Barrel tension screw?

M

model14

Guest
I recently purchased a like new Winchester M52B (reissue) for use as a benchrest sporter rifle for my club shoots. As expected, the receiver is held to the stock by two substantial action screws. There is, however, a small diameter (about a #8) screw located 4 inches forward of the receiver which penetrates the forearm and screws into a block dovetailed to the barrel. The barrel on this rifle is not free-floated. I am wondering if the purpose of the front screw has anything to do with tuning the barrel through changing the tension between the forearm and the barrel. When I received the rifle it was screwed down tight, as you would do an action screw. Any thoughts on its' purpose? I guess I can always loosen it up in increments and see what happens to my groups.

Thanks,

Richard
 
I used to have a rifle with a similar setup - was that 40 odd years ago? I engraved the escution in the wood with a number of lines & used them to incrementally move the screw in & out to achieve better grouping. It worked for me.
 
It's the same principle as for the Pre-64 Model 70 Standards (not Featherweights) that also had a forend screw. Yes, experiment with this screw to see if the rifle performs better with it loose, medium or tight. A standard trick also is to put shims made of pieces of business cards under the barrel just behind the forend tip and then experiment with screw tightening. Sometimes this really improves accuracy. If nothing seems to work, free float the barrel and throw away the forend screw.
 
Thanks for the info. This is a beautiful rifle, I sure hope it shoots well.
 
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