Remington 700 - looking for advice

[Howa 9700]

BTW, I think I am now up to at least 6 variables to consider.

Stock
Barrel
Scope/Optics
Ammunition (with at least 5 or 6 sub-variables to account for)
Shooter
Conditions

A lot to wade through to get to the bottom of what my problem is. I'm hoping better reloads solves most of it.

 

[Nature Boy]

You’ll find your list of variables will be easier to eliminate if you take them one at a time.

You can’t do that if you’re bringing a new load to every range session.

 

[JFrank]

Gotta take a wind flag also, a 1 mph full value wind can move a 6 mm quite a bit so this helps me to analyze the targets and not get too wrapped up into a single target.
Below vvv I think these are the result of slow firing against a slight wind.

 

[Howa 9700]

What are the chances those are two groups........1, 2 and 3 with a cold barrel.........4, 5 and 6 after barrel got hot?

Prevailing wind that day was coming from 7 o'clock........over my left shoulder, but due to range being a hole in the trees, tends to swirl around a lot. Would go from dead calm to stiff enough to blow note papers around on the bench. Dealing with the wind has always been a problem doing load development. Blowing about 20 mph today with gusts over 30. Perhaps the nice folks at Sierra Bullet will let me shoot my groups down their 100 yard underground tunnel?

 

[243winxb]

2 groups can be a bedding problem. Action not tight in the stock. The stock screw can be tight, but being stopped by the magazine.

 

[JFrank]

Some days just are not good.

Without flags during testing you’ll never know for sure what’s going on, sometimes we adjust for wind but the when we get a let up, we have over corrected or waited too long. It happens to me all the time shooting Benchrest where I’m still not as fast getting rounds down range as other fellas creating split groups as conditions change. Another way to combat conditions while testing is shoot round robin format with staggered firing order at one or multiple points of aim. Here I’m getting hammered by the wind but I know my load is good by looking at the low vertical dispersion.

 

[lightman]

I have a few suggestions. If you tried these already I guess I missed it and I apologize. Call your Smith and ask if he worked on the barrel crown. If not, consider having him re-do it. This is usually done in a lathe but there are a few tools sold that can be used by hand. A shooting buddy has gotten real good with using a round headed brass screw and valve grinding compound! Next, see if the front scope base screw is touching the barrel threads. If so, shorten it. Older bases came with 4 matching screws.The newer ones that I have seen come with one shorter screw. And next, break down your bolt and give it a cleaning. Degrease the interior of the bolt body and the firing pin/spring. See if the spring is bunched up or if its straight. They make a tool for bolt disassembly that makes the job easier but it can be done without the tool.

Others have mentioned the barrel channel. I try to sand mine out so that a business card will slide between it and the barrel. The bare wood needs to be sealed. Try-oil, Varnish, Polyurethane, ect.

For what its worth, most of my 700's will shoot an inch or less with hunting bullets. I favor Sierra. My rebarreled 700's will all shoot one hole groups less than 1/2 inch.

And last of all, Good Luck!

 

[emb]

Howa. Dumb question. Do you use something like a lead sled or other shooting rest for testing? That takes most of the "you" out of the shot. I do let my barrel cool every 2-3 shots. I understand the value the rifle has to you. I still have my very first rifle from 1969. I bought it with my paper route money for $99. It's a 30.06 sold by Coast to Coast. A retired Winchester exec told me they made those rifles. That rifle always throws the first couple of shots high and will settle down after 2 "fouling shots". I've never been able to get rid of that. But, it will shoot (without me in the equation) 1" groups at 200 yards and not a centimeter better-if the barrel is cool and fouled. If the barrel heats up, it will do what yours is doing. The action is a little loose in the stock, and the barrel is not floated. Sometimes it is what it is, and I can live with it. I will never sell that gun or change a thing. As far as powders I get consistent results with IMR 4350 and a 100 grn Nosler Partition that I load for Ruger 77/243. Good luck.

 

[Howa 9700]

Shooting off Caldwell bags. Front and back off a cement bench. 3-9X scope cranked up to 9X.

Something tells me a one hour session with an experienced shooter who really knows what they are doing would do wonders to improve my groups........but until then..............

 

[Howa 9700]

BTW, no crown work or anything else beyond a trigger job, pillar bedding and floating the barrel.