.300 win mag issue

[steelwheelrat]

need some opinions.

I have a remington 700 bdl SS w/ leuipold VariXIII 3.5x10x40 in a .300Win mag. at 100yds, the best i can do is a 4in group. I am on factory load #5. i have run hornady,3 remington, and federal through the stupid thing and cant seem to find a load she likes. it isnt me, i have no problem keeping 1in groups with my friends rem700bdl 7mmRem ultra mag. my shoulder is sore, my temper is short, my checking account is empty from $60 boxes of ammo, and im still not sure i could drop bambi at 300 yds. heck i can keep better groups with my .22 and iron sights.

help!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kingcreek]

I have exactly the same set up and can get 1.5" at 100 yards. I've only shot handloads with Nosler bullets and Winchester Supreme factory ammo.
I'm guessing its probably not an ammo issue. stock bedding, crown?
is the scope mounted well? not moving on you or anything?

 

[kaferhaus]

Kingcreek hit the nail on the head. Check all of those things first, especially the crown and scope bases... screws have been known to loosen under the stiff recoil.

I assume you're shooting 3 shot groups? Letting the barrel cool off to ambient temp between groups? Cleaning every 20 shots or so?

Clean the barrel thoroughly, I mean really clean it.... check the other stuff and try again. If you're still getting those horrible groups then you got another remington lemon. Not unusual the past few years either.

 

[mbogo]

What do your groups look like? Are there two distinct sub-groups (i.e., 2 shots touching here, 2-3 shots touching an inch or two away)? Do you have a good three-shot group with two fliers? Or do you have five fliers?

Have someone else try to shoot a group with the gun; if they get similar groups, it's either the gun (crown, bedding, loose action screws, cracked stock) or the scope (bad scope (yes, Leupolds go bad; I have a friend in WY who had two Leupold 3.5x-10x go bad on him), loose scope mount screws).

If they can shoot a good group, you might be flinching (due to a poorly fitting stock or incorrect LOP), the trigger might not be 'right', or the blast is getting to you.

mbogo

 

[Kachok]

Have you tried a varity of weights? Some rifles are very sensative to different bullet weights/length. I have seen a rifle go from 4 moa to sub moa just by changing from Poly tip boat tail to a hollow point flat base.

 

[steelwheelrat]

I shoot 3round sets with 15-30 min breaks, depending on what other pieces we brought to fling lead.

shooter makes no difference,

different manufacture/loads produce different size groups,

most of the groups are 2close and 4 fliers.

 

[mbogo]

Do you have another scope that you KNOW is reliable? If so, swap scopes and try shooting a couple of groups.

I suspect your scope is at fault. Box it up and send it back to Leupold; they will check it out, and if found to be out of spec, they will fix it or get back to you.

mbogo

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Make sure your mounts and rings are TIGHT and locktited if possible before you get further frustrated. Either of those two will ruin your day, and sometimes go unnoticed.

 

[Mr. T]

Can you say recoil anticipation? Perhaps slight flinch?

 

[Mr. T]

One option to consider would be to check the rings; make sure all screws are tight. Take the gun to a gunsmith and have them check the action to see if it's "true" to the barrel. Check the crown on the barrel....make sure that there aren't any nicks or scratches on it. Is the barrel "free floating" or could the stock itself be causing problems? Glass bedding may help. If worse comes to worse, maybe a custom barrel could help you out.

 

[Uncle Mike]

I assume the two touching shots are numbers 1 and 2...?

The all goes south...or no?

Remington rifles utilize a pressure point in the end of the forearm and are quite sensitive to action screw torque, a wood stock, magnum rifle should torque BOTH action screws to 35 INCH pounds, do the front screw first to 25 INCH pounds then the rear action screw to the same torque, the back to the front, torque to 35 INCH pounds then do the rear action screw to 35 inch pounds.

The Recoil lug should NOT bottom out in the recoil lug cut of the stock, check that, over time, and especially if the stock has been subjected to high humidity, or low humidity, like from being in a heated gun safe and then the rifle is taken outside into high humidity, the bedding area of the stock can swell some, just check all your clearances.

