Help- I need smaller groups
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Garfield NJ USA
Posts: 3,067
RE: Help- I need smaller groups
All of what has been said may be the culprit. I would buy several different loadings and see which gives you the best groups. If your still not satisfied, then ask someone else whose skills are better than yours to shoot it and get their opinion. If you decide to go to a smith, a trigger job and bedding will probably do you right. I had almost the same problem when I bought my 700 ADL in 257 Roberts. Remington and Federal loads wouldn' t give me anything under 3" at 100 yds. I tried Hornady Customs and my group size shrank to an inch after only three sighter shots and an adjustment on zero.
#15
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hickory NC USA
Posts: 964
RE: Help- I need smaller groups
Curious as to what kind of groups you get at 100 yds? If you do have a heavy trigger and are anticpating the recoil of the mag,the heavy trigger just makes it worse.
I did a triger job for a fellow a couple of weeks ago,before he was getting 100yd groups like you are at 200,he was a big fellow and recoil didn' t bother him,but after the trigger job he got several one hole,3-shot groups with some 130 and 139 reloads I did for him in the 3000 fps range.
I did a triger job for a fellow a couple of weeks ago,before he was getting 100yd groups like you are at 200,he was a big fellow and recoil didn' t bother him,but after the trigger job he got several one hole,3-shot groups with some 130 and 139 reloads I did for him in the 3000 fps range.
#16
RE: Help- I need smaller groups
Bedding is the first thing I always suspect. Try it completely free floated, and if that doesn' t help, then put a little upward pressure on the barrel with shims in the forend barrel channel. Rifles DON' T ALL SHOOT BEST free-floated!! Some require some barrel dampening with upward pressure in the forend barrel channel. However, MAKE SURE the barrel channel is NOT pressing on the barrel on one side of the barrel channel only! If it does, the barrel will tend to shoot away from this pressure point. Next, loosen your guard screws, and retighten them, front screw first, as tight as you can get it with a screw driver that fits. Next, just tighten the center screw enough so it won' t come loose, but don' t tighten it too much!! Tighten the rear guard screw to the same degree you tightened the front screw. Next, check the tightness of all scope mounting screws, and have them as tight as you can get them without stripping them or breaking off a screw head!! Now try it again! (Some rifles just have a bad barrel, the remedy for which is a new barrel!!) Bon Chance!!
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Gypsum KS USA
Posts: 1,289
RE: Help- I need smaller groups
How does the gun shoot in someone elses hands?? As funny as it seems, a buddy of mine, very experienced gunner, was cussing a mauser he bought because he couldn' t get it to group even off a bench, he was almost to sell it, and I said I might be interested, let me see how it shoots, I put two snowman shaped holes in a piece of paper at 100yrds with 6 shots, told him I' d give him half what he gave for it, since it didn' t group for crap [&:][&:].
The question was how many LOADS and weights have you tried, in my favorite .30-06, federals of any weight and make don' t shoot worth much, premiums or otherwise, while with the same weights, Winchesters can snipe washington off a dollar bill out to 425yrds. You have to try different manufacturers, different makes (i.e. Win. Supreme vs. super-X, etc), and different weights, so you can find out if it' s only the ammo, or really the gun. If none of this helps, how' s the rifling integrity? that' s a no brainer, or how about what' s your actual bore diameter? It' s possible you' re shooting bullets too small for your gun (rare but happens), pretty much nothing you can do if it' s too big, without spending more cash than buying a new gun.
What stock do you have on it, what bedding set up (if any) do you have, what in.lbs. are your screws torqued to?? Try all this, then if nothing helps, take her to a smithy and have him look it over, see what he thinks he could do.
The question was how many LOADS and weights have you tried, in my favorite .30-06, federals of any weight and make don' t shoot worth much, premiums or otherwise, while with the same weights, Winchesters can snipe washington off a dollar bill out to 425yrds. You have to try different manufacturers, different makes (i.e. Win. Supreme vs. super-X, etc), and different weights, so you can find out if it' s only the ammo, or really the gun. If none of this helps, how' s the rifling integrity? that' s a no brainer, or how about what' s your actual bore diameter? It' s possible you' re shooting bullets too small for your gun (rare but happens), pretty much nothing you can do if it' s too big, without spending more cash than buying a new gun.
What stock do you have on it, what bedding set up (if any) do you have, what in.lbs. are your screws torqued to?? Try all this, then if nothing helps, take her to a smithy and have him look it over, see what he thinks he could do.
#18
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: MN USA
Posts: 245
RE: Help- I need smaller groups
Thanks for all the input folks! Its really great having a place like this were a person can have a problem, ask a question, and get so many helpful responses in such a short time!
Over the next couple weeks I' ll try out some of the suggestions, and let you know what happens. Thanks again.
Over the next couple weeks I' ll try out some of the suggestions, and let you know what happens. Thanks again.
#19
RE: Help- I need smaller groups
Try cutting a srip of cardboard about one inch wide and 2 inches long. I use a matchbook cover. Loosten the front stock screw and slip it in under and around the barrel about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in from the end. Tighten the screw again and give it a try. If it clears up the problem then take it out and put some sealer on it and put it back in. Remington uses a pressure point toward the forend of the stock and there bust be pressure there for them to shoot right. They do this because it does about the same thing as bedding the stock but its much cheaper. If that does not work then try some of the above cures. However nine time out of ten this will fix a Remington.