Brad Johnson
Member
I just got a Ruger M77 compact in .223. I took it out for the first time over the weekend and was sorely disappointed.
The best group of the day averaged just under two inches with most being in the 2.5-3" range. As the barrell heated the groups opened up to a sickening four inches. This is with five different brands of ammo in bullet weights from 50 to 55 grains.
I've done all the basics - loosen an retorque the scope and stock mounting screw, scrub the barrel shiny clean, check the crown for nicks and dings, etc. The groups did shrink a bit towards the end of my 100 rd break-in session. Also, the first few rounds from a cold barrel were usually the best. Even a little heat in the barrel resulted in rapid expansion of group size.
I am used to my Win M70 .30-06 that will regularly print groups under 3/4", so maybe I am expecting too much. Do I just need to keep shooting the thing and hope the groups shrink as the barrel smooths up and wears in?
Brad
The best group of the day averaged just under two inches with most being in the 2.5-3" range. As the barrell heated the groups opened up to a sickening four inches. This is with five different brands of ammo in bullet weights from 50 to 55 grains.
I've done all the basics - loosen an retorque the scope and stock mounting screw, scrub the barrel shiny clean, check the crown for nicks and dings, etc. The groups did shrink a bit towards the end of my 100 rd break-in session. Also, the first few rounds from a cold barrel were usually the best. Even a little heat in the barrel resulted in rapid expansion of group size.
I am used to my Win M70 .30-06 that will regularly print groups under 3/4", so maybe I am expecting too much. Do I just need to keep shooting the thing and hope the groups shrink as the barrel smooths up and wears in?
Brad