she won't group! Ideas?

Check all screws. Make sure barrel is free floated. Try a few different brands and wieght of ammo. Make sure barrel cools between shots. If it's a new scope try it on a proven rifle to make sure it's not scope issue. Try a clean bore and try a dirty bore ( some rifles are picky ) If that doesn't work Glass bed the action. that doesn't work try reloading. If that doesn't work rebarrel.
 
Ganderite said:
This sounds like the kind of shooting issue we have all had at one time or another. If it was me, and my rifle, this is what I would do:

First, in a hunting rifle the single most important thing is holding zero. Grouping does not matter if the first shot is not where you aimed. For this reason I would bed the action, unless the rifle has proven to be accurate and stable, in which case I might leave it alone (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.)

I have returned from the range more than once with poor results and then found that I had forgotten to tighten some part of the scope mounting system. It is important to LocTite (blue) the screws that hold the bases to the action. Once the scope is mounted, they can’t be checked for tightness, so LokTite them. Put the scope back on and make sure the ring screws are all tight and the big mounting screws are tight.
The barrel should be well clear of the wood. I don’t use a piece of paper. I use a patch or a piece of ammo box cardboard.

Factory barrels are not as well made and stress-relieved as custom barrels. Your testing will tell you what you have to work with. A light barrel may ‘walk” as it heats up. On a hunting rifle, the test is “Where does the first shot go?” In 99% of hunting shots, that is the only one that matters.

So, to test the rifle, fire one shot and let it cool for at least 5 minutes and fire the second shot. If it is within 2 minutes of the first, you have a good rig. Each time you do this, note where the first shot goes in terms of the aiming mark. First shot should always be within 2 minutes of the aiming mark. If it isn’t, the rifle needs a bedding job.
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If loctite is being used the correct type would be the purple machine screw loctite, i have spent many hours fixing rifles that people have deemed to use blue loctite.

We had the loctite rep come to the business where i used to work on rental equipment for the simple fact that one of my co workers kept telling people to blue loctite everything and machine screws were being busted all the time, on fasteners under a 1/4'' purple is to be used, blue is considered permanent.
 
The wandering/opening POI happened to me with a Parker Hale I acquired last year. A wise gentleman swore up an down that the scope rings or something was at fault. Checked and rechecked - nothing. Free floated the barrel. Same thing, tighter groups, but same thing.

Then miraculously, I decided to change the scope and discovered....wait for it....the damn front base was loose. Tightened it and put the scope on. Shot about 1.5" MOA with factory ammo. Bought another PH with irons and set the bases on those bases/rings on tight! About 1.25" and now to work up loads.
 
Thanks for that info. I have been lucky, I guess, because blue came loose without too much effort. I will look for purple, because I like to use Locktite on a lots of gun applications.




crazydave said:
If loctite is being used the correct type would be the purple machine screw loctite, i have spent many hours fixing rifles that people have deemed to use blue loctite.

We had the loctite rep come to the business where i used to work on rental equipment for the simple fact that one of my co workers kept telling people to blue loctite everything and machine screws were being busted all the time, on fasteners under a 1/4'' purple is to be used, blue is considered permanent.
Click to expand...
 
Sydneyprice said:
Hi folks, alright I've got a savage 110 300 win mag here with a leupold vx3 4.5-14 on it. I'd like to start off my stating I am not a crap shot nor is it my first sight in so let's eliminate those two as plausible options. I can't get her to group constantly worth a damn! First shot is always dead centre. Second two generally group somewhat close 2" or so at 100 yards. But any following shots could be anywhere between 2" left like the others or 8" low or wherever! I have noticed the barrel gets screaming hot even after 2 shots. This is what I think may be the issue? are the subsequent shots my body's natural flinching or something or the sort? It's being fed 180gr winny. She's going to be my main beast for my upcoming rosevelt hunt and I'd like to work out the nitty gritty. Worst case scenario, is my 308 a viable option? Thanks,

-Kyle
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Kyle, is the scope on that rifle proven? Has it been mounted on another rifle and held it's zero? If not, try a second scope and see if your problem persists. Not until the source of the problem has been confined to the scope, mounts or rifle can you find a solution. When you head to the field, choose the appropriate rifle that you have the utmost confidence in. A confident marksman is a deadly marksman; what he's confident with is less important.

