Hello there, I have a harrington and richardson, model 700, 22wmrf, and can't get that thing to shoot straight. It has groupings of 4" @ 25 yards..... My buddy and I have cleaned it several times changed scopes on it and still can't get small groupings. Any advice on what can be the cause. It is an old 22 (maybe 25yrs) but has not been used much. It sucks owning a gun that can't shoot straight..... Help......
22 magnum
- Thread starter fratri
- Start date
damgaged crown?
Perhaps a damaged crown (muzzle end of the rifle). Check out the crown carefully - if it has a ding or damage it may be the cause of your odd accuracy. If a rifle was cleaned from the muzzle with a steel cleaning rod the last bit of rifling may be scratched or permaturely worn - another possibility.
Perhaps a damaged crown (muzzle end of the rifle). Check out the crown carefully - if it has a ding or damage it may be the cause of your odd accuracy. If a rifle was cleaned from the muzzle with a steel cleaning rod the last bit of rifling may be scratched or permaturely worn - another possibility.
wow you got some interesting rifle. Would be fun shooting it. I would suggest to re-crown it anyway, it is an easy and not very expensive job, if you are machinist you can do it yourself. Or if you have buddy who has another buddy who has machinist friend they can re-crown it for 6-pack o'beer or just for a fun of it.
Other than crown you can check action to stock atachment. All seating surfaces must be bone dry and fit nicely. Atachment screws tight and the whole assembly must be solid. Any bit of oil between receiver and wood will ruin accuracy.
Scope - try firing it with iron sights just to make sure. And of course after all you have to try just about every brand of ammo you can get your hands on.
Other than crown you can check action to stock atachment. All seating surfaces must be bone dry and fit nicely. Atachment screws tight and the whole assembly must be solid. Any bit of oil between receiver and wood will ruin accuracy.
Scope - try firing it with iron sights just to make sure. And of course after all you have to try just about every brand of ammo you can get your hands on.
Sounds like your scope (s) are shot. Put on a good quality scope and try it again. Your mount may be loose as well. When you sight your scope in, do your adjustments bottom out to one side? What kind of scope are you using?
Mike Oxbig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Scarborough Ontario
The 22mag is a little harder on barels than most 22lr's but not as bad as your shots are hitting at 25 yards.
The crown is likely your first and best bet. (as stated above)
I have an old savage semi (50years or older), that likely had 10s if not 100s of thousands of rounds through it (at least 2500 from me in the past 2 years) and it still shoots 2MOA all day at 75yards with the right ammo off the bench.
Is it scoped? If so try open sights as advised above also. (It may be your scope or mounts)
Are you shooting off a bench rest? (careful aim and slow careful trigger pull is key)
Have you tried different ammo? (guns are like woman in bed, what works for one will not always work on another)
Is the wood touching the barrel and maybe pushing up against it? (this would normally set your shot off but likely in the same direction all the time. (not 4" at 25 yards though.)
Have you been drinking too much before shooting?
There's lots more but if your accuracy is that bad i bet you'll find your answer in one of those tips. (hopefully not the drinking one)
Cheers.
Mike
The crown is likely your first and best bet. (as stated above)
I have an old savage semi (50years or older), that likely had 10s if not 100s of thousands of rounds through it (at least 2500 from me in the past 2 years) and it still shoots 2MOA all day at 75yards with the right ammo off the bench.
Is it scoped? If so try open sights as advised above also. (It may be your scope or mounts)
Are you shooting off a bench rest? (careful aim and slow careful trigger pull is key)
Have you tried different ammo? (guns are like woman in bed, what works for one will not always work on another)
Is the wood touching the barrel and maybe pushing up against it? (this would normally set your shot off but likely in the same direction all the time. (not 4" at 25 yards though.)
Have you been drinking too much before shooting?
There's lots more but if your accuracy is that bad i bet you'll find your answer in one of those tips. (hopefully not the drinking one
)Cheers.
