3.5" group, pay for what u get ?

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AKD

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I got a .308 for $500 with a scope that i took out for the first time 2day. mauser 98 with a heavy 27" ,14" twist. Used some hand loaded 150gn FMJ BT Hornady bullets with 50gn of Winchester 748.

After a hand getting it on target I fired 40rds at 100m and it was a average of 3 - 3.5". I also fired 10rds of corelock 180gn rounds and they were a bit worse.

Do you think I should cut loose and buy a good new rifle and scope or just keep trying with this one?

Ive bean shooting from the age 5, Im not pro but I can shoot.
 
150gr FMJ bullets are not known for great accuracy to begin with. They were designed for machine guns, but in a properly done target rifle are able to shoot 1 -1.5" @ 100yds.

It also depends on your benchrest technique, barrel make & wear, scope, bedding. Is everything tight, loctited and properly fitted? What make and power of scope? Try some known match bullets before you throw it out.
 
FMJ BT is hardly match ammo. I would remove the action from the stock and make sure there isn't and oil or crap between the action and bedding. Put it back together and make sure the bedding screws are tight and the the threads are not bottomed out.
Your load is about 1.5 grains over max suggested data.
Get yourself a good cleaning rod and copper solvent, clean the barrel down to bare metal and start some handloads at about 45-46 gr.
Check your scope bases and rings.
 
looking down the barrel the ware looks ok. I think this may be the problem tho. Looking at the pattern of carbon at the end of the barrel its not even. you can see the rifling on the left side of the barrel is thicker creating good lines. on the right side of the barrel its not the same. less of a track.

The reason I was using 150gn bullets was because of the 14 twist. I know alot of guys like the 168's but i thought they were for like 12's
 
My M-70 is bone stock (except for a scope), and it will produce 1" groups all day at 100 yards with 150 FMJ surplus ammo. If none of the quick fixes (like cleaning) listed above work then sell it and try again!
 
Thanks again for pulling me out! I feel like a bone head for getting stuck twice:redface:

As for the rifle, I'd check to make sure the action bolts are torqued to spec and that the mounts are in good condition and tight. The scope may also be the limiting factor.
 
If the 14" is the rifling twist, that'd be the issue. Too slow for a .308 with 150's or 180's. The normal twist is 1 in 10.
Try some 125's or 130's. Hornady and Speer make a 130. Sierra and Speer make a 125's.
"...1.5 grains over max suggested data..." There's that too, but that isn't likely to be the cause. Just unsafe. Buy a manual.
 
hey np was glad to help out :) . I felt like bosh as well going to the range and not bringing any hearing protection :p thx for the help as well.

Ill see at work 2moro if i can find out the specks from some tech's but i just checked for now and there good n tight.

I think ill give this rifle one more shot next saturday b4 i retire it.


ya know what kinda sucked. I had my stevens 22-250 with me as well. Its trigger pull is brutal but I got a better group with it than the .308
 
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sunray said:
If the 14" is the rifling twist, that'd be the issue. Too slow for a .308 with 150's or 180's. The normal twist is 1 in 10.
Try some 125's or 130's. Hornady and Speer make a 130. Sierra and Speer make a 125's.
"...1.5 grains over max suggested data..." There's that too, but that isn't likely to be the cause. Just unsafe. Buy a manual.
Click to expand...

Ill see if i can get some 125's . and again. 50gn in the layman manual. witch i have.
 
I shoot a .308 with a 1-14 twist, It will stabilize up to a 168gr sierra matchking bullet.

Hornady 150 FMJ print about 2.5 inches with my handloads, Nosler 155 HPBT shoot MOA or less, if you want tight groups shoot good bullets to start with.
 
Curious, how do you know it is a 14 twist?

Have you given the barrel a really good scrubbing down to bare metal? Will likely like being fouled but at least you know fouling isn't an issue when you start.

If the barrel has seen alot of use, it could just be worn out. Then rebarreling will resolve all woes.

If there is something wrong with the scope, then another with a known record will solve your problem

Starting low and working up is a great way to find your load. Rifles rarely ever shoot a 'print' load. Maybe a bit higher, or a bit lower. Some barrels don't like going fast, others wide open throttle.

I don't think a 14 twist is too slow for the 150's. Alot of palma shooters use 13.5's and their bullets are much longer. The point is that 14 twist is so rare, I wonder if that is the correct twist. 30BR shooters are going as slow as 16 and 17 twist for their 120 to 130gr bullets.

Start low and work up. Consider something like a 150gr Hornady interlock or 155gr Amax or 155gr Nosler competition. All known to shoot well.

Also, try something like Benchmark or Varget with lots of known data. Win LR, CCI 200 or BR2 or Fed 210's or 210m are all great primers.

If you can, make sure your loaded ammo has very little runout.

If everything else in the rifle checks out, there is a very good chance you will find a workable load. Maybe not cutting one hole but MOAish is certainly reasonable with a decent barrel.

Jerry
 
Are you shooting off bags, bi-pod or anything like that? Human error can cause some wide groups too.
What scope and rings are you using?
I'm just asking because you didn't mention your setup.
Mauser actions are very popular with a lot of shooters, so I imagine this gun may just need some tlc.
 
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