Free Floating Barrel - Need Second opinion

[metroplex]

I have a rifle where the barrel basically contacts the plastic receiver cover/frame on the sides. There's more than 0.050" clearance on the top and bottom of the barrel. It's the sides that are basically almost touching the barrel. The part that touches the barrel is also about 4 inches away from the chamber/feed ramp.

Do you feel it is worthwhile to use a grinder to open up that part of the polymer frame/receiver just enough for about 0.050" clearance? Or will this be fine for the barrel to freely whip?
I'm not looking for sub-MOA performance at 100 yd, just looking for low hanging fruit to allow it to be as precise as it is physically able.

 

[b6graham]

how does it shoot as is?

also what platform? all i can see in pics is vector image title

 

[metroplex]

how does it shoot as is?

I know I am supposed to do a baseline, but I have not shot it yet. I am just going over and inspecting it and cleaning it. This caught my attention. I remember McMillan saying a proper free-floating barrel needs at least 0.050" clearance all around.

 

[Evintos]

No point in free floating a Kriss Vector barrel (in any of the available calibers) imo.

 

[metroplex]

No point in free floating a Kriss Vector barrel (in any of the available calibers) imo.

Not even those two spots? I don’t believe anyone has tried it or shot past 25 yd. Just looking for a second opinion on that contact/clearance and not on the weapon itself.

 

[Evintos]

Plenty of people have shot Kriss Vectors past 25yds. Krisstalk forum (dead forum btw) is your go to for information. The Vector is essentially averages a torso size group at 100yds and 5-6" group at 50yds and around 2-3" at 25" with most ammo (well within reason as a PCC/SMG type firearm, although some other designs perform better). Everything from upper/lower receiver play, receiver flex, bad barrel, undersized receiver pins, contribute to poor precision. The solution to improve its precision has not been to free float the barrel but to find the ammo your particular Kriss Vector shoots well.

https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/f3-kriss-talk
https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/t171-kriss-vector-grouping
https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/t1398-kriss-vector-accuracy-45acp
https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/t1121-loose-pin

 

[metroplex]

Plenty of people have shot Kriss Vectors past 25yds. Krisstalk forum (dead forum btw) is your go to for information. The Vector is essentially averages a torso size group at 100yds and 5-6" group at 50yds and around 2-3" at 25" with most ammo (well within reason as a PCC/SMG type firearm, although some other designs perform better). Everything from upper/lower receiver play, receiver flex, bad barrel, undersized receiver pins, contribute to poor precision. The solution to improve its precision has not been to free float the barrel but to find the ammo your particular Kriss Vector shoots well.

https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/f3-kriss-talk
https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/t171-kriss-vector-grouping
https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/t1398-kriss-vector-accuracy-45acp
https://krisstalk.forumotion.com/t1121-loose-pin

So the barrel not being able to whip due to the frame pinching it isn't a factor? It's almost like it has a collar on it from the get go and the one guy was moving an adjustable collar for fine tuning the node, which is a neat idea.

I appreciate the links, looks like the 6.5 SBR was out shooting the 16 CRB at 100yd. Seems the harmonics are way off. The pins are all loose because they are 0.271 inches and the holes are 0.284 inches. The one by the trigger is super loose because there's no metal block for it to fit. It just slides through 4 plates basically.

So I should let the frame contact the barrel?

 

[Charger442]

So the barrel not being able to whip due to the frame pinching it isn't a factor? It's almost like it has a collar on it from the get go and the one guy was moving an adjustable collar for fine tuning the node, which is a neat idea.

I appreciate the links, looks like the 6.5 SBR was out shooting the 16 CRB at 100yd. Seems the harmonics are way off. The pins are all loose because they are 0.271 inches and the holes are 0.284 inches. The one by the trigger is super loose because there's no metal block for it to fit. It just slides through 4 plates basically.

So I should let the frame contact the barrel?

You're shooting pistol calibers out of relatively large diameter barrel with the kriss. Barrel whip should be nonexistent. Look at every semiautomatic pistol ever made. Like 2-3 points of contact with the slide and frame.

Don't overthink this. Go shoot it and if it shoots good don't worry about it

 

[Evintos]

So the barrel not being able to whip due to the frame pinching it isn't a factor?

So I should let the frame contact the barrel?

Pretty much negligible to not a factor at all, so unless you want to experiment just to satisfy curiosity, it's better to leave it alone. Of course there are always some exceptions.

Broad consensus (among Vector owners) to get tighter groups for the Vector is either shoot a bunch of different ammo to see which one your Vector likes or develop a good handload.

Free floating is not always indicative of inherent precision. CZ Custom pistols (with Accu bushing) and many custom 1911s utilizes a "tighter" front barrel bushing that helps contribute to better precision. Non-free floated barrel rifles (AR15) were used for years in NRA High Power Rifle matches and were capable of very tight groups.

 

[metroplex]

Pretty much negligible to not a factor at all, so unless you want to experiment just to satisfy curiosity, it's better to leave it alone. Of course there are always some exceptions.

Broad consensus (among Vector owners) to get tighter groups for the Vector is either shoot a bunch of different ammo to see which one your Vector likes or develop a good handload.

Free floating is not always indicative of inherent precision. CZ Custom pistols (with Accu bushing) and many custom 1911s utilizes a "tighter" front barrel bushing that helps contribute to better precision. Non-free floated barrel rifles (AR15) were used for years in NRA High Power Rifle matches and were capable of very tight groups.

That makes perfect sense.

Do the Vector owners find any difference in precision with or without the barrel shroud? That's about 10.6 oz of weight. From that one test on Krisstalk the 6.5" SBR was shooting better groupings at 100 yd than the 16" CRB, but it never said whether the CRB had the shroud.

 

[Evintos]

That makes perfect sense.

Do the Vector owners find any difference in precision with or without the barrel shroud? That's about 10.6 oz of weight. From that one test on Krisstalk the 6.5" SBR was shooting better groupings at 100 yd than the 16" CRB, but it never said whether the CRB had the shroud.

The shroud becomes loose quite often and even a tiny bit of of wiggle will wreck your group sizes and cause large variations in point of impacts. Loctite that set screw.

Other than the excessive forward weight balance, no precision difference unless the shrouded barrel is contacting something like if you extended arm c-clamp grip the shroud or rested the barrel/shroud on concrete vs sandbags, etc. Both of which will induce group size variation and POI shifts if you're not extremely consistent on the grip (both position and strength) or resting the shrouded barrel on something in a consistent manner. Something to be mindful of when zeroing an optic or irons.