300 Wsm

Spydr

Spydr

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I bought a 300 wsm last year and I put a 3-9 Swarovski scope on it. I have had some problems first the scope was pooched so I sent it in and got a new one. It was fine for a little while, but now I am having problems with it again. I dont know if it is the scope or the rifle itself. Seems every shot I take hits a diffrent spot on the target. Not just a little like 4 inches top left 3 inches bottom right at 100 yards. I tried toning down on my bullet weight to 165 and still the same thing. I even made a batch that i personaly weighed every load to perfection and still not the accuarcy I was looking for out of this rifle.

So I am just about fed up with this rifle, I just don't have any ideas left. Anyone HELP!.. I would hate to trade it for a bottle of rum and a pack of smokes.
 
What kind of rifle? Did the gun ever shoot?

Do the usual -check mounts for proper fit. Check the forend and barrel contact - floated or pressure point or uneven contact...

Check the bedding for cracks..action screws for tightness.....crown for uniformity...no nicks etc.... on inner diameter

Where are you located?
 
I'd bet the mounts are coming loose under recoil. Remount the bases and rings and use Lock-tite on all the screws.
 
Do a once over as Joe suggested, and if it's mechanical you'll find the issue.

And I'm not doubting you, but just a frank observation, fluctuations that great sometimes have a human element, like a flinch. You have what seems to be a fair list of guns and hence experience, but I've run into very skilled and experienced .223 shooters firing my magnums getting a flinch after a dozen rounds that really hard to shake.

Again, while I'm not saying this is the case, it's worth a dry fire after shooting a round downrange to see where the scope recticle goes and how much movement you get.
 
Ardent may have the problem...

Ardent said:
And I'm not doubting you, but just a frank observation, fluctuations that great sometimes have a human element, like a flinch. You have what seems to be a fair list of guns and hence experience, but I've run into very skilled and experienced .223 shooters firing my magnums getting a flinch after a dozen rounds that really hard to shake.
Click to expand...

My suggestion is to go to the range with a buddy, have him load the gun, WITHOUT you watching... He either puts a round in or NOT, his choice... Then he watches you carefully as you shoot for group... You'll never know if the gun is loaded or not...

What will happen is he will see you flinch or not when you pull the trigger... You may not think you are flinching, but you might be...

Cheers
Jay
 
Why don't you mount the scope on a rifle that shoots straight and if it does then you know it's the gun/flinch but that the scope is good?
 
If you are using a rest, it's not likely a flinch issue unless you are hanging on the rifle tightly while in the rest.

If not using a rest, get a good one.:)

A good rest that holds the whole rifle and eats recoil (I have one that weights about 25 lbs) have a tendancy to rule out human error. Might help you get to the solution faster.

If it still doesn't shoot straight, swap the scope onto one of your other rifles that you know is a straightshooter to rule it out.

Just my .02

Is the .300WSM a Marlin?:rolleyes: Maybe that's your problem....:p
Just kidding.
 
WildWildWest said:
If you are using a rest, it's not likely a flinch issue unless you are hanging on the rifle tightly while in the rest.

If not using a rest, get a good one.:)

A good rest that holds the whole rifle and eats recoil (I have one that weights about 25 lbs) have a tendancy to rule out human error. Might help you get to the solution faster.

If it still doesn't shoot straight, swap the scope onto one of your other rifles that you know is a straightshooter to rule it out.

Just my .02

Is the .300WSM a Marlin?:rolleyes: Maybe that's your problem....:p
Just kidding.
Click to expand...

Flinch will destroy accuracy, rest or no rest...
 
