What does it take to make your rifle group well?

[Longerangerookie]

Hi,
Well let me get started. I have a new Remington 700 sendero, 7mm Ultra Mag, 9 1/2" twist, 26" barrel. I have the one peice long range mount and when leopold scopes were on sale I got the VX-III 8.5-25x50. I also had a muzzle brake put on. With the bull barrel and muzzle brake, the recoil is not an issue. I have put only 35 rounds through it. Custom reload. Remington brass, CCi br2 primers, H50BMG powder, 180gr Berger VLD bullets moly coated. Berger load data says to start at 90grs of powder and stop at 95 where my velocity will be just over 3000fps. Well it is a bit lower. My velocities are very consistant. 2880-2861 at 95grs of powder. The problem is I haven't been able to group. First, I started shooting one shot a day(yup, one shot a day). Then I started with three shots, going up and down the powder scale. I know after the 16th shot it really started to break in. How can I get a better group(at least the bullet holes tuching at 100 yards)? Should I switch to a different powder? I don't really want to change bullets. What would happen if I went higher in powder to bring my velociy up to the recommendations?

 

[dirtball]

Longerangerookie

Seating depth on Berger bullets can be VERY critical, try reading the thread below.
Dave
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...accuracy-berger-vld-bullets-your-rifle-40204/

 

[cabelas90]

When I did my load devolpment for my 204 i started out with about 25 rounds
I load 5 rounds in .5 grn increments from min to max at at book stated coal for bullet. Then I take the best load from that group, load 10 more rounds at that powder charge to verafy it wasn't a freak group. Then I load about 30 rounds moveing up and down from this stated powder charge by .2 grn. Once I find my best powder charge I play with my coal starting .020-.030 of the lands and working into the lands in .005 increments to avoid sudden pressure changes. I do this all wile keeping my brass prep and componits the same.
Hope this helps Zach

 

[Longerangerookie]

Longerangerookie

Seating depth on Berger bullets can be VERY critical, try reading the thread below.
Dave
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...accuracy-berger-vld-bullets-your-rifle-40204/

Awesome!!

 

[baldhunter]

Even though the stock has an aluminum bedding,I'd still not mess around,get the action bedded.This will eliminate the possiblity of the action moving ever so slightly and affecting your groups.My Sendero shot fair without bedding,but shot darn good with it.I think the larger the caliber you have,the more action movement your likely to have.Anymore when I get a rifle,the first thing I do is bed the action and they all shoot very well for me.Once this is done,it's much easier to work up a load and saves a lot of flustration.

 

[J E Custom]

Most of the time the rifle dictates what bullet it likes best and the load it
prefers.

With the long secant ojive of the berger it may not work in your rifle because of
the freebore that the RUMs have,magazine length and head space.

Normally when you want to shoot a specific bullet and want to set the freebore
to this bullet you have to go with a custom chamber and/or single load the round.

I have a 7mm RUM factory rifle and incounterd the same problem and could not make
the burgers work even seated long .

So I switched to the serria match kings with a standard ojive and with the same
powder/primer combo it shoots great.

This rifle has a #4 size barrel for hunting and it loves the 160 gr Accubond @ 3458
ft/sec and it is devastating out to 1200yrds on deer size game.

Also best group to date with my hunting load is= .328 5 shot @ 100 yrds and .231
3 shot @ 100yrds.

With the heaver barrel you should be able to shoot better groups with the right
bullet and powder combo. So dont get hung up on one bullet, find the one it likes
and be happy .

Good luck
J E CUSTOM

 

[Michael Eichele]

JE hit the nail on the head.

Most of the time the rifle will dictate what bullets you will use.

You can burn a barrel clean out arguing with it as to what bullets to use. You can use what you want or you can use what it wants. Its your choice.

 

[BountyHunter]

First off, an expectation of a Remington factory barrel shooting consistently with the "bullets touching is unrealistic" IMO. That is a group that is around .3-.4.

In reality anything consistently under .75 is good and .5 is absolutely great in factory barrels.

Having said that, now we will have the hordes of pics of the "one in a lifetime groups shot on the internet" posted. Just none of those guns ever make it to a match for some reason.

However, if you want to try and wring the most out of the gun, three immediate things will help.

1. Skim bed the action
2. Adjust the trigger
3. Recrown. scratch that maybe. I am going to assume if your smith installed the brake, he recrowned it. If not recrown it. at least check it.

As for you velocity being lower. It will be with moly. Less friction.

The experience with moly runs the gamut from great to horrible. I would go with naked bullets first, after you clean the moly out as best as possible.

Finally try using a Fed 215 primer or the Wolf LR magnum and different bullets such as the hornadys (fatter) and see what it does.

Most of the manuals are also recommending H-1000 and RL25 as the best powders too.

BH

 

[RT2506]

With just 30 rounds through the bore of a factory barrel is not enough to break it in yet. Like others have said try some different bullets. The rifle will tell you what it likes. H-1000 is what my hunting buddy that loads a lot of ammo every year for people using the 7MM RUM has found to be the best.