Originally Posted by minic99 (Post 11496101)

I have read that the stock on the later model 37's was inletted so the front of the stock puts pressure on the barrel, thus making the barrel non floating.

Yep.

If you have an original 37 with a non modified stock, would you float the barrel at the risk of lowering the collector value?

No, I wouldn't & haven't, but then I am fortunate enough to have one original '37 stock with pressure pad intact
and one stock without the pad --- with the receiver bedded and barrel free floated.

Both shoot well, but at my skill level, I'm not sure I can detect a difference between the two that I can attribute to the pressure pad being present or not.

I'm speculating that the bedded/free-floated rifle is more resistant to variations
in how its held or rested, but with consistent technique, the stock rifle does equally well too.

Since the 37's are know as shooters, I assume floating the barrel the full length of the stock would be an improvement?

Maybe not necessarily . . .

Arthur Cook's 1948 Olympic winning Model 37 has (had?) one the aftermarket barrel tensioners
inlet into the forearm (sort of a cross between whats found on a Winchester 52
and a Remington 40x.)

I'm guessing his shot better with it . . . ;)

What would you do?

I'd try to get the rifle shooting as well as possible without doing any
permanent changes --- ammo, practice, ammo, action torque, ammo, nice rest,
Unertl 15 or 20x, etc . . .

Or, I'd track down one already modded, and start where the previous owner left off. :bthumb: