300wm xbolt help

[jRidge1188]

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.

The sled was just during the recommended break in I personally can't stand them. I'm with you thinking something between 180-200 would be great but have had no luck. Although the best so far was the Barnes LR 190gr as usually it will put 2 rounds within an inch and the 3rd will be further out and that's with letting it cool between every shot.

 

[jRidge1188]

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

It's not even threaded for one lol not gonna hunt with one on so figured why bother getting a threaded barrel.

 

[Tiny Tim]

The sled was just during the recommended break in I personally can't stand them. I'm with you thinking something between 180-200 would be great but have had no luck. Although the best so far was the Barnes LR 190gr as usually it will put 2 rounds within an inch and the 3rd will be further out and that's with letting it cool between every shot.

Can you find someone to reload for you? It sucks being tied to factory ammo. At current prices, it can be expensive to find a factory offering that shoots well. And some rifles are just plain finicky.

As others have also stated, check stock fit. I've had flimsy stocks that when floated, would "slap" the barrel during recoil. Others that when touching, humidity changes would change poi daily.

 

[338 dude]

It's not even threaded for one lol not gonna hunt with one on so figured why bother getting a threaded barrel.

A brake would reduce recoil make it more pleasurable to shoot,you need to have someone else try it and make sure it's not you. A 300 without a brake and being very light is tough to shoot well.

 

[sable tireur]

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…

The shooting sled, like the Dremel, are tools of the devil period. More ammunition is wasted with misleading results attained when using a sled. They should be banned from any of the shooting sports for load development.

However, one of the pieces of information I received from some of the Naval developers is that they determined that the OAL needed to be lengthened from 3.340" to 3.500 to accommodate the length of the free bore. I haven't checked every factory load but I'll bet that they still adhere to the SAAMI specification of 3.340". It's a potential flaw being forced to use factory ammunition.

Another consideration is the fact that the 1:10" twist created with nearly every manufacturer of the .300 Win. Mag rifles is perfect for the 150 grain ammunition up to and including the Sierra 220 grain MK which the Navy tested initially. Solids are another matter.

Your limitation unfortunately, is the necessity of using factory loaded ammunition as stated by others. The variables can be controlled by reloading.

 

[Tiny Tim]

A 300 without a brake and being very light is tough to shoot well.

Lightweight rifles take a different approach. Have an 8lb Henry 45-70 with a brass buttplate. With 405gr Buffalo Bore around 2k, she's a handful. Lol

 

[338 dude]

I usually measure to the ogive, but this is the

cartridge overall length measurement.

 

[jRidge1188]

Can you find someone to reload for you? It sucks being tied to factory ammo. At current prices, it can be expensive to find a factory offering that shoots well. And some rifles are just plain finicky.

As others have also stated, check stock fit. I've had flimsy stocks that when floated, would "slap" the barrel during recoil. Others that when touching, humidity changes would change poi daily.

I'm kinda leaning toward the stock at this point. I checked it when I bought as one side seemed rather close to the barrel however I was able to slide a dollar bill all the way down. Wondering if maybe as the barrel heats some it could be contacting? I'll have to check it next range trip. One thing I did not is this barrel heats up FAST. It's rather thin sporter contour from browning and have always thought they seemed thinner than others. I have a chamber chiller I've been using to cool it faster with the local temps in the low to mid 90s.

 

[HandgunHTR]

The sled was just during the recommended break in I personally can't stand them. I'm with you thinking something between 180-200 would be great but have had no luck. Although the best so far was the Barnes LR 190gr as usually it will put 2 rounds within an inch and the 3rd will be further out and that's with letting it cool between every shot.

In my experience, when I see this, usually it is the shooter not the gun. I see it more often with lightweight guns in heavier recoiling chamberings as well.
If the barrel is properly stress relieved, which Brownings tend to be, it won't walk when hot. I have an A-Bolt II Stainless Stalker in 7-08 that I can get the barrel hot enough to cook on and it will still stack shots.

Do you have a lighter recoiling rifle, like a .22LR, .223, or 243? If so, try this:
1. Shoot one round out of the X-Bolt. Set it aside.
2. Shoot a five-shot group out of the other rifle.
3. Shoot another shot out of the X-Bolt
4. Repeat until you have a five-shot group out of the X-Bolt
If it is still 2MOA then it may be the gun or the load. Yes, this will take more time and use up some ammo in the other rifle, but it should help to mitigate recoil anticipation on the part of a shooter. YMMV.

