Barrel sideplay

[Roudy]

Just got back from the range, breaking in my new .223 heavy barrel.  Have shot about 100 rounds through it so far and now I'm ready to do some serious load development.

When I got the rifle back from H&R the action was extremely tight....locked up like a vault with no side play and there was no side play when the action was open.  This afternoon after about 60 shots I noticed that when the action is open there is a significant amount of "wiggle" between the action and the barrel.....this "wiggle" wasn't there when I arrived at the range.  The actions still locks up tightly with no side play.  Forearm is tight too and it still shoots the same.

What's going on??  When I first noticed the "wiggle" I thought the barrel was coming off, well almost.

Roudy

[quickdtoo]

Wiggle with the action open isn't an issue, that can be eliminated with a spacer change/shim on a wood stock, or a new forend on syn stock, but if there's looseness with the forend off and the action closed, it needs a new barrel or possibly a new latch.

Tim

[stimpylu32]

The wiggle when its open is the cheap plastic parts that H&R use  , as Quick said , you can shim for a wood forend spacer or replace if its Tupperwear . i have 2 that are like that but as long as it locks up good when closed your good to go .

stimpy

[djw]

Wiggle with the action open isn't an issue, that can be eliminated with a spacer change/shim on a wood stock, or a new forend on syn stock, but if there's looseness with the forend off and the action closed, it needs a new barrel or possibly a new latch.

Tim

Tim,
I noticed some side-side play in a used Handi (that I now have on layaway ).  The barrels (.223 bull and .243 bull) appear tight from above, but there is more wear around the top third of the breech face.  The barrels lock up tight, but the side to side play is definitely there, as if the barrels are pivoting about a vertical axis with respect to the receiver.  I do have to orient my wiggling just right to feel it.  As I recall, it's an NV receiver, and the barrels are etched with the matching serial number.
What would you do?  Any factors I haven't addressed?
Thanks.
Don

[Roudy]

Thanks for soothing my troubled mind!  I suspected that it was safe to shoot since the lockup was tight with the action closed.  I had two other Handis with me today, a Target Model and a 22 magnum (both with original barrels) while there was a little play when open it was not even close to the play on the rifle with the new barrel just fitted.

Think I'll try the shims, hope the fit when I put the other barrel on.

Does anyone sell after metal market replacements for the plastic fore end spacer?

Roudy

[quickdtoo]

Any looseness in a locked up barrel will adversly affect accuracy, it may shoot good enough to make some folks happy, but I would shim it if it's a used barrel, or if it's a factory fitted barrel, send it in for repair, which most likely will result in a new extractor barrel being fitted to it.

Any shimming would be done on the barrel underlug, never make permanent changes to the frame, or other barrels that have been fitted to that frame won't fit any more.

Tim

[djw]

Any looseness in a locked up barrel will adversely affect accuracy, it may shoot good enough to make some folks happy, but I would shim it if it's a used barrel, or if it's a factory fitted barrel, send it in for repair,

That much should have been obvious to me. These are factory-fitted barrels.

which most likely will result in a new extractor barrel being fitted to it.

They are already extractors.

Any shimming would be done on the barrel underlug, never make permanent changes to the frame, or other barrels that have been fitted to that frame won't fit any more.

Tim

Thanks, Tim.

Don