'Glass bedding the action' should include the recoil shoulder and an inch or 2 of the barrel. The barrel may or may not be free floating.. Generally I believe barrels tend to shot better with forearm tension, but may lose consistancy as the point of impact may shift as the stock wood moves.. Free floating a barrel is usually a bit more consistant, especially with stiffer barrels. Long thin tubes are not as stiff as the same taper in a shorter length.. It is also possible to full length bed a barrel, with no tension on it. This deadens the barrels vibration and if the glass is correctly applied nearly completely waterproofs the inletting.. at least in the critical barrel channel area. True pillar bedding simply interposes a non-compressable material between the action and the bottom metal. This keeps the wood that's normally there from compressing over time from the action screw tension and recoil. It has no effect on a rifles accuracy, other than to stop changes over time. Still glass bedding the action should cetainly include the recoil lug and a bit of the barrel, as well as the action itself.
