Stock is Touching Barrel on Brand New Savage...Problem?

[stangfish]

Very interesting study in physics. Am I to conclude that you believe having pressure points on the barrel is more desirable to increase accuracy instead of a free floated barrel?

Roger, I was simply stating that however unintentional, the barrel that needs a presure point is tuned to a frequency that that particular cartridge excites. Like tuning a guitar, when the string is tuned it vibrates in sink with the body of the guitar and it resonates. That is the harmonics. When this particular phenomena takes blace the only thing you can do is increase mass or change the unsuported length so you can take the barrel "out of tune". Food for thought.

[thomae]

It appears to me that one can "tune" a barrel for a particular load, or conversely, come up with a specific load "tuned" for the barrel.

Two different ways to gain accuracy.

[RevM]

It appears to me that one can "tune" a barrel for a particular load, or conversely, come up with a specific load "tuned" for the barrel.

Two different ways to gain accuracy.

Yep. It's simple rocket science (ie, physics). However, the contact from a marginally molded stock touching only one side of the barrel in some random spot is likely to create problems that vary with temperature (summer to winter ... or hot to cold barrel). A carefully placed contact node dampener or two could be applied at just the right spot(s) to kill the natural vibrations of the barrel and would be less prone to variability due to expansion and contraction with temperature.

[Roger SS]

Yep. It's simple rocket science (ie, physics). However, the contact from a marginally molded stock touching only one side of the barrel in some random spot is likely to create problems that vary with temperature (summer to winter ... or hot to cold barrel). A carefully placed contact node dampener or two could be applied at just the right spot(s) to kill the natural vibrations of the barrel and would be less prone to variability due to expansion and contraction with temperature.

Continuing interesting facts I wasn't aware of. Thanks for that.

[Westcliffe01]

Yes, this is the point exactly. The last thing one wants is any kind of intermittent contact. The pressure point at the front of the fore end is a woefully inadequate solution. All one needs is for the wood to expand or contract or for a polymer stock to be stiffer or more limp due to ambient temperature, then any concept of uniform pressure or damping being applied to the barrel is out of the window. If you do own a rifle like that, you need to be very certain of your zero under the conditions you are going to hunt. Or simply free float it and add a rubber damper donut to the barrel. You will then have to find the right position for the damper.

The whole point of free floating the barrel is that the harmonic behavior would be dependent primarily on the barrel material, geometry and the load characteristics, with the load characteristics being the most easily manipulated.

Yep. It's simple rocket science (ie, physics). However, the contact from a marginally molded stock touching only one side of the barrel in some random spot is likely to create problems that vary with temperature (summer to winter ... or hot to cold barrel). A carefully placed contact node dampener or two could be applied at just the right spot(s) to kill the natural vibrations of the barrel and would be less prone to variability due to expansion and contraction with temperature.

[Roger SS]

Yes, this is the point exactly. The last thing one wants is any kind of intermittent contact. The pressure point at the front of the fore end is a woefully inadequate solution. All one needs is for the wood to expand or contract or for a polymer stock to be stiffer or more limp due to ambient temperature, then any concept of uniform pressure or damping being applied to the barrel is out of the window. If you do own a rifle like that, you need to be very certain of your zero under the conditions you are going to hunt. Or simply free float it and add a rubber damper donut to the barrel. You will then have to find the right position for the damper.

The whole point of free floating the barrel is that the harmonic behavior would be dependent primarily on the barrel material, geometry and the load characteristics, with the load characteristics being the most easily manipulated.

Westcliffe never led me astray before...that's for sure.
Free floated it is.

[J.Baker]

It appears to me that one can "tune" a barrel for a particular load, or conversely, come up with a specific load "tuned" for the barrel.

Two different ways to gain accuracy.

Correct, and it's much easier to tune the load as you have direct control over it's qualities when handloading. Trying to tune a given barrel to a given load would just be an exercise in futility.