Poor shooting rifle....customize or get rid of it?

R

rmkm70

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i am seeking advise from people with experience.

i bought a rem 700 BDL in 222 a few years ago. its a really nice gun, but after firing nearly 1000 test rounds(of handloads) i can't get it tighter that .75 moa. thats not good enough for my taste. Oh ya, the Barrel is floated, action bedded and trigger honed and tuned.

the question. should i spend the $900 to customise what i have or get rid of it and get a factory heavy barrel gun?

its not my loads that shoot crooked, i load for my 3006, 243 and 204, all shoot under .5.
 
Has the barrel ever been properly cleaned? That may be some of the problem.

I think you could probably have a new stainless match grade barrel installed for about $600.... not $900... and it would shoot in the .300's real easy.
 
i'm meticulous in cleaning my guns. i gave it a good scrub before the first shot and after every 10 or 15 shots at the range.

$900 is for match barrel, chamber and blueprint action.

i have 3 other rifles i can keep shooting inder .5 , so i know i'm capable.
 
The cost of the work you want done is about the same as buying a new factory rifle. Where would you rather spend your money? Of course, you could sell the rifle, and put the money toward something else. 3/4 moa may not be satisfying for you, but it is certainly within expected limits for a factory rifle. Did you buy your rifle new? 1 000 rds through a new rifle should give a pretty good idea of the rifle's potential; if the rifle was used, there is no telling how many rounds have gone through it, although .222 isn't a barrel burner. Some rifles shoot better if the barrel has a bit of fouling. If you've cleaned every 10-15 shots, the barrel may never have settled down. How is the crown? Sometimes a recrown can help.
 
Like tiriaq said, some rifle shoot better fouled. Put 50-100 through it before cleaning it to see if the barrel is too clean. Try other bullets and powders.
You should be able to get a new heavy barrel installed for $600 or less. If that is the case I would go to a fast twist barrel chambered in .223.
 
get a fast twist bull Barrel ang get a good smith to put it togather


Jamie Barkwell
 
rmkm70 said:
i am seeking advise from people with experience.

i bought a rem 700 BDL in 222 a few years ago. its a really nice gun, but after firing nearly 1000 test rounds(of handloads) i can't get it tighter that .75 moa. thats not good enough for my taste. Oh ya, the Barrel is floated, action bedded and trigger honed and tuned.

the question. should i spend the $900 to customise what i have or get rid of it and get a factory heavy barrel gun?

its not my loads that shoot crooked, i load for my 3006, 243 and 204, all shoot under .5.
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Accurate load for .222.... 19.7 gr. IMR 4198, Sierra 53 gr. HP. have you used that? Maybe subsitute H 4198 for IMR.

Unless you look down the bore with a bore scope, you really don't know what you have bore condition wise, or after cleaning.

NormB
 
I had a M-700 triple duece which shot similar to yours, good but not outstanding. I invested in a Gaillard barrel, had the action and bedding tweaked, and with match bullets it was a quarter incher, better if I held my tongue right.
 
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Check/change your dies. Sometimes you get bad dies that load "crooked" ammo if you have to much runout in your loads the rifle will never shoot to it's full potential.
 
Obtunded said:
Customize!!!

don't waste time on Remington factory barrels.
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IMG_3128.jpg


yep those factory Remington barrels suck....:D 20" LTR Barrel


Jamie Barkwell
 
thanks for all the info.

rifle was new. all my loads are neck sized and only half the neck is worked. just where the bullet touches. i have used H4198, H322, benchmark, H335, imr 4064 with Rem power lokt, berger, blitz king, v-max, speer tnt, fmj's, soft points. it started out at 1.25moa i worked it down to .75 already.

i have shot more that 10-15 without cleaning when i'm burning up loads that didn't shoot straight. a 5 shot group of say 1" only opens to 1.4" with another 20 shots added to the group. then i would shoot an accurate load and the group would be same as clean barrel. don't worry, i don't shoot 25 rapid fire i let the barrel cool.

i have seen some factory remingtons that can shoot decent, but i'm thinking should i try a factory rifle and maybe get a good one or get a custom that will be a good one.

how does that 20" barrel berform ballistically, do you loose much with the shorter bbl?

i'm thinking along the lines of 20-22" bbl in 223 ackley, 20 tactical or another 222. sticking with the factory stock, i saw a nice rifle with the bdl stock opened up for the heavy bb.

if my remington shot twice as bad as my(dare i say it with a rem fan listening) savage 204 i would gladly keep it. its a .3 rifle.
 
I remember having a 700 BDL VS around 20 yrs ago and it would shoot into the .3's easily and it wasn't even free floated. Just stock 80's vintage.

You didn't say if it was bought new or not. If used, it could be well shot out. If new, it still shoots into Remington specs.

Your call.
 
rmkm70,

Looks like you have a bad apple, I would say your rifle is not good anymore, just send it to me, I'll pay shipping and you get rid of headhache ;) .

Eh, that's the least one could do to help a CGN fellow in trouble :D is it?.

Good luck
 
mine is a BDL sported barrel. bought it new in 2005, has about 1000 through it.

it shoots ok for most standards, but i have a couple rifles that shoot under .5 consistently and .2 on a better day. I cought a terrible disease thats called10 shots through the same hole isn't good enough so keep trying syndrom.

its a pretty bad one you know, it can cause your wife to yell at you alot. so i quit shooting with ear plugs and fixed that symptom.

you guys are teaching me that its ok to flinch a shot now and then and cover it up with the caliper when you take the picture of your nice group.
 
is the rifle bedded? like it has been said maybe ease off the cleaning back it down to between 50-100 rounds see how that goes , also are you shooting from a solid rest? hows the trigger weight?
 
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