Remington 78 in .270

[thewillweeks]

So I've got this Remington 78 in .270 that I got used, and have been shooting just as is. I've tried two different hunting rounds out of it, 130gr soft points, and with both I'm right at 2 inches shooting leaning against a bale (it's a fairly realistic support for what I'm actually going to be doing in the field so it suits me better than benching it or prone, except when zeroing the gun).

I'm not interested in match ammo, unless it's also usable for hunting. This isn't a target gun, its just for hunting. It's not free floated, and the stock seems to be closer to the barrel on one side, has more contact.

So here are my thoughts on tightening my groups up.
1) Sand the stock a little to free float it, till I can slip a dollar bill through smoothly. The way I see it I at least need to even out the contact the stock is making, even if I don't free float it.
2) If that doesn't have the desired results, put a pillar with a few pounds of pressure at the front of the stock.

Some people have told me the older guns don't benefit as much sometimes from free floating, and that can actually negatively affect accuracy, is that true? Should I try the pillar bedding thing first?

Thanks guys and gals!

 

[jmr40]

Free floating may not improve accuracy, but with standard sporter weight barrels almost never makes it worse. Some pencil thin barrels shoot a little better with full contact.

Floating the barrel is easy enough for a DIY project, I see no downside to trying. Do that 1st. Use a deep well socket wrapped with sandpaper. Move up in size if you need too.

I can't remember, are the 78's ADL or are they BDL with a floorplate? If it has a floorplate there are several options for aftermarket synthetic stocks that will come with pillars or full bedding blocks and be floated. It wouldn't cost a lot more to put a B&C Medalist stock on it than pay someone to float, install pillars and bed the factory stock. And it'd dress up the old budget gun with a nicer stock at the same time. Just a thought. Not as many options for blind magazine rifles.

https://www.stockysstocks.com/stock...wsm-weatherby-mk-v-with-aluminum-bedding.html

 

[eastbank]

float the barrel if needed and seal it good, and so a light sanding of the stock and seal also and then take it hunting. a friend who was always short on funds bought one used years ago in .308 and did those things and its a honest 1.5" gun at 100yrds. with rem 150gr factory ammo. eastbank.

 

[thewillweeks]

Honestly, for the $250 I have in it, scope and all, I'm not horrible annoyed with 2" from a realistic shooting position. I'll go ahead and free float it when I get the chance, I'm not putting to much money in it to replace the stock though, I'm not going to use this beyond 2moa range really...ever so I'm just being picky even now lol. The only thing I might replace would be a scope that I could shuffle off to a different rifle later.

I'll go ahead and sand and seal and see what happens, thanks for the input!

 

[TwoEyedJack]

I have this rifle. When I got it, the accuracy was about what you are seeing. I free floated and glass bedded it, and the accuracy increased dramatically. It would put three 130 grain ballistic tips into 3/8" all day long using H450.

I did a crappy job sealing the fore end, and it started warping badly. Then I found a 700 ADL walnut stock at a pawn shop for cheap, so I bedded the action to that stock and it still a 3/8" shooter, although I have had to go to IMR4350 now that H450 is unobtainable. I don't get quite the velocity as H450.

One thing I really like about this rifle is that it has a pretty long throat. I can load a 130 gr. Sierra Game King to 3.400" (Hodgdon manual says 3.23") and still feed it through the magazine.

I put a Redfield Revolution 3-9X40 on it and it is my favorite deer rifle.

 

[Hookeye]

Cheaper version of 700 ADL IIRC...........when they did a "sportsman" series (also did that with 870 and 1100 and 7400 and 7600).
The sportsman 870 was pre "express" line.

Float it.

I have on all my 700, 600 and 7's.

On the ADL the mag spacer is attached with a screw. Make sure your stock is clearanced for it. Or remove the screw and tab and just let the mag spacer stay in by tension.

I know on two ADL synths the stocks were not clearanced. On my BDL I think I just cut that tab off and went without a screw. That was 30 yrs ago LOL............been a few beers since then.

Should not need to bed the entire action. Did that on my .300 winmag BDL, proly wasn't needed though.

Have since gotten more lazy, just free float, bed the lug and up around first action screw, to unitize the area. That's it. Synth stock you might not even have to do that. Wood I did, when Brownells Microbed was available.

 

[Sunray]

Shooting leaning against a bale isn't a good way to test accuracy. You need the bench to eliminate you're quaking and shaking. And it's got nothing to do with you. We all do it.
As mentioned, floating a barrel guarantees nothing. Some rifles like it, some do not. Only way to find out if your M78 does is to try it.
Your dollar bill should slip up the barrel channel only as far as the chamber area. Not to the receiver. And if you're going to float the barrel, you might as well bed the receiver too.
Bedding just the lug and up around first action screw doesn't do much of anything. The idea is to make the stock and action more of a single piece. Bedding the receiver is to keep the thing from moving around in the stock.
After all that, if it consistently shoots that 2", I'd leave it alone. A Rem M78 isn't a target rifle and consistent groups are way more important than the magical MOA groups the gun rag writers have been blathering about for 50 years.

 

[thewillweeks]

I'm well aware it's not the most stable position, that was the point. If I can't shoot well enough to hit a deer in a potentially realistic position, when I've zeroed the gun from a better position, what's the point right? I just don't remember the size of groups when shooting for zeroing. I'm just waiting for a trip to town to get the needed materials to proceed now.

 

[Hookeye]

My ,243 BDL from about '74 was a 2" gun with factory ammo.
Buddy gave me reloads and that got it close to an inch.
I bedded the recoil lug up and around first action screw, free floated the bbl and handloaded my own.
Sporter shot sub .5 MOA

I did the same thing to my 700 ADL synth, but also filled forend hollows.
Same load........slightly reduced due to FL sized (since new gun) did .60".............brand new gun, within first dozen shots.

