I have a question for you all. Have any of you done a comparison test on accuracy when switching from a two piece standard hand guard to a frefloating hand guard?
I know that a free floating barrel will have better barrel harmonics and in theory will shoot better. The reason for asking is I have a carbine that has the standard two piece fore end and it shoots pretty well as is; but I was thinking that putting a free floated fore end on it might improve the accuracy a little more.
Am I wrong in thinking this?
Have you noticed a significant or slight gain in accuracy when switching?
Did accuracy decrease?
Was it so small that it wasn’t worth the investment on the conversion?
Just a few questions to those who have more experience than I.
The biggest differences in results that you may get is from how much pressure is put on the non free float handguards. If both rifles are lightly rested then you may not have much difference in precision. The differences really start to manifest when you exert a lot of pressure on the handguards with a sling, barricade support etc. The non free floats will show the effects of the pressures translated to the barrel, while the free floats will generally show little to no effect as the barrel is isolated and pressures exerted on the free floats are generally not imparted onto the barrel. I will also note that the biggest difference may not be the actual group sizing that suffers but perhaps moreso, the point of impact shift may be the bigger issue.
I have done this type of testing of pressure on standard handguards and pressures on the barrel itself. I meant to actually shoot a video on the topic a long time ago but never got around to setting it up and doing it.
Surf pretty much summed up the whole deal on standard vs free float. It does affect it, seen it up close and it makes a difference ad shorter ranges than you think.
I also agree that poi shift is more so than actual group size. But did you measure the difference or get an idea? I never measured it, just quit shooting supported.
I recently installed a free float rail on my carbine. I have experienced no noticeable increase in accuracy. I had high hopes. It was enough to convince me to remove the Leupold MK 4 MR/T 1.5x5 scope and replace it with a non magnified Leupold Prismatic. The magnification seemed wasted on a 2-3 MOA carbine.
A free float tube or rail will not increase accuracy that much. It has more to do with supported shooting where the hand guard can actually affect the barrel.
where accuracy is concerned the barrel and the trigger rank higher. You’ll see the biggest difference in shooting with a sling or from a heavy rest like a bipod.
I was shooting my new carbine from a bench supported with a caldwell bench rest adjustable support and rear bag. I was trying to be careful not to apply to much pressure to the hand guards. After breaking in the barrel per the manufactures recommendations I tried shooting for accuracy. I had both cheap fmj ammo and factory match ammo. They both shot groups of approx. 1" which is pretty decent for a rifle that claims 2"-2.5" accuracy guarantees. Also for a rifle that I am just getting used to.
I do have a rifle that has a free float handguard and it shoots at .5" with my hand loads and 100yds. That’s what got me thinking I could possibly increase the accuracy by free floating.
I do understand that removing the hand guards could move the POI significantly. I noticed that when I removed an Enfield from the military stock and set it in an aftermarket stock that had no downward pressure on the barrel. The bullets were impacting several inches higher ( 10") with the same hand loads.
If the groups stay the same I wouldn’t be disappointed as it shoots fairly well now. I will work on developing a load and seeing if I can increase accuracy that way first before I start taking parts off.