You absolutely need to let the barrel cool to the same temperature the barrel was for the first shot, for all subsequent shots, I know it's a pain, but non the less, it is mandatory during the sighting in process.

Are you putting the forearm in the same EXACT spot on the front rest?

Check the crown of the barrel also. All the scope mounts tight? is the scope any count?

Let us know what happens!

 

[Jonny V]

300 WinMag for deer huh? How are you gonna kill a deer with that little thing? Since this rifle is already malfunctioning, you should sell it to one of those little people they have on Discovery Channel and immediately step up to a more suitable caliber like a 378 or 416 Weatherby or a 577 Tyrannosaur!

 

[Daniel Boone]

I'm sorry - but I need a little bit more information.

My guess is that this is a new gun and everything is new and that it is just a bad gun.

I am a very forgiving man - but when it comes to Remington and their new products - I won't buy it, I won't shoot it, I won't even look at it.
As far as I am concerned - most everything that they make today is junk!

If I am right and if the gun is new - take it back and demand a refund.
Do not let the gun shop talk you into sending it back.

The thing that I would need to know is how old is the gun, which bullets did you try to shoot and at what range did you try to sight it in.

I will sell you as many boxes of shells as you want to buy for half what you paid for the ones that you have already shot. All I ask is that you give me your empty shells back on the trade - in the original boxes if you still have them.

The reloaded shells that I have - will hold 1/2 MOA at 200 yards if the gun and shooter is capable of doing the same.

If you bought the gun at Walmart - then you are sol..

 

[engineerbrian]

i have to agree with what most of the other guys have said. I have a Rem 700 PSS in300 win mag and it shoots most factory load ok, but it loves Black Hills moly coated bullets. they are'nt deer loads, but they do 3/4" groups at 100 yards

just my 2 cents

 

[unwise11]

Scope, Bedding of stock, Barrel contacting stock, you may not be letting it cool down enough, flinch, scope rings, scope bases, trigger control, breathing control I was the same with my .308 when I got it, now im shooting .5" 3 shots.
after mainly listening to people on this forum. remember never shoot when frustrated, you will not do well.

 

[steelwheelrat]

I went to see my gunsmith friend last night...........he told me what i pretty much already knew but really didnt want to hear........"get rid of this SOB!"

He chambered a factory load with a piece of .0085 shim stock between the primer and bolt. the bolt dropped like nothing was there. i am going to give up on it.

I think im just going to make a boat ore out of it and go by a 300wsm or 7mm rem mag (the wife is gonna be pissed). In this part of the country mags are over kill for white tails but i could still take it Mule'y hunting or chase antelope some day.


thanks for all the input guys. much appriciated.

 

[Jonny V]

Sad to see your last comment steelwheel, I was hoping that it was just you with a case of "Magnum-itis". Have to say though, the quality at Remington has gone way down in recent years. Apparently, they are owned by some corporate group that insists on them turning out rifles in two minutes or less (no joke).

They also now own Marlin, and they fired every single Marlin employee and moved the entire works to the Remington factory and now Marlin rifles are being built by people who have never built a Marlin rifle before, and they're doing it in two minutes or less. That should be a clue as to what sort of "quality" to expect in a Marlin these days.

 

[steelwheelrat]

I keep hearing about the infamous remington lemon. I like the feel of a remington and i dont think anybody ever made a better pump shotgun than the 870, but i really love my p90 ruger and unfortunatly i think i am going to go look at ruger rifles this evening rather than lemongtons

 

[kaferhaus]

i think i am going to go look at ruger rifles this evening rather than lemongtons

yes, since Ruger started making their own barrels again they've returned to what they once were.... for many years they subbed them out and it was a disaster for them. they had earned a rep for some horrible shooting rifles. They seem to have learned the error of their ways but it'll likely take them a decade or more to climb out of the hole they dug.

The same thing has happened at Remington.... they've turned the company over too the bean counters and while prices have gone up the quality has gone to hell.

