Do I have a dud Rem 700 VS??

M

Mike50

New member
I'm looking for you experienced varminter/targeters to ease my mind on this. I've got a brand new 700 VS in .223 Rem. Mounted a new, but temporary 4X scope. I've now fired 10 shots through this gun. 4 shots, a good cleaning with patches only. Then 2 - 3 shot groups. One with Rem 50 gr Soft Points, the other with Rem 55 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. First group went 1 7/8", the second 1 3/8".

I won't be able to fire the gun for at least another 10 days. This performance seems awfully disappointing to me. I'm an experienced shooter with medium caliber guns. Have reloaded extensively, and realize that guns can be finicky about their loads.

I just expected this heavy 26" barrel, if it was truly accurate, would shoot any ammo at all better than those groups.

Also, is it normal for the forward stock screw to have only 1 1/2 turns from full-tight to disengagement? Awfully little thread to hold, there. Seems strange to me.

Am I expecting too much? All comments would be appreciated, especially those that come before I leave!! Thanks.

Mike

[Edited by Mike50 on 03-10-2001 at 10:26 PM]
 
HS Stock..........

Mike50, pull the action, and check the bottom of the stock where the recoil lug rests.

If it is touching the bottom, or sides of the stock you need some adjustments.

Also, is the recoil lug( backside), making full contact against the alum bedding block?...if not, it should be, at least even across the back.

Check under the rear tang...if there is any black over spray, or stock goop in this area, scrape it out.( front, also).
Look at the front of the action, where it sits on the sides of the HS alum block...can you see two contact points on the reciever?.

Should be a thin 1/8th", to 3/16th's abrasion line( alum rubbed off), on the reciever.

Go to a Rem warranty station, and get a rear action screw, cut it to where you can get enough turns into the reciever, to be flush with the inside of the reciver...not so long that it will hit your bolt, when camming action.

Torque the action screws to 65inch #'s...front one LAST.

Lastly...how much clearance do you have in between the barrel, and channel?.

Need at least .060 ....barrels whip @ 26" a lot more than most think.

LOL..........
 
Thanks, those are some great suggestions! The abrasion lines are just as you described. I was concerned - didn't think they looked right. I had the stock out last night just to check the gun over. I didn't pay attention to how the recoil lug was fitting into its channel.
 
The key to this post is the "temporary" 4- power scope. What kind of groups do you expect? Also, and equally, if not more important is that you probably haven't adjusted your trigger. The factory pull is probably 6# plus, and shouldn't be over 2.5-3#. (My VS, with a Timney trigger, is currently pulling at just over 1#)

Get a better scope and your groups will magically shrink.

If you've been playing around with the action screws, make sure that you retorque them to 65 in/lbs.

The last five-shot group that I measured from my .223 VS was .246", using handloaded 55r. Ballistic Tips and H335 powder.
 
Scope does matter.

I brought the trigger on my VS .308 down to a minimal amount and I have a Leupold 6.5-20x50 LRT on it. I can shoot 1/2" groups at 100 quite often with my 168 Sierra reloads. Of course I am on 20 power. I think the 4x scope probably has a lot to do with it. It will come around once you get those things taken care of. Good luck.
 
The scope does matter, but not as much as you think. The guys that shoot Hunter Class Benchrest use 6 power scopes. You know, the guys that shoot .200" groups.

Something else to check, put the action back in the stock, replace the front guard screw. Now check the tang, is there any clearence under it? My friends Sendero, my 700VS and my M70 Laredo (all HS stocks) all had daylight under the tang. You are actually bending the action and stock together, that can't be good. We bedded all of them with Brownell's Steel Bed, and they shoot much better. The unexplainable fliers went away.
 
You guys may be correct, but I have shot many 5 shot 3/4" groups with a 4X scope with 2 different rifles I own. Heck, I even have an old Marlin 336 30-30 that will pretty consistently shoot 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 groups with a 2 3/4 power scope.

I haven't adjusted the trigger yet, because I don't want to void the warranty before I determine the rifle is OK. It is heavy - in fact its off my trigger gauge. But it is still very crisp.

I'm wondering if I should return the rifle while I can.
 
I don't think you'd have any warranty problems, unless you attempt to get warranty coverage on a trigger that you've screwed up. There really isn't much you can do to screw it up. Don't expect good groups with a heavy trigger. (Come to think of it, there isn't very much on a bolt rifle to screw up, at all. I wouldn't think that Rem. would void your warranty, if you had a defective bolt, just because you'd lightened the trigger pull.
 
How windy was it? I've seen hard core BENCHREST shooters popping groups that were over an inch at 100 yards on windy days...
 
There are two variables here..

The first and one that you can control is the scope. I don't think more power would hurt, but that scope needs to be checked. Put a scope with a proven history on the rifle and see what happens. That's a variable that you can control.

Second, your rifle may not like the ammo your trying. Switch the scope first, then make some bold corrections with your ammo. It would help if you reload so that you could tune the rifle in, but once you've eliminated the scope as a problem, try a different brand, heavier bullet.

But switch that scope out first and see what happens.

Giz
 
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