First, Welcome to the board, Lenny.
Second, I'll ditto what Mike told you. Having gone the route of careful break-in cleaning, barrel lapping, etc., I've come to the conclusion if you simply shoot jacketed loads and watch that you don't overheat the barrel, that's the best break-in for normal usage. Most rifles start tailing off in accuracy as the fouling/metal builds up in the bore, so I generally limit mine to around 20 rounds each prior to a good cleaning.
To free float that barrel you must route out the barrel channel in the stock. This can be done with a half round rasp or sandpaper wrapped around a wooden dowel rod of 1/2" diameter. There is a commercial inletting black sold by Brownell's and possibly Midway that is thinly applied to the barrel, bbl'd action seated and bedding screws tightened (don't go overboard!), then action removed to see where the black is transferred to the barrel channel in the stock. These high points are removed, the barrel coated again and installed. This is continued until all high spots, or rub marks are removed and you can slide a dollar bill or business card from the forearm to the receiver without stopping.
Once the barrel channel is cleared, seal it with a good wood sealer and go shoot to see if there's any improvement. If not, do as Mike recommends and create a pressure point at various places along the barrel with the business card shim. You should notice a favored spot with each load you develop or shoot.
Laminated stocks can take a lot of screw torque, but you CAN overtighten even one of them. Your .243 isn't going to develop the amount of recoil as a heavy big bore caliber, so tighten the bedding screws moderately hand tight (I always tighten the receiver screw first to a slightly snug point, then tighten the tang screw to the same snugness. Then tighten the receiver screw to moderately snug and back to the tang screw for the same. Tapping the rifle butt firmly on the floor to settle the action, the screws are tightened further to a firm hand tight - NOT squeaky tight!). Check the screws during your shooting activities to assure they remain where you left them.
As far as barrel heat, if you can put your hand on the barrel and leave it there without undue discomfort, it's still cool enough to shoot. Too warm, then open the bolt for air circulation and wait until it cools down enough to hold without cringing!
Second, I'll ditto what Mike told you. Having gone the route of careful break-in cleaning, barrel lapping, etc., I've come to the conclusion if you simply shoot jacketed loads and watch that you don't overheat the barrel, that's the best break-in for normal usage. Most rifles start tailing off in accuracy as the fouling/metal builds up in the bore, so I generally limit mine to around 20 rounds each prior to a good cleaning.
To free float that barrel you must route out the barrel channel in the stock. This can be done with a half round rasp or sandpaper wrapped around a wooden dowel rod of 1/2" diameter. There is a commercial inletting black sold by Brownell's and possibly Midway that is thinly applied to the barrel, bbl'd action seated and bedding screws tightened (don't go overboard!), then action removed to see where the black is transferred to the barrel channel in the stock. These high points are removed, the barrel coated again and installed. This is continued until all high spots, or rub marks are removed and you can slide a dollar bill or business card from the forearm to the receiver without stopping.
Once the barrel channel is cleared, seal it with a good wood sealer and go shoot to see if there's any improvement. If not, do as Mike recommends and create a pressure point at various places along the barrel with the business card shim. You should notice a favored spot with each load you develop or shoot.
Laminated stocks can take a lot of screw torque, but you CAN overtighten even one of them. Your .243 isn't going to develop the amount of recoil as a heavy big bore caliber, so tighten the bedding screws moderately hand tight (I always tighten the receiver screw first to a slightly snug point, then tighten the tang screw to the same snugness. Then tighten the receiver screw to moderately snug and back to the tang screw for the same. Tapping the rifle butt firmly on the floor to settle the action, the screws are tightened further to a firm hand tight - NOT squeaky tight!). Check the screws during your shooting activities to assure they remain where you left them.
As far as barrel heat, if you can put your hand on the barrel and leave it there without undue discomfort, it's still cool enough to shoot. Too warm, then open the bolt for air circulation and wait until it cools down enough to hold without cringing!
