Peter, still looking for the source, but I found somewhere ages ago that the inner band and the barrel centering stud were added when the barrel was shortened to 25 inches and made to a lighter profile than the MLE barrel. The original idea was the bedding would maintain the accuracy of the rifle (action and knox bedded, an inch either side of the inner band bedded and then minimum of four inches up to the muzzle bedded into the foreend with between 4 and 7 lbs up thrust on the barrel. ) and the inner band and barrel centering stud would do nothing. If the bedding failed by way of warping of the foreend, the barrel centering stud would maintain some upward pressure on the barrel while the inner band holds against it, stopping the barrel from lifting. These things were to hold the barrel in a way akin to the foreend bedding so accuracy wasn't totally lost with the slightest warping of the foreend.

If they did as they were designed to do, could you imagine how much time the unit armourers would have saved, not re bedding rifles that had lost their accuracy?