Hello all. Has anyone ever had issues with a XBolt with 1:8 twist not grouping 55grain bullet? I have tried two different scopes all scopes lapped and levelled and torqued to spec barrel is free floating. I am wondering if it is the 1:8 twist. Really hoping I can shoot lighter bullets like a 55 grain for yotes. I have tried Hornady with 55g V Max and also Remington 55’s.
Browning X Bolt .223 1:8 twist
- Thread starter Hurst1324
- Start date
- Status
Demi-human
maybe likes firearms a little bit…
It isn’t the twist.
@Demi-human is right. The problem isn’t the twist rate.
What is your group size?
And at what distance?
What are you shooting off of?
Are you applying pressure to the stock?
What’s the crown of your barrel look like?
Does the rifle feel comfortable to you when you shoot it?
How does the chamber throat and rifling look?
So many questions need to be asked.
What is your group size?
And at what distance?
What are you shooting off of?
Are you applying pressure to the stock?
What’s the crown of your barrel look like?
Does the rifle feel comfortable to you when you shoot it?
How does the chamber throat and rifling look?
So many questions need to be asked.
Bacon buster
Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2021
- Messages
- 308
Check your base screws as well as the stock screws to make sure they aren’t loose
I am shooting off a lead sled at 100 yards the most was about 3” group crown looks good. It is a new gun rifling look good fro what I can see.
Ok I’ll go over rifle again.
Have you shot off sled much? It’s easy to torque a stock in a sled if it’s not on something really solid. Try shooting off sticks, a bag up front, or just the front rest (turn the sled sideways). That will take the side or twisting torque off the rifle.
Ok I have bags also I’ll try that but that’s what I use for all my other light recoil rifles. Good info never thought of that
Bacon buster
Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2021
- Messages
- 308
I don’t want to assume anything so no offense meant. Did you thoroughly clean the rifle before shooting? Factories will grease those barrels and chambers pretty good and if it’s not cleaned out it can cause accuracy issues. Also new rifles need rounds put through them to settle down and lap in. I’d probably break it in and once you notice the barrel getting easier to clean I’d start shooting groups. Until then shoot a few n clean.
Yeah I broke it in by shooting one and clean shoot five then clean and repeated that half a dozen times. There are probably 50 plus rounds down the tube. I did clean it all before shooting. And no offence taken every bit of info is helpful if I didn’t clean it or break it in that could have been the problem.
What kind of groups can you get with your other rifles off the sled? One of the worst things you can do when chasing accuracy is guess. Instead, start eliminating things in an order. It’s like working on an older vehicle that isn’t running right. Start with the cheapest and most likely things first like plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter. Then work your way up to the more expensive or harder to change things like distributor, fuel pump, ignition box.
In this case, I’d start with basics like visual inspection, screws, stock fit, ammunition (not necessarily the cheapest right now), torque placed on the rifle. All things you can discover and change. And then move up to the more expensive things like the scope (which you’ve eliminated), barrel fit, action alignment, etc.
Possibly a silly question, but are your bases (not rings) tight?
Another thing....When you load those 60gr bullets, try a dummy round and see where bullet contacts the rifling. You might have too much free bore.
With my 22.250 model 11 savage I get under 1” ground off sled. Half the price of this XBolt. Lol. I measured every .224 bullet I have on my shelf today so I know what what each one measures when to lands. I will do the same for the 60 gr. I lapped and levelled and torqued the rings and bases the other day for the second time just in case something was off. I am in Canada so I still can get my hands on supplies we are just starting to see the ammo shortage now. Bullets and powder mostly which is weird. I can get primers no problem.
Bacon buster
Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2021
- Messages
- 308
I’ve had a few rifles that wouldn’t group until about the 20-25 round count after a cleaning. By 50 rounds dirty it went from 1 1/2” to .6 .7
Bacon buster
Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2021
- Messages
- 308
Measure Cbto and oal on a round. Load it in the magazine and chamber it like you normally would and then pull it back out and measure it again. Look for scratches gouges dents deformed tip and so on. Make sure you don’t have a subtle feeding issue that could be distorting the bullets slightly
Ok topic change for just a second....My advice, start buying. Even if you don’t need them right now. You likely will in the future. Winchester is on a 2 year backlog for 22lr orders. And Vista Federal, Remington, and others, is on a $1 Billion backlog for orders. If you have the opportunity to buy reloading supplies, do it. Trust me on this one. This shortage is just starting to affect you. It will get worse.
Yes it was the same outcome.
GooseGestapo
Member
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2003
- Messages
- 6,153
Try different bullets and powders.
Some rifles don’t like the Hornady tangent ogive.
Sierra and Nosler use a secant ogive.
If the rifle won’t group Sierra’s, then something is wrong.
I recently had a similar issue with a Remington M700 Tactical. 20” Heavy barrel refused to shoot under 2”. After 200-250rounds it’s now shooting 5-shots in the .8’s and .9’s.
I suggest taking it out and running 200rds +/- plinking objects on the berm...
Then clean it well, fire a few fouling shots and check again.
Some rifles don’t like the Hornady tangent ogive.
Sierra and Nosler use a secant ogive.
If the rifle won’t group Sierra’s, then something is wrong.
I recently had a similar issue with a Remington M700 Tactical. 20” Heavy barrel refused to shoot under 2”. After 200-250rounds it’s now shooting 5-shots in the .8’s and .9’s.
I suggest taking it out and running 200rds +/- plinking objects on the berm...
Then clean it well, fire a few fouling shots and check again.
You are the second person to tell me that. I’ll get some cheap canpro bullets and load some up and try to see if it tightens up. Thanks.
Bacon buster
Member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2021
- Messages
- 308
It took my sps tactical about 400 rounds to buff out but I never saw any groups bigger than 1 1/2”
- Status
