I have a Remington 700 30-06 I used to use as for my hunting rifle. when I took it out in the fall to sight it in I couldn't get a tight grouping. I know its not the scope because that's on my new rifle and works fine. it was only a few years old when it started doing this. I think the barrel may be warped but wanted to know if you all had some advice on where to start and/or if it was worth taking it to a gun smith to check. thanks.
Remington 700 not grouping
- Thread starter Calboy18
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I would start with looking at all the screws that hold the action to the other components of the gun. So there's screws holding the base to the top of the receiver, screws holding the rings to the base potentially, and screws holding the scope rings closed. Plus there are screws holding the stock to the action from the bottom.
I would get a wheeler torque wrench off of Amazon, figure out what those various screws should be torqued to, and go through and retighten everything. I found this to solve the problem twice, once amount was loose and once one of the action screws was loose.
I would get a wheeler torque wrench off of Amazon, figure out what those various screws should be torqued to, and go through and retighten everything. I found this to solve the problem twice, once amount was loose and once one of the action screws was loose.
Great advice with one exception.
Those screwdriver type torque wrenches are not accurate at all. They are a cheap approximation of a torque wrench. The calibration labs won't even check/certify them.
A linear-type "clicker" torque wrench or a digital torque wrench is far more accurate. Especially when dealing with inch/pounds.
Pay a little more, get a LOT more value and precision.
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Million variables. Change one thing, maybe even one thing you cant remember doing, rifle turns into a shot gun. Action screws, scope base screws, etc. Clean bore? Stock warped? Ammo? Nothing wrong with a Wheeler Fat Wrench. Won plenty of hardware using one.
When was the last time you cleaned it and how good of a job did you do? Not questioning your practices but a lot of times it is a fouled out barrel.
My 700 was the first rifle that I REALLY chased grouping issues that weren’t due to a mechanical issue.
As stated above, NORMALLY grouping problems are due to scope bases/rings being loose and you don’t realize it. Also, ammo plays a huge part in grouping consistency. How many brands and grain weight combinations have you tried?
It sounds crazy, but my grouping issues were due to having an oiled barrel, especially when talking about the first cold bore shot. Since I was using mine primarily for hunting, the cold bore shot is paramount. I found that if I cleaned everything after a range trip and then lightly oiled my barrel, my groups would stretch to as much as 3moa with 150gr .308 at 100yds. Sometimes they would group MOA, and then I would have a flyer, then they’d start grouping High left, low right, high center… It was driving me nuts! I found an article talking about grouping with the conditions: Oiled barrel, swabbed barrel, and dirty barrel.
The short and sweet version is that the oil in the barrel would super heat when fired and affect the rotation/grip of the rifling. I thought it was a load of crap, but I had tried everything else… so I tried it. It worked! Best accuracy, especially first cold bore shot, can be had with a dry and chemically swabbed barrel. Next is a dirty barrel (not “dirty” and super fouled, just previously fired a few times and not cleaned), and then oiled. I swabbed my barrel with solvent and then tried groupings… MOA. Tried oiling it like I normally do for storage, the problem returned.
Try it and see what happens. Cheaper to try first than buying a bunch of precision equipment you’ll probably only use once. 🤷🏻♂️
As stated above, NORMALLY grouping problems are due to scope bases/rings being loose and you don’t realize it. Also, ammo plays a huge part in grouping consistency. How many brands and grain weight combinations have you tried?
It sounds crazy, but my grouping issues were due to having an oiled barrel, especially when talking about the first cold bore shot. Since I was using mine primarily for hunting, the cold bore shot is paramount. I found that if I cleaned everything after a range trip and then lightly oiled my barrel, my groups would stretch to as much as 3moa with 150gr .308 at 100yds. Sometimes they would group MOA, and then I would have a flyer, then they’d start grouping High left, low right, high center… It was driving me nuts! I found an article talking about grouping with the conditions: Oiled barrel, swabbed barrel, and dirty barrel.
The short and sweet version is that the oil in the barrel would super heat when fired and affect the rotation/grip of the rifling. I thought it was a load of crap, but I had tried everything else… so I tried it. It worked! Best accuracy, especially first cold bore shot, can be had with a dry and chemically swabbed barrel. Next is a dirty barrel (not “dirty” and super fouled, just previously fired a few times and not cleaned), and then oiled. I swabbed my barrel with solvent and then tried groupings… MOA. Tried oiling it like I normally do for storage, the problem returned.
Try it and see what happens. Cheaper to try first than buying a bunch of precision equipment you’ll probably only use once. 🤷🏻♂️
As far as lower end, I’d look at the Gearwrench over the Husky. I have both, and a in/lb calibrator. The Husky’s accurate, but difficult to tell the setting due to its poor markings.
this was with a clean barrel I give it a good clean before it goes in the safe and then a light clean when I take it out in the fall.
Some more information: I use dead nutz scope rings and have tried different brands of ammo and gotten the same results. Thank you for all the tips and ideas
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Is the stock touching the barrel anywhere from the tip of the stock up to the recoil lug? The reason I asked about cleaning is a lot of times the copper will build up and cause issues. I’ve got a 6mm that coppers so bad it’s not funny. After a lot less rounds than it should take, the accuracy goes to crap.
I torqued it and gave it a good cleaning