 

[freefloater59]

Whennever I get a new addition I always start from the inside out. I take the barrel and action out of the stock and look for cracks, etc, or other anomalies that may be hidden. If it's not bedded then I'll bed the action and freefloat the barrel if needed. If the action has been previously bedded I use feeler gages to test for any gaps or loose areas. Once all of that is done I turn my attention to the trigger. My preference is 4 lbs but has to be crisp. Then I work up to the scope. I always take any existing mounts off and inspect everything. Sometimes I've found short mount screws with only a couple of threads engaged. When I mount the scope I use a 1.000" dia x 6" precision ground bar to align the rings and clamp at full torque. I mount the scope and it fits without any stress points. Now that I'm happy with the work, I start on loads using factory ammo -if available. If different ammo is consistently scattering I will look at the scope (as mentioned in threads above) but since my test scope is a 12x Leupold Target it's never been the issue. Featherweight barrels are more finiky and tend to whip and deform a bit more especially when they get hot. I will add a contact point on the forend of the stock to stabilize the barrel. I use a contact of about .002" which is typically okay. I've had the same scattered loads pull into MOA doing this. Then with confidence in the mechanical aspects of the rifle I will go to work on more loads if needed. Once I'm happy with the loads I put my hunting scope on it and do and do a 3 shot sight in on a cold barrel. Every build is different, that's what makes it so much fun!! Good luck!

 

[sierrastalker]

I had the same problem with an X-Bolt in 6.5CM. Couldn't get it to shoot ANYTHING great.....had a couple 'ok' loads just barely in the 1 MOA range, but inconsistent. That was both factory and reloads. It's the Hells Canyon Long Range, so long and heavier barrel. Big thing was the trigger was impossible to get below 4.5 lbs, and it broke terribly. Had to be the worst trigger I've ever had. Replaced it with a Timney and it changed the whole rifle. I couldn't believe it. I've got multiple loads that shoot .5 MOA very repeatably now and one that's consistently better. I've put more hogs on the ground with that rifle than any other.

I think your scope could possibly be an issue, as well. If the internals get messed up it can be one of the most frustrating things to uncover. Also agree that the sled is no good for anything at all....would maybe work well as an anchor if you tie a rope to it? I gave up on mine years ago.....speaking of which I'm gonna see if I can sell it.

 

[Victor3Ranger1]

Sucks that you are having problems.
My XBolt Hell's Canyon 7mag shoots lights out when I got around 80 rounds and the right load.

 

[MTGEEZER]

I had the same problem with an X-Bolt in 6.5CM. Couldn't get it to shoot ANYTHING great.....had a couple 'ok' loads just barely in the 1 MOA range, but inconsistent. That was both factory and reloads. It's the Hells Canyon Long Range, so long and heavier barrel. Big thing was the trigger was impossible to get below 4.5 lbs, and it broke terribly. Had to be the worst trigger I've ever had. Replaced it with a Timney and it changed the whole rifle. I couldn't believe it. I've got multiple loads that shoot .5 MOA very repeatably now and one that's consistently better. I've put more hogs on the ground with that rifle than any other.

I think your scope could possibly be an issue, as well. If the internals get messed up it can be one of the most frustrating things to uncover. Also agree that the sled is no good for anything at all....would maybe work well as an anchor if you tie a rope to it? I gave up on mine years ago.....speaking of which I'm gonna see if I can sell it.

I just got my first Browning and yes the trigger was terrible. (It's a Get 1; got it on sale for
a darn good deal-new). Anyway, as an FYI, I saved a bunch of money by going the MCarbo spring route. Went from a 4 and half pound trigger to a quite usable 2 and a half pound trigger. Mine is also a 300 Win. Mag X bolt LR with 26 inch tube and their "Recoil Hawg"-NOT! Am going to use the $ saved on trigger to put a good brake on it. Am going to look at the MBM offerings first. I have worked up a smokin fast load (about 5/8th inch @3455 FPS) with the 154 Hammer Hunter Tipped bullet. And, no, I am not a long range hunter; 500 yards and in.

 

[sierrastalker]

I just got my first Browning and yes the trigger was terrible. (It's a Get 1; got it on sale for
a darn good deal-new). Anyway, as an FYI, I saved a bunch of money by going the MCarbo spring route. Went from a 4 and half pound trigger to a quite usable 2 and a half pound trigger. Mine is also a 300 Win. Mag X bolt LR with 26 inch tube and their "Recoil Hawg"-NOT! Am going to use the $ saved on trigger to put a good brake on it. Am going to look at the MBM offerings first. I have worked up a smokin fast load (about 5/8th inch @3455 FPS) with the 154 Hammer Hunter Tipped bullet. And, no, I am not a long range hunter; 500 yards and in.

Looking back on it, I'd probably start with the spring this time around, too. Love the action of the Timney but it doesn't allow the bolt to lock shut, which I like as I carry my rifle on my pack quite a bit and the bolt could get knocked open. It's never happened but, you know. It also made my safety a little bit of a pain to move to 'fire'. BUT, it shoots great and I got it on a really good sale, at least!