Pic of my Mountain Rifle

[Sulaco]

Here's a pic of my Remington 700 Mountain Rifle. This one is a walnut stocked, detachable magazine chambered for 7mm-08. It is sporting a Nikon Buckmasters 4X40 scope on Leupold base and rings. I put a Butler Creek sling on it and it weighs in at less than 8 pounds. I lightened the trigger down to around 3 pounds, but it still has some takeup I don't like. I may replace the trigger if I keep the rifle. I am going to take it to the range again in the morning and see how it does from a benchrest instead of offhand. This morning, resting on a range bag, I was getting about 3 or 4 inch groups at 100 yards shooting Hornady 139gr SST Light Magnums. I guess for a modern day production rifle, this isn't too bad, but I am hoping for better.

The lever gun is a Winchester 94 Trapper with a walnut stock and foregrip and a 16" barrel. It is chambered for .44 Magnum and is very accurate (40 yard cloverleafs, iron-sighted, from a semi-rest).

 

[WYO]

I would switch ammo. A Rem 700 in 7mm-08 is capable of sub MOA at 100 yards using factory ammo.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Definitely switch ammo if it won't do better then 3-4 inches. For three shots that Mountain Rifle should be sub-MOA with ammo it likes.

My .260 Mountain Rifle (exact same as yours but in the 6.5mm) will do .75-MOA for 3-rounds at 100-yards with 140gr Remmy factory ammo or 140gr Sierra Gamekings handloaded. With my prefered 125-gr Nosler Partitions, sizzling at a tick over 2900-fps, it goes into about 1.5-2 minutes, which is fine by me. No need for any magnums here, just one well-placed bullet.

 

[Mulliga]

Use the Remmy ammo. I was getting 3" groups from 30 year-old Korean military surplus.

 

[steelhead]

How did it shoot before the trigger job? Since you had removed the stock, try different torque settings with the guard (stock) screws. Having it too tight or too loose can play havoc with your groups.

100 yards and 3-4 inches sounds more than just an ammo problem. Make sure the action is properly bedded to the stock. Check for any wood that is touching the barrel. Finding the right ammo is certainly part of the
"dialing" in process but I bet you have bigger problems than just the Hornady's.

 

[Sulaco]

The barrel is floating. After 2 or 3 rounds, I can see based on the gaps in between the stock and barrel that the barrel is moving. Even if I wait as many as ten or twelve minutes, I still get a group walking high left. This really sucks. I had such high hopes for this rifle mainly because of the barrel. Oh well, I guess I can get that Tikka I have been wanting for a while.

I chrono'd these Hornady's also. I am averaging 3031fps 10 feet from the muzzle.

 

[warriorsociologist]

The barrel is floating. After 2 or 3 rounds, I can see based on the gaps in between the stock and barrel that the barrel is moving. Even if I wait as many as ten or twelve minutes, I still get a group walking high left. This really sucks. I had such high hopes for this rifle mainly because of the barrel. Oh well, I guess I can get that Tikka I have been wanting for a while.

I chrono'd these Hornady's also. I am averaging 3031fps 10 feet from the muzzle.

Hmmm... As I see it, the light-barreled mountain rifles were meant to be easy on the shooter (in terms of weight), but REALLY meant for 1 shot, maybe a follow-up or two. After that, you are not in the realm of what this rifle was designed for (e.g. "mountain hunting," not repeated shots from a bench or otherwise). Heat really effects barrels that thin... However, they can and do excell at what they were designed to do...

 

[Shootist45]

3 inch groups

Sounds like you have a high spot in the LOWER RIGHT side of your barrel channel in the stock.

After firing 3 or 4 shots, just to warm the barrel, see if you can run a piece of paper, a dollar bill will do, between the barrel and stock. If it begins to bind as you move it down toward the action, note where the binding occurs and get some fine sandpaper and a dowl the diameter of your barrel and start to sand SLOWLY.

Keep checking the "free floating" of the barrel until no binds. Then seal the stock with a light coat of sealer and wax.

Hope this helps.

 

[warriorsociologist]

If it begins to bind as you move it down toward the action, note where the binding occurs and get some fine sandpaper and a dowl the diameter of your barrel and start to sand SLOWLY.

Great idea. Now, could he use a piece of v-fine sandpaper to check for FF and then at the same time sand-to-FF? Then (of course) remove the barrel/action to seal the wood.

