Check your bases!

R

Rugdoc

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I must have gone through $100 worth of ammo earlier this year because I thought my new to me rifle was being fussy with what it likes to eat. Kept trying different ammo and some seemed to be accurate, then groups were goofy, then a few groups seemed tight, then opened up again ..

I had checked the scope screws and ring screws but today just on whim I took the rifle out of the locker to re-check all these screws and noticed that the whole scope wobbled. It wasn't the rings, it was the bases themselves that were loose.

Now time to go try the whole go-round again.
 
The Outsider said:
Just curious, were your groups in "2"s, 2 holes here then 2 holes over there?
That's a sure sign of loose screws.
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Seemed more random than that and what was even more confusing was that after shooting three different kinds of ammo of ammo with scattered results and groups, the last three shots I took made a decent (1.5") group at 100 metres. By then I was out of ammo and patience.
 
This very common theory about what a rifle likes, is highly over rated.
A rifle with a good barrel properly bedded, usually shoots good with any good ammunition. I a rifle shoots poorly with the first ammunition you try, don't change ammo, start seeing what is wrong with the riffle.
When big time shooting competitions were popular between different branches of law enforcement, or different branches of the military, etc., here is how they operated. They picked out their top shooters while the armourer picked out top rifles. Then they acquired match ammunition for the shoot.
in practice for the shoot, if one contestant wasn't doing too well, he didn't say he wanted ammunition his rifle liked, (that would make a good story) he gave the rifle to the armourer to either repair or replace.

For many years when I got a new to me rifle, the first thing I did with it at the range was to fire a shot or two, to get on the target, then with the best rest I can get, I will fire five shots one after the other, so the barrel gets quite hot.
If that makes a small group, happy days, lets go shooting.
If it makes a poor group, I just pack up, take the rifle home and start working on it.
 
Went through that little problem once, not always that easy to diagnose unless you're paying attention. In my case, only the back was loose and the scope appeared tight till you torqued it.

Grizz
 
Camaroguy said:
Where would you start your work on such a rifle, H4831?
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First check the scope mounting. If solid, take the stock off, while turning each of the two screws out a bit at a time, looking to see if there is an unevenness on the way the action fits the wood.
If all is well, carefully look at the barrel channel, to see if the barrel is rubbing somewhere, maybe on a side.
Carefully sand out the channel so the barrel doesn't touch anything, free floated.
Try that at the range, again one five shot group to let the barrel get hot and examine the group. A free floated barrel is unlikely to walk the bullets, but it may be a larger group than you like. So at the range get a wad of paper, or very light card board folded up and under the barrel at the front of the stock. You may want to loosen the action screws to get it in, so when the screws are tightened there is a fair tension on the barrel, like maybe about six pounds required to pull your barrel from this block. In my experience that usually tightens the group right up. If so, make a more permanent block at home.
But don't forget it is far from uncommon for a scope to come loose inside. I can think of two scopes that have come loose inside with me, plus I got a whale of a good deal on a quality rifle because he said it was the most inaccurate rifle he ever had. It was the scope that was wonky. Last one was a nearly new Bushnell and when I sent it back they didn't even fix it, jus sent me a new scope!
I had one that would jump about a foot at a hundred yards, during a five shot group. With that it is easy to see the scope is the problem. Much harder if only a very few inches. In that case put a proven scope on the rifle to try it.
 
H4831 said:
This very common theory about what a rifle likes, is highly over rated.
A rifle with a good barrel properly bedded, usually shoots good with any good ammunition. I a rifle shoots poorly with the first ammunition you try, don't change ammo, start seeing what is wrong with the riffle.
When big time shooting competitions were popular between different branches of law enforcement, or different branches of the military, etc., here is how they operated. They picked out their top shooters while the armourer picked out top rifles. Then they acquired match ammunition for the shoot.
in practice for the shoot, if one contestant wasn't doing too well, he didn't say he wanted ammunition his rifle liked, (that would make a good story) he gave the rifle to the armourer to either repair or replace.

For many years when I got a new to me rifle, the first thing I did with it at the range was to fire a shot or two, to get on the target, then with the best rest I can get, I will fire five shots one after the other, so the barrel gets quite hot.
If that makes a small group, happy days, lets go shooting.
If it makes a poor group, I just pack up, take the rifle home and start working on it.
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So what do you do with a rifle that does 2-3moa with the first load tested, and then when you try the second load it shoots sub moa? Do you just assume that it doesn't like the first load, or do you start working on the gun? I have seen it happen too many times to assume that there is an issue with the firearm, just because it shoots poorly with one load.
 
stubblejumper said:
So what do you do with a rifle that does 2-3moa with the first load tested, and then when you try the second load it shoots sub moa? Do you just assume that it doesn't like the first load, or do you start working on the gun? I have seen it happen too many times to assume that there is an issue with the firearm, just because it shoots poorly with one load.
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After we get it properly bedded it will likely go around MOA on that first load, also. That is much better than having a rifle that you have to pick certain loads for.
I always do my first test grouping with a new to me rifle, with a standard load that has worked well in other rifles.
 
H4831 said:
After we get it properly bedded it will likely go around MOA on that first load, also. That is much better than having a rifle that you have to pick certain loads for.
I always do my first test grouping with a new to me rifle, with a standard load that has worked well in other rifles.
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Good theory, but reality doesn't always match theory. It would be so simple if a person could just pick any load from a loading manual, and they would all shoot about the same in his rifle, unfortunately, that usually isn't the case at all.
 
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I must have gone through $100 worth of ammo earlier this year because I thought my new to me rifle was being fussy with what it likes to eat. Kept trying different ammo and some seemed to be accurate, then groups were goofy, then a few groups seemed tight, then opened up again ..
Click to expand...

That's the sort of thing that gets everyone, sooner or later. If you really want to have some fun shoot an unknown rifle with an unknown scope and some new handloads. Its fine when it works out, but when it doesn't where do you start? Screws? Sure, but you still have to shoot it. Scope? Very good chance that s the problem, but unless you have a proven scope sitting around for test purposes that can involve taking apart one of your other rifles and pirating the scope from it. Best case scenario, you move the scope, sight it in, and find that its the problem. Then all you have to move the scope back and sight in both rifles again. Or maybe it isn't the problem and you burnt all that ammo for nothing. Trouble is, you still don't know if the rifle will shoot that ammo in the first place. You can decide whether to mess with the bedding or mess with the loads. Play with the bedding and bare minimum you'll have to sight it in again. Play with the loads and bare minimum it'll take a fair amount of test ammo and even if it works you will likely wonder if it wouldn't shoot better if it was bedded. Better go back and bed it and shoot that for awhile to find out. You might want to play with the loads again. Or maybe it still doesn't want to shoot and you start thinking about another barrel. If you're lucky after spending the price of a rifle on a barrel install you don't have to re-do the bedding. Then you have to sight it in again and start over.;) I hear Federal is putting on another shift to keep up with the demand.
 
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