Flyer problem

[Para D]

Hello all

My name is Para D and I have a flyer problem. I accidentally posted something similar on the precision sport forum but now that I am figuring out gunnutz thought I would post in the right spot.

I am shooting a rem 700 in an AICS stock with a variable ffp burris xtr 3-15. The range I am a member at currently is only 100m so all of the groups below are at 100m. I have extensive experience with service rifles and small bore from my army and cadet days respectively but only moved into long range shooting last year. I have kept fairly good records but only really noticed this problem this year. I shoot 5 round groups because that is what we did in the army and I don't know any better. Every single group I shoot has what I thought until recently was a flyer, every single one! I haven't busted into reloading yet so all of these groups are with different factory match ammo, mostly 168 and 175gr. The "flyer" is not on any specific shot could be 1-5 according to my data book. Is this an ammo issue? Is this as good as it gets without reloading? I have tried most variables I could think of. I have tried various mags, tried various bipods (I shoot with a harris or atlas and a sock with rice in my left hand for elevation). Should I try and borrow a bench rest and see if the problem is with the meat and not the metal? Open to severe scrutiny here guys lay it on me.

 

[RifleDude]

If these are are all 5-shot groups, you're doing just fine with your setup. What you think off as a flyer is just part of the group capability of your rifle, ammo, scope and yourself. You could tighten this up a little by going to a proper benchrest setup but not a lot. Try shooting 10 shot groups, that is the real test of how the rifle groups. Also, know how to call a shot that did not feel just right. Hand loads could eliminate that one round that's just a little bit out of the group as well. This is all part of the fun of precision shooting, don't sweat it.

 

[chrismc]

For that rifle and factory ammo, imho you are where you should be
Nice shooting!

 

[Mystic Precision]

Now that we know more about the rifle, I would suggest skim bedding and properly support that recoil lug.

Then see if things improve.

Jerry

 

[Para D]

Now that we know more about the rifle, I would suggest skim bedding and properly support that recoil lug.

Then see if things improve.

Jerry

Thanks for the comments guys.

Mystic, do you know of any good threads discussing how to do those things? Have my rifle apart right now to get a compensator installed so would be a good time.

Thanks again.

 

[rugbydave]

Honestly, how your rifle (and you) is shooting is probably the limits of what you can get with a factory rem barrel and factory match ammo. You shouldn't need to skim bed an AI chassis. It might be worthwhile to try a few different brands and weights of match ammo to see which it likes best and then just roll with that. Have a look at the thread in this forum about factory barrelled rifles that can shoot .75 moa. There aren't a ton of people who have achieved that and I'd wager most are hand loading their ammo. Your 2 options to tighten things up really would be to hand load and/or get a high quality match barrel spun up. Other than that just accept what the mechanical accuracy of your rifle is and practice, practice, practice so as to always break a perfect shot.

 

[Mystic Precision]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Mystic, do you know of any good threads discussing how to do those things? Have my rifle apart right now to get a compensator installed so would be a good time.

Thanks again.

assuming you have a gunsmith do the machine work on your barrel? Get them to bed the action.... that is a very common cause of flyers. Just because you have a fancy stock and bedding, doesn't mean your receiver fits it. All too often, there is enough slop between the parts to allow for wiggle or bending. Skim bedding cures this and allows the barrel to vibrate consistently.

Maybe you have reached the mechanical limits of your rifle and ammo combo? But proper bedding is such an important thing, and until that is completed, I would hope there is more to your rifle.

Jerry

 

[Ryan.M.Anderson]

Have to agree with Rugbydave. Looks like you are shooting about .6-.75MOA groups there. Considering the set up I would be pretty happy with that.

Skim bedding the chassis may help or it may not. I know the Chou Bros bed chassis that come through their shop but a lot don't either. I do not bed my chassis but that is me (MPA currently and AX in the past)

Hand loading could help but if you are shooting premium 308 ammo it may not be a huge margin - FGMM and Hornady match is pretty consistent in my experience.

There is a thread going on in the Practical Precision section about group size. My take from it is there is not really "flyers". If you look at all of your groups and laid them over top of one another you would probably see a nice circular distribution of holes that are sub MOA.

 

[Para D]

Thanks everyone for the assistance. Does anyone know of a thread or video on skim bedding that is a good overview?

 

[chrismc]

There is a sticker for this in the gunsmithing section - adjust procedure for your stock. Google has 10000 videos on it too

 

[Para D]

I only found videos and stuff for "bedding", is "skim-bedding" different somehow or just a synonym?