 

[Shootist45]

Probably not.. Might get small grit under the barrel and paper and then have a barrel with fine scratches and eventually rust.

Best to seperate the action and stock and work slowly.

 

[warriorsociologist]

good point.

 

[Sulaco]

As I understand it, the lightweight barrels shoot better with a pressure point. That is why I haven't free floated it yet. Also, the front sling swivel stud ends basically at the underside of the stock so I am not sure how much I could sand in that spot. Should I still try it? I really am not into fiddling with my hunting rifles all that much. A trigger job (turn a few screws) is about all I care to do normally. Given this outlook, would it be worth it to mess with it?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[rugerfreak]

I would try different ammo---just to be sure----but I'd say the problem is the Remington----out of the at least 6 I've owned----NONE of them would shoot all that good----that's why I own Sako's now------and will NEVER buy another Rem-junker.

Good luck.

 

[warriorsociologist]

If it hits where you want it to for shots 1-3...I'd leave it alone (as a hunting rifle).

 

[Bwana John]

I have a Rem 700 Mnt Rifle in 7mm X 57mm Mauser that wears a 4X Luepold scope. With handloads (140 gr Balistic Tip @ 2850 fps) the rifle will always shoot to the same place and shoot under 1 MOA for 3 shots from a cold barrel, with the second shot usually kissing the first. Groups open up from there (5 shot~2 MOA). The barrel channel in the end of the stock has a pressure pad ~2" long which does exert upward pressure on the barrel when the action is screwed all the way in to the stock. A dollar bill can be passed between the stock and barrel from just forward of the barrel/action lug, to within 2" of the end of the stock. I was going to freefloat mine all the way when I got it in '92, but when it shot so well I decieded to leave it alone (and it has continued to shoot well).

 

[Mulliga]

Floating is BAD for the Remington 700 Mountain, I believe.

http://www.gun-tests.com/performance/may97fixer.html

Mine (in .30-06) has the "pressure point" right near the front. It's about an inch wide. You can slide a dollar bill from the action to the pressure point, but you hit an inch-wide part where the stock contacts the barrel.

Good luck. You could always send it back to Remington, I suppose.

 

[Sulaco]

Yesterday, I was shooting from a bench resting the gun on a range bag. I would say this setup is much like how I would take a shot from a tree stand using a rail. At 100 yards, I shot 3 and 4 inch groups. Most of the time, the first two rounds were close and probably within an inch. Then, the last round would be a flyer and open the groups way up. Ocassionally, the flyer would be round one or two. I waited anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes between shots, but always until the barrel cooled.

Today, I tried not only my Hornady ammo, but also two different types of Winchester and some Remington ammo with the same results. The Hornady and one type of Winchester were the most accurate grouping between 2 and 3 inches. I was using a bench rest this time to really tighten up my groups. It helped some, but not a lot.

Since I noticed the barrel walking, I am thinking that playing with the stock torque won't have that much effect on the groups. The only thing I can figure is that maybe bedding the entire action and barrel will help keep the barrel from walking. However, this only addresses groups. It doesn't fix the flyer problem. This I can only assume is barrel related. Anyone know for sure what causes flyers? Or what could be causing mine?

Thanks.

 

[meh92]

Nice rifle. I'm sure you'll get the accuracy thing figured out. I don't have a lot of centerfire rifle experience but many of my friends are shooting various Remington's and the rifles are all quite acceptable in the acuracy dept.

I am looking at possibly building a similar rifle only using a model 7 action. and a slightly higher power optic. The idea is tempting.

 

[Bwana John]

Heres a post-action picture of my Mnt Rifle, at 10,000 ft elevation, in the mountains. Edited to ask, "How come my pictures do not appear, they need to be downloaded to be seen?"

 

[armoredman]

My Mosin M38 gives me 3 inch groups at 100 yards, and I am happy, but 1 62 year old war carbine against a modern scoped hunting rifle shouldn't be the same. Hope you get your running good - I am going to do what I can to tighten my groups up too!

 

[Bwana John]

I just remembered a fix for barrels with a forward pressure point. Take a business card (or 2) and place it under the barrel at the forward part of the stock with the action removed them screw it back together (forward recoil lug screw torqued, rear screw snugged). This should create more upward pressure, and absorbe the barrel's vibrations faster(?),(or what ever it does). Then go shoot it and see if it shoots any better with more upward pressure.