Mosin Magic Part 2 - Free Improvements!

Well Almost Free.

Free-floating the barrel

Free-floating the barrel is something you can do yourself at little to no cost, depending on what materials you have in your possesion. A roll of dimes, some 220 grit sandpaper and you can have it done in a short amount of time. Some boiled linseed oil should be rubbbed into the barrel channel once you have finished removing the proper amount of material so that it does not absorb moisture and cause it to warp. A dollar bill should be able to slide up and down the barrel without binding to have an adequate clearance.

Action Bedding and Pillar Bedding

This is something else you can do yourself. If you don't already know, pillar bedding is done to bolt-action rifles to help improve accuracy when shooting. Two or more metal pillars are embedded in the stock using a resin or epoxy compound. The pillars form a solid connection from the trigger guard to the receiver. Basically, to pillar bed a bolt-action rifle you remove the trigger guard screws, drill out the screw holes in the stock oversize enough to accept the pillars with some space around them, then epoxy the pillars in place and screw the rifle back together.

Aluminum pillars are most commonly used, but steel pillars are stronger. The metal pillars are resistant to weather changes, but the steel may rust if the gun isn't properly cared for. Pillar bedding also creates a uniform screw torque, which also contributes to consistency and accuracy.

Action bedding is similar to pillar bedding, as an epoxy can be used to create a perfect "bed" for the action to rest in. Often a fiberglass resin is used (hence glass bedding), but compounds such as epoxy steels can also be used.

Now, if you pillar bed, do you need to bed the action? Maybe not, but it can't hurt. Plus you can do the work yourself if you so choose. You may also want to consult with a gunsmith before undertaking this path. It may not be necessary.

There is also a method called Pressure Bedding which consists of putting an X amount of pressure at X location on the the barrel. It is something that needs to be worked out for each individual rifle and will take some time and patience. Some manufacturers use this method by putting it near the muzzle. It has been shown that sometimes they add too much pressure and can actually decrease accuracy.

I have included links to some great articles to help you do your own work, or decide to leave it to a Pro!

Sources:

Action and Pillar Bedding: The Art of Stock Bedding
http://www.6mmbr.com/pillarbedding.html

Floating and Bedding: Accurizing Your Rifle
http://hunting.about.com/cs/guns/a/float_bed.htm

Pillar Bedding
http://erniethegunsmith.com/catalog/c41_p1.html

Smoothing the Action of the Mosin Nagant and Final Assembly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvVsCMrsg3k&feature=related