Hey, Dog! Welcome to FTF. Pop over to the Introductions forum and tells us a little about you.
Well said. Repetition is key!Since most rifles will shoot better than I do, straight out of the box, my best way of shooting more accurately is to shoot more often.
1. Trigger Job. I can’t stress the importance of having a good, crisp, clean breaking trigger on your weapon.
2) The Glass/Pillar Bed Job. Most factory rifles do not come with free floated barrels and they do not come with actions that are glass and/or pillar bedded.
^ Absolutely. All fairly good steps toward increased accuracy.3) Hand lapping. Another valuable accurizing tool that we can do to factory rifles is hand lapping the bolt lugs.
And the difference in you an I is that I could not do that with a fine target rifle, from a bench, all set up and with million dollar optics, and I know it. Nor will I ever put the work into gaining that kind of skill. Sometimes people think that if they only have better equipment they will be a better shot, when what they really needed to do is buy and shoot a lot of ammo.Tac and Chain have hit on another couple of important suggestions regarding modifications and ammunition.
Before you start altering things shoot the rifle to get familiar with it. Tac hit briefly on his powder comment referring to the right ammunition. As we say in the field see what the rifle likes to "Eat".
Other wise the ammunition it likes best! The reason Chain said don' just jump thinking the rifle needs certain modifications before you work with it.
For example I have a few Sniper Rifles that in fact are Free Floated. But when I purchased a new Rifle for my hunting trips. I purchases a Remington 700 CDL in 7mm Remington Magnum.
Since I was not loaded for it. I purchased one 20 round box of several different brands of bullets in 150gr. range. A couple of Federal types, Winchester, Remington and Hornady. Being a Federal and Hornady guy, I figured one in that group would give me the most accuracy? "Wrong"! It turned out that Remington 150gr. Accu-Tip out performed all the rest shooing for peak accuracy. Producing .413 and a .420 groups at 100 yards. So all I did is reduce the Trigger Pull to 3.5 lbs. I went back to the Dealer and bought 5 more Boxes he had on the shelf of the same LOT #. Still have some left today so no need to load for it yet! I say this is because it is not Free Floated and the Barrel Does touch the very tip of the wood stock in about the last 1/4 inch. Moral of the story as Chain said. If I had jumped the gun modifying it or Floating it things could have effected it's accuracy. I am almost sure I would have not got any better accuracy. So won't even try unless something changes.
As Chain stated I also have seen many good rifles Sc***ed Up!
And sometimes the issue cannot be corrected!
Here is a Test Target 3 Shot Group at 100 Yards with the Remington 150 gr. Accu-Tip Round set for 200 Yard Zero. Fired off the Bench and Bags. This one was at .413. (1.3 inches high at 100 Yards)
View attachment 235532
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For all the money you have spent, and will be spending on that spiffy new barrel and an 'action truing' - say around another $1K - you could have bought a Tikka that will probably give you your 1/2 - 3/4 MOA right out of the box. I've never seen one yet that didn't, but I'll admit that's only around fifty [might be sixty], so far., so I might just be wrong.Why?
I have three Tikka rifles. They were made under duress and I don't know if they are that accurate. But they sure shoot minute of man!For all the money you have spent, and will be spending on that spiffy new barrel and an 'action truing' - say around another $1K - you could have bought a Tikka that will probably give you your 1/2 - 3/4 MOA right out of the box. I've never seen one yet that didn't, but I'll admit that's only around fifty [might be sixty], so far., so I might just be wrong.
Many moons ago I watched the test-shooter in the Tikka factory trying out a basic Tikka rifle in .308Win - shooting the little witness card that you get with your nice new rifle. Five shots in fifteen seconds went into a single raggedy hole - one rifle after the other, all the same.
The Tikka T3x Varmint stainless is $1300.For all the money you have spent, and will be spending on that spiffy new barrel and an 'action truing' - say around another $1K - you could have bought a Tikka that will probably give you your 1/2 - 3/4 MOA right out of the box. I've never seen one yet that didn't, but I'll admit that's only around fifty [might be sixty], so far., so I might just be wrong.
Many moons ago I watched the test-shooter in the Tikka factory trying out a basic Tikka rifle in .308Win - shooting the little witness card that you get with your nice new rifle. Five shots in fifteen seconds went into a single raggedy hole - one rifle after the other, all the same.
Sniper, what is your opinion of the older Nikon Buckmaster line of scopes? I believe that that they have now introduced a newer line of cheaper Buckmasters and that the older ones are a grade above. I do know that you don't get sniping quality out of $200.00 glass, but I seem to get pretty good minute of deer results.Hydro,
$329 for a new Remington 700 was that back at the turn of the Century!!!!
Just kidding! When I bought my 700 CDL the one that shot the group above it must have been 10-12 years ago it was $650.00 back then. And another $650 for the Leupold 3.5X10 Scope Base and Rings.
I also have a Tikka in 270 that is also very accurate. I bought it used but never hardly shot at a Sheriff's auction with Nikon Scope for $600. And my years in the Army Shooting on the Rifle Team and all my years as a Law Enforcement SWAT Snipe/Observer. I will tell you there are as Chain stated, a lot of good rifles out there that will shoot sub MOA Groups right out of the box. But also as said having the best rifle in the world will not make a person a precision shooter. Only good equipment, practice, time and persistence. But good luck with your project. Also Howa also make some good rifles.
But for a Precision Rifle it must have a precision Scope to go with it. In the Sniper Observer schools we always tell the students buy the best Scope you can afford and then buy a rifle to go with it.
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