When to give up on arifle

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Battle River

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there have been several posts on rifles that will not shoot well based on several oads/bullet combos, sometimes even after minor stock/bedding issues have been done. When do YOU give up on a rifle and send it to someone else?
I feel that there are several loads/bullet combos that will give acceptable accuray in any rifle, if these do not perform after foreend pressure bedding is inspected, then its time to move on. For example, if an30-06 will not shoot 165 gr sierra gameking with 55gr 4350 powder, then it has a slim chance of being a keeper. this has worked for me with all my rifles to date.
 
It depends ........ If I wanted to keep a rifle, I wouldn't sell it off before doing the gunsmith tune-up thing. Bedding, trigger, crown, lug contact etc.




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ive never sold a rifle because it was inaccurate, that is for sure. Of my current rifles, the only one Im not pleased with is my CZ 527 221 fireball, and Ive only tried a few bullet/powder combos in it, and it has not been bedded yet, so Im just as much at fault for the rifle not grouping tighter than MOA - I just havent had the time or desire to tinker with it much yet
 
That's why I stick with 700's:D
I'm at the point now where I buy a rifle I want to keep, or have one built in a caliber not offered in a 700. Occasionally I'l pick one up to tinker with. Try bedding and trigger work. Try the go to powders, seat off the lands, etc etc.

I'll try bullets that I can hunt with. I'm not interested if my 300 can print small groups with varmint style bullets, that's not what I intended the rifle to be used for.

I must be getting smarter or lazier.
Probably lazier:D
 
accurate rifle

SuperCub said:
It depends ........ If I wanted to keep a rifle, I wouldn't sell it off before doing the gunsmith tune-up thing. Bedding, trigger, crown, lug contact etc.

You have it right. When I read all these things about people's rifle only shooting such and such a combination, my first thoughts are always that the rifle needs tuning. A well tuned rifle will shoot almost any combination quite accurately.
One time at the range when I was seeing how much 4350 my 30-06 would handle, I loaded and shot five rounds. Each one was loaded a grain heavier than the one before it. When I checked my target at the 100 yard range, all five were in a 1¼ inch group! By the way, the top load was too heavy, so I dropped back two grains for my hunting load.
Click to expand...
 
I am a firm believer that a rifle should be consistant out of the box. It doesn't have to be a laser beam but should be consistant. If it shoots an honest 1.75 MOA all the time with a load thats fine. But to shoot .5 MOA then 1.5 MOA all with the same load is garbage. Inconsistancies like that make a rifle not to be counted on when needed. You shouldn't have to bed, free float, lap a barrel and stand on your friggen head for an 800.00 rifle to be consistant.

I would have been happy with the Hawkeye if it shot 1.5" every time with the same load but it never would.
 
I'll work on it until I've expended every bit of my home gunsmithing ability.
If it gets to the point where it will cost more than I want to spend to fix, I'll sell it. But the buyer will know what I've done, and my opinion of what's wrong.
 
Depends on the rifle--I had a Ruger #3 in .22 hornet that I worked with for a couple of years--did all of the loading and tuning tricks and it never would do any better than 1.25 to 1.5" groups. Also had a stainless remington 700 in 30-06 that would not shoot under 1.5-1.6" no matter what was done to it.

Both went down the road.

44Bore
 
"...if a 30-06 will not shoot 165 gr sierra gameking with 55gr 4350 powder, then it has a slim chance..." This doesn't mean much. While the .30-06 loves 165 grain bullets, not all rifles will shoot well using any one particular powder or load.
 
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