30-06 Problem

Have the pastor take the curse off and pray for your rifle. ;)
Actually, good advice already given.
I'll ditto the bedding, free float and add a good barrel scrubbing.
 
I agree that you've gotten some good suggestions here.

Other things to check:

1. Loosen the stock screws and take the barrel in one hand and forend in the other. Move the barrel sideways within the barrel channel and see if the action moves around in the stock. If so, it should be glassbedded.

As a temporary measure, try putting a couple of layers of black electrical tape on the receiver at 4 and 8 o'clock (analog). Set the barrelled action in the stock again and re-try moving the barrel. If it's still loose, add another layer and try again.

2. Remove the pressure pad with sandpaper wrapped on a dowel. Reassemble and tighten stock screws adequately, but not to the wood crush point. (Despite many tries, I haven't had good luck trying business cards under the barrel to improve accuracy.) Free-floating is usually best!

3. When shooting from the bench, use a slip-on recoil pad, or a sand bag between you and the rifle butt.

JP
 
Wrap a dollar bill around barrel...

and run down the stock, any stoppages indicate barrel contact with stock and need some clearance.

Follow other advise as given.

Some rifle are particular about ammo.
 
Thanks again, I'm flooded with fantastic advice. No, the Leupold did not come with the gun for $250 (dag nab it!) the stringing is definitely horizontal and my best group went 1-5/8" I'll be at the range next week fine tuning and trying to make a shooter out of this ugly duckling. I may switch to a synthetic stock to see how that affects groups. I saw saw little bit of primer flattening and cratering on my 57 gr H 4350 loads. might back it off to 56 grains.

P.S. As to buying a Savage . .that's true. I don't think they're that ugly. They're cheap and accurate and generally outshoot a rifle costing many times their cost. With the accutrigger and bedding system, the stinkers will do everything but enhance your reputation at hunting camp!
 
Last edited:
OK,lateral stringing.Changing powder does not fix that.Does it have the old school Redfield/Leupold type base with the two opposing screws in the rear base?Pressure on one side of the forend,etc.Be a detective,think it through.
 
Enjoyable Challange

I love the challenge of fixing a problem such as you are having. Thats part of the fun, and you'll learn a lot.
 
"Lateral stringing is a mount or scope problem, not usually a rifle problem."

True. It could also be a trigger problem. I have three Remington 700 rifles, a BDL and two Classics. The BDL is a 30-06 and the Classics are in 30-06 and .35 Whelen. The 30-06 Classic was a great shooter from the get go but the other two had somewhat gritty triggers and I never could get decent groups from them. After having trigger jobs done by my gunsmith, the other rifles now shoot right along with the Classic.
I'm always tikering with my rifles and one of the best investments that I think I've made is getting one of those "Fat Wrench" inch pound torque screwdrivers. They go a long way toward proper tightening of all screws, be that for the scope of stock. They tell you how much for wood or synthetic and what weight to do if the gun is pillar bedded ot not pillar bedded.
Yu aid you were shooting the 165 gr. Sierra. Was that the regular spitzer boattail or the hollow point boattail? I got .75" with the hollowpoint boattail from the BDL and the Classic did right t one inch using 57.0 gr. of IMR-4350. I haven't gotten around to opening up my jug of H350 yet as I want to use up the IMR version first. I haven't tried the spitzer boattail yet, only the hollowpoint version.
The 180 gr. Sierra Pro-hunter is a .55" bullet in the BDL I got a perfect 3 shot cloverleaf that meausered .50"x.55". I won't post the load other than to say it was IMR4350 powder and a very stiff load. One group doesn't prove anything so I'll just say the gun did it but don't know if it will do that all or most of the time. Could'a just been luck. we can only wait and see.
Paul B.
 
A quick, cheap way to diagnose stringing is thus.

Fire three shots to warm and foul the barrel.

At a fresh target...
Wait five minutes. Fire ONE shot.
Wait five minutes. Fire your Second Shot.
Wait five minutes. Fire the Third Shot.

If this gets rid of the horizontal stringing you have a barrel that may be suffering from thermal stresses. If it doesn't then trigger or bedding is likely the culprit.

Oh, and take a 22 along so you don't get bored.

Jimro
 
All good advice so far but people miss the obvious, you have a heathen savage beast. Your pastor's rifle has God on its side. Maybe you should take yours to church too.:D
 
Interesting you should mention my pastor, John. He's a God-fearing, Bible-teaching, Soul-winning servant of God. But he loves to hunt and shoot. Often times we bring our rifles to church and shoot out back. In fact he recently lost his Browning BAR 300WSM and we prayed for weeks and he finally located it.
 
Hunted and fished my entire youth with preachers and clergy, nothing wrong with it. Lemme tell ya, those old fellows could shoot too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top