As for the flinch thing, if you're not sure, have someone else load the rifle, and when the striker falls on an empty chamber, a flinch will be obvious. If you flinch, you will have to figure out if the flinch is caused by recoil, noise, or the fear of being hit by a scope that is mounted too far to the rear. The .300 is objectionable in both recoil and blast, but recoil can be mitigated with a muzzle break and/or by increasing the weight of the rifle. The sound of the muzzle blast on the other hand, is tough to reduce without diminishing the .300's primary advantage, which is velocity. I assume you wear suitable hearing protection.

If your scope and mounts pass the test, you don't flinch, the action screws of the rifle are tight, and the stock is undamaged, then closely examine your brass to see if it mirrors any misalignment between chamber and bore, or an improperly cut chamber. A pal of mine had a Weatherby that had an improperly cut chamber, glaringly obvious from the shape of the fired brass. Is there any anomaly at the crown such as burrs or a crown that's not square to the bore? Before you go to the trouble of glass bedding, are you going to keep the factory stock on this rifle? If so, bed it. If not wait until your replacement stock arrives, then bed that stock.

crazydave said:
If loctite is being used the correct type would be the purple machine screw loctite, i have spent many hours fixing rifles that people have deemed to use blue loctite.

We had the loctite rep come to the business where i used to work on rental equipment for the simple fact that one of my co workers kept telling people to blue loctite everything and machine screws were being busted all the time, on fasteners under a 1/4'' purple is to be used, blue is considered permanent.
Click to expand...

Has Loctite changed it's formula? I've used blue Locktite for 30 years without any issue or difficulty in removing screws, I do however use proper fitting screwdrivers, and I've never had to apply heat to get the screws to break loose. Red Locktite on the other hand has messed up more than one gun, but not mine.
 
Never seen purple loctite yet.Will have to check for it. I tried the blue loctite in the plastic tube like lip balm and it never gets hard for me so it would never wreck anything.
 
I literally detest red loctite on small fasteners. Seen too many screws wrecked due to it's use.
The purple variety is the best for small screws, as mentioned already.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
Put a break on it to remove your 300 twitch then try rem ammo
if your using factory try reminton express my gun likes it hates Winchester
 
Red = permanent
Blue = medium strength removable
Purple = low strength removable

Red has no place on my firearms.
 
Boomer said:
Kyle, is the scope on that rifle proven? Has it been mounted on another rifle and held it's zero? If not, try a second scope and see if your problem persists. Not until the source of the problem has been confined to the scope, mounts or rifle can you find a solution. When you head to the field, choose the appropriate rifle that you have the utmost confidence in. A confident marksman is a deadly marksman; what he's confident with is less important.

As for the flinch thing, if you're not sure, have someone else load the rifle, and when the striker falls on an empty chamber, a flinch will be obvious. If you flinch, you will have to figure out if the flinch is caused by recoil, noise, or the fear of being hit by a scope that is mounted too far to the rear. The .300 is objectionable in both recoil and blast, but recoil can be mitigated with a muzzle break and/or by increasing the weight of the rifle. The sound of the muzzle blast on the other hand, is tough to reduce without diminishing the .300's primary advantage, which is velocity. I assume you wear suitable hearing protection.

If your scope and mounts pass the test, you don't flinch, the action screws of the rifle are tight, and the stock is undamaged, then closely examine your brass to see if it mirrors any misalignment between chamber and bore, or an improperly cut chamber. A pal of mine had a Weatherby that had an improperly cut chamber, glaringly obvious from the shape of the fired brass. Is there any anomaly at the crown such as burrs or a crown that's not square to the bore? Before you go to the trouble of glass bedding, are you going to keep the factory stock on this rifle? If so, bed it. If not wait until your replacement stock arrives, then bed that stock.



Has Loctite changed it's formula? I've used blue Locktite for 30 years without any issue or difficulty in removing screws, I do however use proper fitting screwdrivers, and I've never had to apply heat to get the screws to break loose. Red Locktite on the other hand has messed up more than one gun, but not mine.
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Don't know if they ever changed the formula, there are also 2 different grades of blue loctite, one is supposed to be surface insensitive, but after experiencing many broken small screws at work the loctite rep for the area was called in to explain proper use's for loctite.

According to the rep blue is medium strength removable till you get to fasteners under a 1/4 then for all intensive purposes it is permanent, of course some people may have better luck or maybe don't overtighten screws but for machine screws unless the fitting is to be fixed permanently purple loctite is the correct loctite to use.

Just relaying a bit of advice to help people avoid damage to their nice rifles
 
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