Having just picked up a Remingtom 700 ADL (nylon stock, Weaver 3-9 X, 2-3" so far) at a very reasonable price, I'd like to think about tuning the rifle a bit without having to spend a small mint (or the cost of another, more expensive rifle). I'm not real sure what to expect from this rifle yet, and have only tried one type of ammo. It also occurred to me that there are probably a number of us on the forum that have regular off-the-shelf rifles in closets, gun safes, and cabinets. Any tips or sources for those of us who have run-of-the-mill rifles, but would like to sqeak a bit more performance out of it?
Economical Rifle Tuning
- Thread starter DonL
- Start date
Don
Try different ammo. You'd be amazed at the difference ammo selection can make. I'm not just suggesting the premiun stuff either. Some guns work better with the standard loadings.If it's in a caliber that several people you know have, have everyone buy 2 or 3 boxes of ammo each. Or pool the ammo money and buy several different mfgrs loading. Bedding is an option. Use the search feature at the top of the page to find the previous threads on bedding. Make sure all of your srews are tight (on the weapon
) Also are you shooting offhand or from a rest. If a rest, are you comfortable and relaxed in your shooting position? If not you may be moving around too much or the action of your breathing may be moving the weapon. Another option that would be plausible if you plan on shooting a lot would be to reload. It would pay for itself in the money saved, but only if shooting frequently.
Try different ammo. You'd be amazed at the difference ammo selection can make. I'm not just suggesting the premiun stuff either. Some guns work better with the standard loadings.If it's in a caliber that several people you know have, have everyone buy 2 or 3 boxes of ammo each. Or pool the ammo money and buy several different mfgrs loading. Bedding is an option. Use the search feature at the top of the page to find the previous threads on bedding. Make sure all of your srews are tight (on the weapon
) Also are you shooting offhand or from a rest. If a rest, are you comfortable and relaxed in your shooting position? If not you may be moving around too much or the action of your breathing may be moving the weapon. Another option that would be plausible if you plan on shooting a lot would be to reload. It would pay for itself in the money saved, but only if shooting frequently.Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
DonL: Agree with FAL308. Also: Check your scope focus for parallax (you move your eye, the target/crosshair alignment changes) and screw the eyepiece in or out until everything stays steady.
A poor-boy, lazy-guy bedding system which has worked for me on bunches of rifles is to free-float the barrel forward of the receiver-ring, although I take very little wood from the forward-most one-inch of the stock. I then take kitchen wax-paper and cut a 3/4" strip, and use it as a shim between the barrel and the fore-end of the stock. I keep folding it until it takes about a five-pound pull to make clearance between the barrel and the stock. Trim with razon. Shoot 5-10 shots, quickly, to heat the wax and make it all stick.
The wax paper acts as a "shock absorber" and dampens barrel vibrations. The theory is that the vibrations are uniform from shot to shot.
I have done this with no other changes in the gun or the load, and reduced group sizes from 1-1/2" or so on down to under an inch...
The most radical improvement I ever saw was on my Wby Mk V in .30-'06. Out of the box in 1970, it would not shoot tighter than a three-inch group. After my re-bedding, 3/4". No other changes. Before an antelope hunt last year, I got a 3-shot, 1-2" group [brag, brag,]...
Best regards, good luck.
A poor-boy, lazy-guy bedding system which has worked for me on bunches of rifles is to free-float the barrel forward of the receiver-ring, although I take very little wood from the forward-most one-inch of the stock. I then take kitchen wax-paper and cut a 3/4" strip, and use it as a shim between the barrel and the fore-end of the stock. I keep folding it until it takes about a five-pound pull to make clearance between the barrel and the stock. Trim with razon. Shoot 5-10 shots, quickly, to heat the wax and make it all stick.
The wax paper acts as a "shock absorber" and dampens barrel vibrations. The theory is that the vibrations are uniform from shot to shot.
I have done this with no other changes in the gun or the load, and reduced group sizes from 1-1/2" or so on down to under an inch...
The most radical improvement I ever saw was on my Wby Mk V in .30-'06. Out of the box in 1970, it would not shoot tighter than a three-inch group. After my re-bedding, 3/4". No other changes. Before an antelope hunt last year, I got a 3-shot, 1-2" group [brag, brag,
]...Best regards, good luck.