Swiss Arms accuracy help

tnegrin83

tnegrin83

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Hi guys, I have a Swiss arms Black Special with a 3.5-10x Zeiss Conquest on it:D. I purchased it used as I had read on here and elswhere that it was the most accurate service rifle around. But I've tried 8 different types of ammo (everything from S&B bulk to Federal GMM) and can't seem to get under a 2" group at 100yds (some are worse) off of bags and bench, or prone off the bipod.:confused: I don't reload yet, so does anyone have any hints or tricks to tighten up my baby's groups?
 
Buy a box of Ruag ordnance .223 (63 grain) and try it. It is usually available from site sponsor "The Shooting Edge".

If the rifle won't shoot well with Ruag ammo, you have some diagnostics to do.

Sharptail
 
I am a pretty good shot. I routinely shoot clay pigeons at 500 yds with my 22-250. As for the Ruag, I've yet to try that. My local store says they cant get it at a reasonable price. Maybe I'll order some from TSE to try. Everything seems tight on the gun.
 
How long has it been since you got it and how many rounds downrange, if you don't mind me asking? I have yet to buy a firearm and immediately get amazing groups....
 
I got it in april and have about 500 rnds through it (not all for groups). I'm not really looking for amazing groups, just better than what I'm getting.
 
Double check zero. Get somebody else who you know is a better shot than you try the rifle, better get get several guys! If same result, I'd suggest taking the rifle to a gunsmith with a borescope and getting it checked out. The 'smith should be able to identify any issues, if any, with the barrel that the previous owner may have stuck you with.
 
It is a service rifle after all, so 2" at 100 yds is quite acceptable for the purpose that they are designed for, civi version being just a derivative. If you want to have sub MOA then go with a bolt gun.

For AR that I own, RRA advertises 1" which normally is too over optimistic. Some of their product may do, but in my mind would not be consistent for every gun coming out of their production line. More and less is just a marketing tool. Armalite says 2" and this is what I get with mine consistently.

Just my two cents, Cheers.
 
Sort your ammo. Use a bullet comparitor that clamps on your calipers and measures from where the bullet will rest of the lands.

If you can, shoot the 63 grain (or 69 grain) Ruag .223 and use that as a benchmark. The rifle was made for that ammo, and this is a very ammo finicky gun.

2" with regular commerical ammo is about average for the swiss arms. You won't get 1" 5 shot groups unless you use handloads or Swiss Ruag.

I did some load testing myself with commercial ammo, and the bulk PMC .223 shot better than the Federal Gold medal match... so believe me when I say this gun is very ammo finicky.
 
Ensure your barel is clean. Ensure the gas valve interior is cleared of buildup. I have seen gas valves with so much carbon built up that the bolt was held out of battery.
Check scope, rings and base. All SAN rifles left the factory only after firing a 1.25MOA 10rd group.
 
I keep the gun spotless inside and out. Rings and bases are tight, as well as the rail. Can i get small batches of Ruag? I dont want to buy 1000 if they wont shoot well, for the price. But if thats what I need then so be it. Could you Pm me with a price redleg?
 
Ammo: The first variable to rule out.

The 62 grain factory stuff will shoot ok. At least some of it. The 55 grain stuff, forget it. Don't waste your time. Look at the test target the rifle came with. It's set up to shoot 63 grain ammo. I'll be trying handloaded 62 and 64 grain ammo. But I may break down and just get some Ruag 63 as well.
 
I was one of the original owners of the Swiss Arms guns and have three of them now (small, medium and large). I'm also issued one at work.

In my experiences the 1 in 10" barrels shoot everything very well. I get 1" groups with 55gn white box all the time. The guns with 1 in 7" barrels tend to shoot the heavier loads better but I have still obtained groups of an inch or slightly over with 55gn.

You do need to practice shooting though. Just because you are a good shot with one gun doesn't mean you can shoot everything great right off the bat.

Rich
 
I get 1" groups with 55gn white box all the time.
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Winchester white box? You gotta be ####ting me. I sorted a box of that stuff and it shot 4.5" 5 shots at 100 with no wind. But I also didn't get a chance to clean my gun at the time, so that might have effected testing....
 
nickorette said:
Winchester white box? You gotta be s**tting me. I sorted a box of that stuff and it shot 4.5" 5 shots at 100 with no wind. But I also didn't get a chance to clean my gun at the time, so that might have effected testing....
Click to expand...


That poor door-kicker only shoots to 25m;)
 
Possible reticle problem with scope? I've shot my rifle with 55 gr FMJ and 62 FMJ and always got inside 1 inch or better ... and it's bloody cold and windy here ... 100 yard range.

Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
CANADA
 
beltfed said:
That poor door-kicker only shoots to 25m;)
Click to expand...

Oh, so you shoot 1" with white box..... at 25m.. hah ha

Now what about 100?



If everything works out I'll be heading out the the range this weekend, with a sparkling clean swiss arms, a new lightweight trigger and about 200 rounds of different expiriemental handloads to test out. I'll post back if I have any real luck.
 
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