Rechamber advice please

D

Dan B

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Location
Niagara ON
Hi everyone,

I have a Remington 700 BDL LH in .308, original barrel. It shoots ok (1.25 – 1.5 MOA) but not as good as I would like. A gunsmith went over it; checked the action, removed the barrel, set it back a bit and redid the chamber with no improvement.

Live in Southern Ontario (less than .275 caliber restriction.)

I also have .222, .22-250 AI, .243, 338WM.

I mainly hunt deer, coyotes and groundhogs and do some informal target shooting up to 500 yards.

I reload.

Was thinking about re-barreling to 260 Remington – worth it? or should I just get a new .308 barrel?

Thanks,
Dan
 
Thanks James.
The rifle has been floated and bedded in original wood stock and a HS Precision stock and Bell and Carlson stock, I have swapped scopes and bases with no joy.
I am fairly sure the barrel is the issue.

Dan
 
As above, bedding is usually the culprit when it comes to accuracy in factory rifles with wood stocks. I'm surprised your gunsmith went the path he did - and it appears it didnt yield any results.
FWIW - Your rifle might be shooting as it should. Rifles will preferentially tune to a specific bullet weight, which is the benefit of reloading. Your post does not describe what efforts you have made in this regard.
Oops - just saw your latest post ... You can probably pick up a used 260 barrel on the EE for cheaps, otherwise save up for a quality barrel install...
 
Dan B said:
Live in Southern Ontario (less than .275 caliber restriction.)
I also have .222, .22-250 AI, .243, 338WM.
I mainly hunt deer, coyotes and groundhogs and do some informal target shooting up to 500 yards.
I reload.
Was thinking about re-barreling to 260 Remington – worth it? or should I just get a new .308 barrel?
Click to expand...

What would be the point of getting another barrel in a caliber that is not allowed in your area? The 260 would be a good choice, if you want to keep the gun. However, in a short action you will not have a lot of room for the long 6.5 mm 130-140 grain bullets. My suggestion would be the 6.5 Creedmoor. It has essentially the same case capacity as the 260 at 53 grains of powder, but the cartridge is shorter, leaving more room for the bullet in a short action.

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Dan, have you tried different bullet weights/styles, powders etc (assume you handload for it). That and checking the bedding, screws etc and it might improve enough to make you happy especially for a deer rifle.
Cheers
 
go 250 Savage, exactly what I did with my last .308 lefty BDL. Couldn't be happier with the results.

I'm a little confused by your .275 restriction...does this mean that you need something greater than or less than .275 to hunt with?
 
SuperCub said:
With the 243 already in place, a 250Savage or 260Remington really would not give much if any advantage.
Click to expand...

I would suggest the 260 Rem or 6.5 CM would be a significant step up from the .243 win. The .243 can't handle 140 grain bullets. Also, better barrel life with the 6.5 bore.
 
Ron AKA said:
I would suggest the 260 Rem or 6.5 CM would be a significant step up from the .243 win. The .243 can't handle 140 grain bullets. Also, better barrel life with the 6.5 bore.
Click to expand...

True, but since the OP is mostly shooting deer and g-hogs, the 243 is perfect as heavier bullets are not required. If the 243 was not in place already, a 260 would be a great choice as well. Both are excellent choices either way. :)

Dan B said:
I mainly hunt deer, coyotes and groundhogs and do some informal target shooting up to 500 yards.
Click to expand...
 
I don't see the .260 and .243 in conflict, set up the .243 to shoot a 75 grain varmint bullet and the .260 to shoot a quality bonded 130 grain bullet for bigger stuff... nice So-Ont pair actually.

Since you are starting from scratch, I would tend to agree with "Sunra...", uhmmm... "RonAKA", and go with the 6.5 CM.
 
IMHO, you're further ahead getting a custom barrel than you are another rifle that shoots the same as your present rifle does. Be sure to choose a good stiff stock, or have the stock stabilized prior to bedding. The 6.5s provide a nice balance of performance and accuracy along with mild manners, and in an arbitrary sort of way I think the 6.5s represent the lower threshold of general purpose big game cartridges. If the price of brass is a factor, I'd go with the 6.5X55, a .260 Remington, or a 6.5/06 based on the .25-06 brass. Otherwise the 6.5-284 looks good to me, and premium brass is readily available.
 
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