No "break in" BS.

I necksized and upped the charge and shot two back to back groups at .50" the next week............with 4 of the 5 going .330

Twice, in a row. Stunned Mr Bullberry customer swabbing his whatever bbl. He told me Big Green has a run of bad throats and to not expect much from my cheapo ADL. Was there when I initially zeroed and was just over 1/2 inch. Was there the following wee when I ripped the smaller groups. Leupold tactical was only 9X too (young eyes and OK glass are a pretty good combo).
Bipods and rear bag, how I zero all my stuff.

Same crap on another ADL synth has me running old loads (from the old gun)........decade old.............just under an inch.

Again sporter weight.

You can bed your whole action if you want. Might help, might not. If you do just the recoil lug area and extend it for better purchase around front action screw (bedding material to stock).............and it doesn't work well enough.............it's no big deal to do the rest.

Not a benchrester, but have been a chuck killing machine for a few decades.

Why do more than what is needed?

Wood is nice, feels great, looks awesome (some better than others- my.300 Winmag with full bedding was gorgeously fiddled w gold). After full action bedding and free float it put factory rounds right at an inch @ 100.

Funny, I didn't do crap to my 7 mag and it was a 1.2" rig all day long (with smokin hot handloads).

So...............freefloat it and shoot. It might be enough. If you wanna go full out after that so be it.

Personally, unless the stock is stunningly good looking, I wouldn't waste my time messing with it.

Buy a synth and then mod that.

BTW, the old Dexter Hysol aluminum filled Epoxy Patch stuff (from work) was good on synth stocks.

 

[Hookeye]

Easier to work on ones skills at the bench, then take that to field position shooting.
Nice to compare to a known good.

 

[Hookeye]

If you bed the lug your action shouldn't be moving around, unless your stock is crappy.

Guys popping actions from the stocks repeatedly, going for 500plus yard stuff (or sub .25 MOA).........yeah, all that little stuff can add up.

Getting a 700 to go sub MOA should be easy. THAT'S why they are so popular, they respond well to minor tweaks.

Getting them to go .5 MOA isn't unrealistic, for sporters. Some do, some don't.
If you're not handloading, probably won't.

Varmint models going "one hole" plus some sporters in varmint calibers, some guys find the magic reload for such.

I'm happy with a boomer going sub 1.5 MOA for deer. A group with no shift is fine.

Yotes I wan't .75"..........and chucks .50".

Just got a #1 RSI in .243 win. If it shoots handloads (100gr deer bullets) at 1.5" I'll consider it "good enough".

My ugly as sin Savage Axis after stock work put cheapo WW silver box 100gr factory ammo at .50".........hated the long action for a short action cartridge (another .243).............stock and ergo sucked............but that homely rifle impressed me barrel wise!

Sold it.

.5" rifle............never tested it with handloads. Might have been a shocker!

But too gangly and ugly to sit in my safe. That rifle shot great, felt horrible.
My funds from that went into a used 700.

May never shoot as good as that Savage. Don't care. I'll take .75" as it's just a yote rig.

 

[eastbank]

we rifle shooters seem to chase the MOA or smaller shooting rifles, but the truth be know for 90 percent of our hunting and target shooting a rifle that will shoot 1.5-2 inch groups time after time will bring home the bacon. i have a light weight rem 7mm08 that from a cold barrel will put the first two shots darn near touching and the third opens the group up to the size of a quarter at 100 yrds, i have not done any work on the rifle other than reloading for it(44grs varget and a 120 nosler BT) i have killed a few deer at close to 300yrds with that rifle and most of us will not need a better hunting rifle. eastbank.

 

[Hookeye]

Grew up shooting chucks.
Deer rifle for most sub 2" is fine.
I'd like sub 1.5" LOL

Varmints.........it's gotta be half that, or better.

My deer rifle is a .35 Rem TC. Short, light..........and with handloads does right at an inch at 100 for 5 shots. Max mag for scope is 7X

Nice confidence builder.

Had an 1894 Marlin, .44 mag. It was sub 2" w factory ammo. Again, 7X scope.
For that type of rig/cartridge I thought that downright good.

Sold it because I just couldn't get into the ergonomics of the thing. Not really a lever guy.

Will work with a gun to try for best groups possible, but won't be upset if it shoots to my min specs. Gotta be realistic about it.

Looking for a 7 mag again. 1.5" or under with 160's max'd...........plenty good enough for me.

 

[Hookeye]

Possible clarification.

Taking my recoil lug bedding up to the front action screw is to increase the amount of epoxy to stock surface area (and to make the epoxy shelf thicker).

No function other than doing that.

Has worked very well for me for decades.

Maybe carryover from wood stock work, maybe overkill with synths.
But then if it's overkill...........what is bedding the whole action?

Anymore, I'd just as soon buy an HS Precision stock and just drop it in (had Model 7 and 700's with them- worked fine). My yote rifle might get one this summer.
But then, I'd really like a Weatherby Mk V in .257 for yotes...........pretty wood stock.................just because.

 

[TwoEyedJack]

Here are a couple of targets from my Sportsman 78 in .270. I had much better eyesight back then, and shot these with a 4X Bushnell Banner.





So these budget rifles can definitely shoot with a little bit of tweaking with the bedding.

I have another load that was almost as accurate, shooting a 110 gr. HP at nearly 3,400 fps. It was like lightning on rock chucks. I don't shoot that one much anymore since it recoils too much to see what is happening.

 

[thewillweeks]

Easier to work on ones skills at the bench, then take that to field position shooting.
Nice to compare to a known good.

It's actually a surprisingly effective position for me, I printed a .55 group with factory reman from my free floated Colt just after finishing with the .270.