Winchester MDL 70 XTR Sporter Question

[Beadrick]

I would like to know if the barrels on these guns should be floated on the fore end of the stock?
This one is not, I can almost slide a piece of paper in about 5 inches from the for the front end.
This gun is stock from the factory and nothing has been done to it.
It was never a good shooter maybe 2 inch groups with a flyer and after it gets hot strings shots vertically like a ladder.
Beadrick

[catnthehat]

I would float it and bed it .
Cat

[Beadrick]

Thank you Cat thats what I thought would be suggested to bed it and float the barrel:)

beadrick

[savage shooter]

The XTR was no free floated from the factory but they're EXCELLENT rifles.

[Dean2]

Like Cat said, bed it, float the barrel, try it out. Based on your description of how the gun shoots my bet is the bedding will make a big difference. Depending on results you can put a temporary pressure point in using an old credit card near the tip of the forend. Pretty easy to see which way it shoots better. If it likes the pressure point easy enough to put one back in permanently.

[marky_mark]

Like Cat said, bed it, float the barrel, try it out. Based on your description of how the gun shoots my bet is the bedding will make a big difference. Depending on results you can put a temporary pressure point in using an old credit card near the tip of the forend. Pretty easy to see which way it shoots better. If it likes the pressure point easy enough to put one back in permanently.

This