Mike
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Mike Oxbig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Scarborough Ontario
X2 If you have a cheap scope you may have issues with the paralax. Try moving your head side to side while keeping the gun well posissoned and see if the crosshairs move from your target.
well I went over to a gunsmith and he said the crown looked fine and does not see anything wrong with it. In a nutshell he says a 22 mag don't shoot that great to begin with. After hearing that I said outloud maybe I will sell it, he offered me $75 for it. Not sure what to make of this. I know I can buy a new 22mag from LeBaron for about $250.
I would ignore the smith's low ball offer and keep trying to find the problem. If its not the crown, try the other suggestion-> try irons, check scope base, etc,etc
He's so full of it his eyes are brown!! It is true that some 22 WRM rifles do not shoot well, but that is the case with almost any chambering. I have a 22 WRM that challenges a good 22 LR with ammo it likes, so tell him to rotate on a pointed stick. Sounds to me like he was hoping to get it from you for peanuts and resell at a fat profit. Check out the other suggestions before you unload that 22 mag. Regards, Eagleye.
- Location
- WINNIPEG.MANITOBA CANADA
Find the Problem
I have the very same gun .I wouldnt give it up for anything its a very good shooter try your best to find the problem my may have a sleeping very good shooter.If all else fails and u still want to sell i would take it for parts.
I have the very same gun .I wouldnt give it up for anything its a very good shooter try your best to find the problem my may have a sleeping very good shooter.If all else fails and u still want to sell i would take it for parts.
thatmikeguy
Regular
- Location
- Steinbach, Manitoba
i have a savage 22wmr and i can group under and inch at 50 yards.
You guys were right I tried some Winchester jacketed hollow points 40 grains in it and it now has groupings of 1" @50yds..... I am quite happy with that. I find the trigger pull extremely heavy though.... that may be causing it to be a little off as well, anyone know how I might be able to lower the pull weight of the trigger? After shooting almost a box of 50 of the new stuff I put some of my old walmart specials (Winchester Dyanapoint 45 gr.)in and found it shoots them things 4" lower and 3" to the right and the pattern is larger......Is it normal for bullets to behave so differently? I had no idea to what extent.
I have to agree with this advice.It will cost you some money but keep buying different brands and weights until you find one your gun likes.My most recent gun purchase just about went back to the dealer but the right shell took it from a 3" group down to an inch or less.Best of luck to you.Sorry I was posting this befor I saw your last post
Next time you need a gunsmith call here www.armurier-gunsmith.com I don't know what area you are in but Nicholas is a fantastic gunsmith. He'll tell it to you straight and his prices are good.
cz452shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Sparwood, BC
Glad to hear you got it shooting better. It is quite amazing how much difference simply chaning ammunition can make. Unfortunately I am quite unfarmiliar with the gun you have and don't know a definate solution for lowering trigger pull. However, on many of my guns, changing the trigger pull can be quite easy - simply exchange the trigger spring (this is the spring often behind the trigger that resets it each shot, and also makes the trigger pull a lot heavier) for a lighter spring. You can get these springs out of a pen or pencil with a spring in them. This is a very easy modification that should lower the pull a pound or two. Regarding your question as to why POI is so different - Yes it is normal for two different types of ammunition to shoot much differently and in different locations - from what I have found not quite to the extent you are reporting but I wouldn't be concerned. Good luck with your project
HobbyShooter
Regular
- Location
- Eastern Québec (Matapédia valley)
After shooting almost a box of 50 of the new stuff I put some of my old walmart specials (Winchester Dyanapoint 45 gr.)
in and found it shoots them things 4" lower and 3" to the right and the pattern is larger......
Is it normal for bullets to behave so differently? I had no idea to what extent.
This load is a cooper plated lead bullet weighing 45 gr and is loaded a lot
lighter than standard 22 WMRF ammo. I see it as a good small game load
but in your rifle lack of accuracy would make me reject this possibility...
Jocelyn.
in and found it shoots them things 4" lower and 3" to the right and the pattern is larger......
Is it normal for bullets to behave so differently? I had no idea to what extent.
This load is a cooper plated lead bullet weighing 45 gr and is loaded a lot
lighter than standard 22 WMRF ammo. I see it as a good small game load
but in your rifle lack of accuracy would make me reject this possibility...
Jocelyn.
