bout "the slightly overweight Dutchman"...nah, doesn't have the same ring to it...
....technically it can be done, but I don't recommend it.Of course, if you want to go "modern" you can do all kinds of wierd things, and those underhammer guns don't even have to have a fore-end!!! Talk about free floated!
When people meet me they sometimes say "hey, you're not fat"...o.k., how 'bout "the slightly overweight Dutchman"...nah, doesn't have the same ring to it...
pathfinderifh
40 Cal.
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My barrels ALWAYS shoot better when I keep my own score! :crackup:. I too agree that"free floating" a barrel would be a waste of time. There may have been other factors at work in having the fire arms shoot better. I've found that glass bedding works if your really having a time of it getting acceptable groups. Again, keep your own score, you'll always win! :haha:
I'm no gunsmith but wasn't free floating barrels done to overcome the interferencce of the stock with the "harmonics" of the barrel in modern guns with whispy thin barrels? A muzzleloader has a substantially thicker barrel so I don't think harmonics would affect it as much.