 

[Jonny V]

You might do yourself a favor by looking at a commercial Mauser. I have a 50 or 60 year old one that is a dream to shoot. You can see the difference in what people produced for their livelihoods years ago. People used to have pride in what they did. Not anymore

Here's a link to a Mauser with chromed barrel and chamber that would cost well over $1000 if it was new today. It's at least as accurate as any modern production rifle, and for $405!

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=9869269.0

You don't need a magnum when you hit center mass with the first shot........

 

[Uncle Mike]

Just a thought...but, IF you do not want to spend the cash for a new rifle right now, send the rifle back to Remington, tell them the .0085" story and let them fix it.

It's NOT the 'hands on', blue collar employees that are at fault at Remington, but the management controlling how the blue collar guys operate. Remington has been pretty good about repairs...so far.

Just a thought....

 

[kaferhaus]

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/di...mnum=9869269.0

Not bad for the price, but it's a "budget" rifle from the get go. The cheesy safety conversion instead of the much nicer and easier to manipulate 3 position safety, the original bolt profile which will require high scope rings for clearance, plain stock with too much drop in it for easy scope use....

But again for the price, not bad and you certainly couldn't build a similar one for the money.

 

[Jonny V]

Didn't mean to come across as blaming the guy doing the work. Whether at Remington, General Motors, or Boeing, the guy doing the work is not at fault. He builds what he is told to build, until management gets their hands on enough foreign (virtual) slave labor to fire all the Americans that work for them. The great American corporate dream in action.....

I guess kaferhaus has a couple points, but you know what? I can get a new stock and have my safety converted. Depending on your choice of scopes and mounts, the mounting thing isn't such a big deal. And you know what? When I'm done, I'll have a Mauser 98 (greatest of all time) and other guys will still have (what)?, imitations of the Mauser, that's what!

My life has been much more fun since I started refusing to go along with the corporate thing. I take pride in being part of creating my own "perfect rifle". 'Creating your own' does not mean picking out one of two "options" that a manufacturer gives up.

My rifle is the same model as the one in the link, and after comparing it side by side with Winchesters, Remingtons, and a Howa at my local range, the "budget" rifle not only holds its own, it's superior in many ways. It's only a "budget" item if you look at it that way. As far as quality of workmanship, it's better. Accuracy (with my peep sights against their scopes) I'd call even. Most of them don't even have irons. Reliability?, I win again...Looks?, I win.....Cost?, I for sure win.

Plus, the Mauser is a legit piece of history. Between two world wars, and various smaller conflicts, something on the order of 100 million lives and the fate of three continents have been dependent on, or lost to, Mauser rifles. There is no good reason not to own, and shoot, one of these.

 

[WYcoyote]

I went to see my gunsmith friend last night...........he told me what i pretty much already knew but really didnt want to hear........"get rid of this SOB!"

He chambered a factory load with a piece of .0085 shim stock between the primer and bolt. the bolt dropped like nothing was there. i am going to give up on it.

I think im just going to make a boat ore out of it and go by a 300wsm or 7mm rem mag (the wife is gonna be pissed). In this part of the country mags are over kill for white tails but i could still take it Mule'y hunting or chase antelope some day.


thanks for all the input guys. much appriciated.

I have had similar luck with my .300WM M70 Winchester Classic Stainless, tried everything, and gave up. It's getting a new barrel from Benchmark.

 

[Skylerbone]

I like Uncle Mike's suggestions and advice best.

It's easy on line to diagnose every problem by calling out the manufacturer. We don't know the extent of your ability, the ability of your rifle or the condition of any part of your set up.

I may be a lucky man but every rifle I have ever owned will shoot MOA at 100 yards. No aftermarket triggers, barrels or voodoo. I didn't buy my first aftermarket parts until 2 months ago. I'm not the the best shot by any stretch but sometimes even a less than perfect rifle can be a shooter without over investing in it.

Make that call to Remington. FWIW, by the chrony, Federal Fusion was (in my sample) the most consistent with an 11 fps spread. Hornady Superformance was the most accurate followed by Winchester Supreme. Of course only the consistency means anything significant as these were fired from a T/C Encore with a custom barrel (not mine, my barrels are all factory...for now).