Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Sponsored by Luxus Arms.

Moderators: Gun Barrel Ecologist, Dom, mchughcb, pagosawingnut

blaserguy
Meister der jagd
Posts: 757
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:27 pm

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by blaserguy »

I would check to make sure scope is mounted correctly to the base and base to rifle
Make sure the barrels is clean of oil as well when placing scope
16-18" off doesn't sound logical to me based on my K95 shooting

User avatar
SPEEDY
Moderator
Posts: 11369
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:50 am
Location: Southern highland- Australia
Location: Albury, NSW, Australia

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by SPEEDY »

I always try to zero and shoot groups the same way I would in the field.
I only shoot from a gun rest for evaluating new loads or ammunition.
I'm soft and I don't care. :dance:

PINCHERRYL
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:45 am
Location: Canada
Location: Alberta and British Columbia

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by PINCHERRYL »

blaserguy wrote:I would check to make sure scope is mounted correctly to the base and base to rifle
Make sure the barrels is clean of oil as well when placing scope
16-18" off doesn't sound logical to me based on my K95 shooting
Had two gunshots check scope mounting today. All good.
For sure its the limber 26 inch barrel and the undue forces I placed on it holding it down on the sandbag with my strong fingers. I flexed the barrel during range site in.

Will find out Saturday the hunting held point of impact.

What a nightmare

PINCHERRYL
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:45 am
Location: Canada
Location: Alberta and British Columbia

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by PINCHERRYL »

I was at the range and it took 19 clicks up on the Zeiss to get it to shoot where I had seen it shoot before ( before is when I rested the floating barrel on a sandbag and held it down tight with my left hand)

This time the barrel was in a true free float.

Each click is one third MOA or a cm at 100 m.

Bottom line is I was at least a foot low at 200 yards.

Had I aimed for the high shoulder would have been a different story.

Craig
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 9:51 am
Location: Maryland
Location: U.S.A.

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by Craig »

Good to hear you are back on.

Craig

analog_art
Posts: 143
Joined: Sun May 13, 2012 12:57 am
Location: Stuttgart Germany
Location: Stuttgart Germany

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by analog_art »

An excess of coffee and the discussion of free-floating barrels brought out my tape measure. Caffeine-fueled speculation follows...

The configuration of the break-action Blaser stocks results in much less free-float than on the R93 and R8 (comparing 20 inch barrels). The fore-end of the K95 stock is attached directly to the barrel, so if the fore-end is on a rest then the barrel is supported well forward of the chamber -- and that's not usually what we mean when we say a barrel is free-floated. I assume that the Blaser engineers have taken this into account in the design of the K- and B- series rifles.

Some float measurements:
- If I run a dollar bill in from the front of the stock on my R8 it contacts the barrel mount under the chamber about 19 inches back from the muzzle (standard length, semi-weight, .308, professional model stock) - right about the sharp line where the barrel visibly transitions to the chamber -- most or all of the actual barrel is "free-floated."
- On my K95 the first point of contact is the front edge of the wooden fore-end about 12 3/4 inches back from the muzzle (standard length, .270 Win). There is no gap between the fore-end and the barrel, so from 12 3/4 inches to the chamber there are various wood and metal structures in contact with the barrel.
- If you look at a current BBF or BS there's the physical linkage between barrels about 11 1/8 inches back from the muzzle, followed by similar wood and metal contact points between the linkage and the chamber.

Since the accuracy of Blaser break-action rifles is kind of a given (at least in this group), my takeaway is that engineering and implementation is more important than the % of barrel that is free-floated. I assume the designs of the K and BBF/BS/BB rifles account for a balance of support (upward pressure) from just behind the mid-point of the barrel to the receiver. Maybe free-float issues begin at the mid-point of the barrel? Maybe the barrel profiles of the break-action rifles are engineered to work well with less float? I am curious to know whether free-float produces an attributable/measurable difference in accuracy between the R8 design and the K95 design (assuming comparable calibers, barrel profiles, etc). To put it another way, does the shorter free-float of the K95 translate directly into a measurable difference in accuracy (because of barrel harmonics, etc)?

At the end of the day, the difference in barrel float doesn't seem to be as critical as finding a suitable rest and using it to support the right part of the stock. Leaning any part of the barrel directly on a rest is a bad idea and I was also taught that resting the rifle on a hard surface is a bad idea (though I've gotten away with using rocks and such to support the R8, so the hard rest is apparently a lesser sin).

I'm learning to shoot a new-to-me K95 in .270 Win. It's been interesting to observe the change in point-of-impact between shooting from the lead-sled and from sandbags. I zeroed on the lead-sled at 200 yards, but from the sand-bags I was shooting about 4" high and 2" right, which seems like a pretty big change - even allowing for my relative inexperience. Part of my experience may be the reality of shooting a sub-seven pound rifle (with scope) in .270 Win. I imagine that the .338 experience is a handful. May the force be with you...

Vol423
Meister der jagd
Posts: 622
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:32 pm
Location: USA
Location: Tennessee

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by Vol423 »

I love the light weight and beauty of my K95, but for serious hunting I use the old free floated, plastic stocked R8.

TexasWestPointer
Posts: 131
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:15 pm
Location: United States

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by TexasWestPointer »

Any further thoughts on K95 shifting zero? I've not found my K95 to stay as zeroed as my R8 and I don't know if it's just unique to my rifle. I'm trying to isolate the problem. Should I only group near cold cold bore conditions and let the barrel get cold again?

User avatar
Ringo
Posts: 369
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:59 pm
Location: North Carolina
Location: United States of America, Earth

Re: Sensitivity of a K95 Free Float Barrel in 338 Blaser

Post by Ringo »

Do you mean between days, or shots or ??

I can shoot three shots of 300 Weatherby into a little tiny group starting with a cold bore, and do the same thing an hour or a day later. I've not tried to heat that barrel, figuring I'm likely to never need 3 as it is. I wouldn't be surprised if it starts to open up beyond those three.
Ringo, formerly rodell
"Imagine how stupid the average person is, and then think that half of the people are stupider than that". - George Carlin

Post Reply

Return to “Drillings, Combinations, Doubles and Singles”