300wm xbolt help

jRidge1188 · Aug 16, 2024

Recently acquired a new xbolt 300wm 26" barrel with a 1/10 twist. I mostly deer hunt but am looking to make an elk trip in the future. I have tried numerous different ammo brands and types in the 180gr range with no luck. I have also tried 185 bergers and 190 Barnes LR with no luck. This is all factory ammo as I'm not reloading at this time. I can't get any of this to group better than 1.5" at 100 yds and most of the time it's 2" or a little more. I figured 180s would be the sweet spot for this rifle but can't get it to do well. Any ideas for what to try? 165gr?
Ps. Yes I have checked scope, torque, shooting form, shooting off bags and sled, letting barrel cool etc

MagnumManiac · Aug 16, 2024

Stop using a sled…I don't care what others say, sleds are junk for shooting precision. Use a sled to check zero, then shoot the rifle without it and see where the bullets group…I'll bet it's not the same POI…
Have you had the stock off?
Have you checked for pressure points on the barrel?
Is the barrel free-floated?
All of these factors are often multiplied when using a solid object to shoot from, even a concrete bench can induce recoil bounce…

Cheers.

cajun · Aug 16, 2024

jRidge1188 said:
Recently acquired a new xbolt 300wm 26" barrel with a 1/10 twist. I mostly deer hunt but am looking to make an elk trip in the future. I have tried numerous different ammo brands and types in the 180gr range with no luck. I have also tried 185 bergers and 190 Barnes LR with no luck. This is all factory ammo as I'm not reloading at this time. I can't get any of this to group better than 1.5" at 100 yds and most of the time it's 2" or a little more. I figured 180s would be the sweet spot for this rifle but can't get it to do well. Any ideas for what to try? 165gr?
Ps. Yes I have checked scope, torque, shooting form, shooting off bags and sled, letting barrel cool etc

Try a 168 Berger or a 165 nosler. The 10 twist might not be optimal for those bullets.

338 dude · Aug 16, 2024

Time to get into reloading

David_h · Aug 17, 2024

Try a different scope. You say that you checked the scope but the internal erector assembly could be loose. End user will not know. I found out the hard way.

MagnumManiac · Aug 17, 2024

338 dude said:
Time to get into reloading View attachment 594891 View attachment 594890 View attachment 594892

Amazing, my .25" precision load with Berger 180g Hybrid is 79.5g of H1000. Small world, it works in several 300WM rifles of differing configurations with little tuning required.

Cheers.

Kcollins01 · Aug 17, 2024

Have had 2 x-bolts 300win mag neither one of them would shoot. Best I could ever get was 1.5 and 2 inch three shot groups at 100 yards. All my other 300win mag are 1/2 inch guns at 100 yards even my old a-bolt. So I put a proof barrel on one and the other is sitting in the back of the safe. Never could get reloads or factory ammo to shoot. All my other x-bolts shoot great.

jRidge1188 · Aug 17, 2024

MagnumManiac said:
Stop using a sled…I don't care what others say, sleds are junk for shooting precision. Use a sled to check zero, then shoot the rifle without it and see where the bullets group…I'll bet it's not the same POI…
Have you had the stock off?
Have you checked for pressure points on the barrel?
Is the barrel free-floated?
All of these factors are often multiplied when using a solid object to shoot from, even a concrete bench can induce recoil bounce…

Cheers.

I did check and the barrel is free floated but I need to by check it during a range session maybe as the barrel heats a little it potentially could have a contact point?

jRidge1188 · Aug 17, 2024

cajun said:
Try a 168 Berger or a 165 nosler. The 10 twist might not be optimal for those bullets.

I think this is next on my list but I was hoping it would shoot better with the 180-190 stuff.

Randy dawson · Aug 17, 2024

Mine really didn't shoot well until I got quite a few rounds down it. But it prefers even heavier I settled on 210 Berger's.

jRidge1188 · Aug 17, 2024

Randy dawson said:
Mine really didn't shoot well until I got quite a few rounds down it. But it prefers even heavier I settled on 210 Berger's.

I've put approximately 60 rounds through it maybe a little more. Is that a 1/10 twist?

Randy dawson · Aug 17, 2024

Come to think of it I believe it's 1/8. But can't recall for sure at the moment

Barbourcreek · Aug 17, 2024

jRidge1188 said:
Recently acquired a new xbolt 300wm 26" barrel with a 1/10 twist. I mostly deer hunt but am looking to make an elk trip in the future. I have tried numerous different ammo brands and types in the 180gr range with no luck. I have also tried 185 bergers and 190 Barnes LR with no luck. This is all factory ammo as I'm not reloading at this time. I can't get any of this to group better than 1.5" at 100 yds and most of the time it's 2" or a little more. I figured 180s would be the sweet spot for this rifle but can't get it to do well. Any ideas for what to try? 165gr?
Ps. Yes I have checked scope, torque, shooting form, shooting off bags and sled, letting barrel cool etc

Get rid of the muzzle brake
Replace it. See what happens

Tiny Tim · Aug 17, 2024

Have a friend with a lightweight Tikka in 300 short mag. The heavier the bullet, the worse it shoots for him. He does best with 165 gr fodder. Without someone else shooting it, it's hard to say if it's the shooter or not. A 10tw should be able to shoot most bullets in the 180-200 gr range. Just another thought.

And agree with Magnum, lose the sled.

300wm xbolt help

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