I have a .300WSM that is deadly tight. I also reload. Reading your post makes me question your C.O.L., and I am curious to know if its something to do with the bullet as well. When I accidently had the C.O.L. a little bit off, my gun shot like crap. If its not the bullet, then I would say its the scope.. something is loose. Do you see any movement in the scope? has it slid backwards due to recoil? if the scope is moving at all... you might want to start there. and actually.. not to brag or anything like that.. but my avatar is from an actual playing card at 100yds with my .300WSM ( i did have one in a clover leaf, but it was black and didnt scan very well). (165gr Sierra)
 
COL is not going to produce a 7 inch group. IMO. You say the first scope didn't work, and when you got it back it worked for a little while before it went south again. I think the advice about the forend contact is sound, if it is close, moisture content could cause it to swell slightly and contact the barrel, or temperature differences could conceivably make it shoot differently from one outting to the next.

But you really need to examine the scope/base. It sure sound like something is amiss here.
 
?I am back sorry was at work there. I will get you every concievable detail I can and see if it will give you all more info. Just for the record my buddy has the exact same gun with a diffrent scope and firing my ammo through it produces very tight groups. I think I dd switch scopes on this gun before and had the same problems so I am thinking I got a rotten gun. Gonna do some field tests with some match grade ammo from the factory and let you all know the outcome of that experience.
 
I am not a seasoned expert, but I have seen this 3 times, twice it was the scope, in one scope it was just a lousy scope, in the other it was a problem with paralax correction, and the third it was poor quality ammo (I think it was old and stored poorly). My 2 cents worth.
 
If it shoots crappy after switching scopes, and your ammo shoots good out of another rifle then forend/barrel contact might be it, or perhaps a small ding at the rifling/muzzle junction? Have you inspected the muzzle?
 
joe-nwt said:
COL is not going to produce a 7 inch group.
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yes it will. I have made a mistake before on .243 ( a-max) and I was lucky to hit the paper 3 times at 100 yards. But I got that figured out. And seeing as the ammo is shooting fine out of another rifle.. skip what I had to say earlier. Your scope is junk.
 
hoochie,

Are you saying that COL can mean the diffrence between a rifle shooting seven inche groups and, say, an inch?

I really find that hard to believe. An inch and two inches, maybe, but not seven inches!

Ted
 
I have to agree with Ted on this one. 7" because of COL? If that is true, it is one of the strangest aberrations I have ever heard of Regards, Eagleye.
 
yup. When I was new to reloading I made some bullets too long, and I swear to god... I couldnt hit the paper consistantly. I fired over 10 rounds and not one of them hit the paper the same. I had some hit 2" high and left, while the next shot might have barely nicked the bottom of the paper on the right. I was trying to load some Hornady A-MAX for a .243 and had the COL wrong.. they flew like crap. I switched back to 100gr Noslers and was shooting clover leafs.
Brand new rifle, brand new scope... It was my load that was the problem.. not my shooting skill, the rifle or the scope.
Point of impact will change with bullet weight, but the "all over the map" thing is either a bad loading job or something to do with the rifle. I was just trying to look at this guys' problem from the cheapest and easiest solution first. I would examine the load before blaming the "new" scope.BUt seeing as the loads work fine in a different rifle.. then its the scope.
 
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hoochie said:
yup. When I was new to reloading I made some bullets too long, and I swear to god... I couldnt hit the paper consistantly. I fired over 10 rounds and not one of them hit the paper the same. I had some hit 2" high and left, while the next shot might have barely nicked the bottom of the paper on the right. I was trying to load some Hornady A-MAX for a .243 and had the COL wrong.. they flew like crap. I switched back to 100gr Noslers and was shooting clover leafs.
Brand new rifle, brand new scope... It was my load that was the problem.. not my shooting skill, the rifle or the scope.
Point of impact will change with bullet weight, but the "all over the map" thing is either a bad loading job or something to do with the rifle. I was just trying to look at this guys' problem from the cheapest and easiest solution first. I would examine the load before blaming the "new" scope.BUt seeing as the loads work fine in a different rifle.. then its the scope.
Click to expand...

Well that's not necessarily "too long COL"... you changed bullets Amaxs to Nolsers.

NormB
 
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