Model 70 goes sub MOA after warmup?

[bhhoyer]

Hello,

I was just getting my Model 70 30-'06 ready for an upcoming pig hunt. Yesterday I fired a 1.5" 3 shot group from a cold barrel (succesive shots were in a vertical string hi to low). Then shot a 0.45" group.

This morning I repeated the setup, 3 shots into 1.5" followed by 0.39" group. There was a 5minute break between groups.

The barrel is free-floated although I'm going to retest it warm tomorrow morning. I'm also using a new Nikon 3-9X Scope on a one-piece base.

Certainly good enough to hunt with, but does anyone know what's happening?

Cheers,
Bryan Hoyer

 

[Koobuh]

Probably the action settling after being jostled around.
A lot of barrels shoot better with a bit of fouling, too- that would probably account for the stringing you noticed, on top of the barrel heating up.

Is the stock made of wood, or synthetic? That will also make a difference, as the shape of a wooden stock will change as the humidity of the air changes, leading to the action needing to settle itself. Try to keep your screws tight, and cinch them up before shooting.

 

[g5reality]

Where will you be hunting

I'm in teh LA area, where will you be huntiong? I will be part of a hunt in the next few weeks in the Santa Barbara, Ojai area. Please let us know the success of your hunt. I will be getting a Remington 700 CDL in 30-06 this week in for my hunt.

 

[itgoesboom]

Whats your cleaning regimen? Were the two 1.5" groups shot through a clean bore, or was it already fouled?

As Koobah mentioned, rifles often shoot best after some fouling shots.

I.G.B.

 

[.30-378]

Loosen all three screws holding the gun together and then tighten them in this order: 1) middle, 2) behind the trigger and 3) floor plate. Here is the trick I know. 1 should just be snug plus 1/8 turn, 2 should be as tight as you can get it without damaging anything or slipping and 3 should be snug plus about 1/4 turn. Have 8 Model 70s and a friend has 4. One of his did it and one of my Supergrades did it. Now they don't.

 

[rustymaggot]

sometimes a rifle can shoot better with a little fouling. my 30-06 groups doubled in size after i used some copper solvent and removed my fouling. after 10 shots the groups came back to what i expected. now i dont even brush my bore, i just use solvent and patches. the old thing is giving me the best groups ever since i quit scrubbing.

 

[CDignition]

you should shoot 5 rounds for grouping..3 round it just too easy and not a real indicator of performance.

 

[goalie]

When you're hunting, what really matters is the one round group.

If you know exactly where the first round goes, you often don't need follow-ups.

 

[bhhoyer]

More Results

but first to answer the questions

Wood Stock
Barrel has been fouled for all shots
I'm hunting a private ranch near Casa de Fruta (Intersection of HiWay 152 and 156) I'll post results.

I retightened the screws per the suggested sequence/torque. Today was windy gusting 10-15 at 2 O Clock

Shot 1-3 String Vertically 1.2"
~5 Minute rest action open
Shot 4-6 0.7" triangle 3/4" left and about midpoint of the first group

I'm thinking about bedding the action after this hunt is over.

Bryan

 

[rustymaggot]

id say just zero the scope for the cold shot and do a group of cold shots 1 shot a day and see how big that is. are you leaving the ammo in the sun? first shot a cold cartridge and the rest warmed up in the sun might give you strange strings.