Seat a bullet just into the case neck. Just enough so that it doesn't fall out or is wobbly (1/16" into the neck). Put black jiffy marker around the bullet at the ogive (widest point). Chamber the rd.
If the throat is ok, the bullet will engrave in the lands. You will see 6 rectangles on the bullet equally spaced around the circumference. Better yet, when you close the bolt, the bullet will be forced back into the neck.
With a throat like this, you have some freebore but the bullet doesn't actually jump to the lands. This barrel has a chance of working.
You now need to make sure that you use neck sized ammo that is concentric. Runout on neck and bullet no more then 5thou. You will need a proper runout guage to measure and this is where less is better.
Set the OAL length to fit and function from the mag. Work up your load carefully and the rifle should shoot better. 150gr SST have worked very well for me pushed by H4831SC using Fed 210M or CCI BR2 primers. I use a Lee collet neck die whenever possible.
As long as the bullet fully engraves in the lands BEFORE leaving the case neck, you have a chance of making this rifle shoot. If the bullet has to leave the neck and JUMP to the lands, at best you have a MOA rifle. 1.5 to 2MOA is more the norm. You will get flyers for sure.
The only solution is to set back the barrel. However, if this is a new rifle, a call to Remington or wherever you bought the rifle would be in order.
With this heat, you should limit to two shots then let cool. If the gun is going to shoot any load, two or twenty shots will go into small groups. If the first two are wide apart, who cares what the next 8 might do. The load is not consistent enough to be of interest.
My Savage in 7RM is a sub MOA shooter out to 1km. In the fall/winter, I can get 4 to 5 shots away before it overheats. Now it will only take 2 shots before it launches the third shot into the wild blue yonder. Barrel it almost too hot to touch.
For a hunting rifle, the first shot and possible follow up shot are your most important. So tune accordingly.
Personally, I free float all my Rems. Proper bedding is a must and I extend the bedding to the first inch of barrel. With a quality composite stock, there is little chance of the barrel pressure changing due to temp and weather but it is just one more variable in my mind.
By free floating and working up a proper load, I know the rifle is consistent no matter when or where I hunt. That is the type of confidence I need in my gear. I have yet to resort to pressure bedding to make a rifle shoot.
Jerry
