NOT free Floating a No5 BBL!

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The recent threads about Britrifles bedding & compensation
got me to thinking.
I have this sported
No5 Mk1. its not bad, but it had a single-stage trigger & the
aftermarket stock was far from "Drop In ready".
Anyway I slowly, in
stages thinned the thickness vertically between the top of the wood
where the action beds into & the bottom, where the trigger is
mounted on a No5. Once I had a viable 2-stages I measured the new thickness & then filed the same amount off the collar round the Main Screw to retain the "limited crush" on the wood
It's been a slow
process because my range visits are now once monthly & the
weather killed the last two of them because the lane leading to the range
was a glacier!
Anyway I got the
second stage back, the trigger & sear weren’t modified, the
wood thickness was just messing with the geometry!
Well now I’ve
lowered the action in the forend to get the good 2-stage trigger, but
the tip of the forend is just touching the barrel, about 2 Lbs
up-thrust.
Hmmmm.
So I made a thin
oiled card strip about ½” wide by ¾” deep cut from the dividers in a box of Tea bags IIRC about 8 Thou? & centered it in
the barrel channel right at the tip of the wood. Yep I re-created the
center bedding, but for a No5!
Did it work?
Yess! 
I was shooting 2”
10-round groups at 100yds with no sign of stringing & zero stayed
constant!

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Shamu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 20510	Post Options Post Reply Quote Shamu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: NOT free Floating a No5 BBL! Posted: March 22 2026 at 1:55pm
	The recent threads about Britrifles bedding & compensation got me to thinking. I have this sported No5 Mk1. its not bad, but it had a single-stage trigger & the aftermarket stock was far from "Drop In ready". Anyway I slowly, in stages thinned the thickness vertically between the top of the wood where the action beds into & the bottom, where the trigger is mounted on a No5. Once I had a viable 2-stages I measured the new thickness & then filed the same amount off the collar round the Main Screw to retain the "limited crush" on the wood It's been a slow process because my range visits are now once monthly & the weather killed the last two of them because the lane leading to the range was a glacier! Anyway I got the second stage back, the trigger & sear weren’t modified, the wood thickness was just messing with the geometry! Well now I’ve lowered the action in the forend to get the good 2-stage trigger, but the tip of the forend is just touching the barrel, about 2 Lbs up-thrust. Hmmmm. So I made a thin oiled card strip about ½” wide by ¾” deep cut from the dividers in a box of Tea bags IIRC about 8 Thou? & centered it in the barrel channel right at the tip of the wood. Yep I re-created the center bedding, but for a No5! Did it work? Yess! I was shooting 2” 10-round groups at 100yds with no sign of stringing & zero stayed constant!
	Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)

Canuck Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Special Member Donating Member Joined: January 17 2012 Location: Cochrane, AB Status: Offline Points: 4021	Post Options Post Reply Quote Canuck Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 22 2026 at 4:02pm
	That's fantastic news! Good job! I always maintained for years that the so called 'wandering zero' on No.5/s was a bedding issue, and nothing more.
	Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually

Shamu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 20510	Post Options Post Reply Quote Shamu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 22 2026 at 4:46pm
	I believe there's more to it than that. But I also believe that most of those that showed it were eliminated by armorers, so they're really rare currently, except for Hoadie's one.
	Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)

Bear43 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Special Member Donating Member Joined: August 11 2010 Location: Doland, SD Status: Offline Points: 3500	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bear43 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 23 2026 at 6:13am
	My dad has a Savage No 4 that had that single stage trigger issue. I trimmed the wood down a little like you did and it took care of that issue. Amazing how the wood binding just a little bit can make such a big difference.

Canuck Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Special Member Donating Member Joined: January 17 2012 Location: Cochrane, AB Status: Offline Points: 4021	Post Options Post Reply Quote Canuck Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 23 2026 at 7:44am
	Good information, guys. I have a No.4 sporter in one of those 'glass reinforced polymer' stocks and the trigger is a single stage. It shoots very well and is accurate but that single stage trigger is a little disconcerting compared to shooting my full wood military rifles. Have you guys ever recitified that if you have one of those plastic stocks? I use my sporter as a quad (ATV) carry rifle.
	Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually

Zed Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 6460	Post Options Post Reply Quote Zed Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 23 2026 at 9:19am
	If you remove the stock and refit the trigger assembly, is it still single stage or does it go back to two stage? You could fit a longer collar, then fit a shim between the trigger guard and the stock to recover the crush required.
	It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

Shamu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 20510	Post Options Post Reply Quote Shamu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 23 2026 at 10:32am
	IIRC it needs to be closer together. At least that's what worked in the No5 in this thread. Definitely check the trigger hasn't been modified first though. Its real easy to do, remove the forend & reassemble the bottom metal to the receiver with the collar in place. then dry-fire the action. You can actually watch the 2 humps & see the trigger & sear geometry at work.
	Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)

Canuck Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Special Member Donating Member Joined: January 17 2012 Location: Cochrane, AB Status: Offline Points: 4021	Post Options Post Reply Quote Canuck Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 23 2026 at 3:46pm
	Duly noted!
	Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually

britrifles Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Georgia, USA Status: Offline Points: 8404	Post Options Post Reply Quote britrifles Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 24 2026 at 3:29am
	Excellent result Shamu! I’ve not encountered the problem of a single stage trigger, although the only No. 4 Mk I I have is the No. 4 (T) and I don’t own a No. 5. All the other No. 4 rifles I own have the Mk 2 hung trigger. I’ve always been surprised that a slight difference in the position vertically of the front of the trigger guard could cause this. The position of the rear of the trigger guard relative to the action body (and hence, the sear) is set by trigger guard rear screw. I had previously shimmed the front of the trigger guard on the T (with the original fore-end that was on the rifle) because it was sitting too deep into the fore-end and causing the rear of the trigger guard to lift away from the body and rear screw hole misaligned when the main screw was installed. I probably added about 1/16th of an inch (as Zed explained above) between the fore-end and front of the trigger guard, but it did not affect the trigger pull at all.

Shamu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 20510	Post Options Post Reply Quote Shamu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 24 2026 at 8:55am
	It took me a while to figure it out. Its the geometry between the trigger & its 2 nubs & the 2 angled faces of the bottom arm of the sear.
	Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)

britrifles Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Georgia, USA Status: Offline Points: 8404	Post Options Post Reply Quote britrifles Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: March 24 2026 at 4:13pm
	Ahh, yes, I didn’t think about the two back surfaces of the sear that are not in the same plane.