After re-barrel :: 2 shots close together and 1 shot further out

[ShtrRdy]

Question, did it do this with the original barrel? If not that proves the rest of the platform and its either tune or steel. One of my best 4 shot barrels always threw a flier. Never could get 5 in a hole, but 4 were tiny tiny.

Regarding the original factory barrel - it originally shot very good as in 1/3" 3-shot groups. The pattern was more of a scatter than a 2-then-1 thing. I currently get a scatter pattern now but it seemed to be more the 2-then-1. It performed very well until this summer when groups started to open up. I would clean the barrel and it would shoot 'okay' for a while and groups would open up again. So I decided the barrel must be toast after about 1000 rounds.

When I tried a different bullet I used a Sierra 55 gr Gameking. It's one I use in the .223 that does well. In hindsight I wish I would have tried a different weight bullet. I was looking through my bullet boxes and i have some 52 gr Matchking and 50 gr Blitzking.

The gun is at the gunsmith so he can look it over. He's usually very busy so it will be a while before I get it back.

 

[260_Guy]

I'm will to bet that the gunsmith will find the barrel will need to be re-crowned

 

[Maggie’s drawers]

I treat a new barrel like a new rifle. I start over with the whole process of load development. You can include your previous loads but add others to the mix. A 22-250 with a 12 twist usually likes bullets that are lighter than 55gn.
Tikka makes a decent rifle but the recoil lug can be a pita. I'm sure you've had it apart and back together enough that it isn't your problem so that eliminates that. You could be having problems with your firing pin and erratic detonation or a half dozen other things. However it's usually the easiest most obvious explanation which is the ammo. Good luck and happy shooting

 

[Philward]

Shooter error?

 

[ShtrRdy]

Shooter error?

Possibly. But very consistent shooter error. As mentioned by someone, more shots in a group might show a pattern

 

[Bret GRAVELINE Graveline]

I have seen that many times, you've got some good suggestions going on here, but I have a few suggestions I believe will help, I started reloading in 71 or 72, rebarreled my first rifle in my high school ag shop class, (yes you could do that back then, they let me do that as long as the trigger was removed) I spent the better part of my adult life barreling guns and reloading for accuracy, when I retired in 2010 I had 109 different sets of reloading dies. I only mention this to give some insight that i not only have done this a long time but also a hell of a lot, when this occurs there were two things that were most likely to be the problem, bad bedding or a primer change was in order, some guns are just extremely finicky and some are very user friendly, in some rifles a primer may not make much of a difference but in others they can turn a clunker into a keeper, match primers do not always produce the tightest groups so don't be afraid to try several brands, I didn't pick up on the powder, but I would try going with one that is a lot faster and one that is a lot slower, some barrels don't start to behave until 200 rounds have been fired in them, back in the day I always started with bowler ballistic for ops and Winchester WLRM primers to get a feel for what a rifle will do, and last to check the bedding the best and easiest way is at the shooting bench, next time you go fire a group as you normally would, then let the barrel cool a bit, then remove the rear guard screw and fire a second group, if the rifle is bedded correctly point of impact shouldn't change, if it has, the bedding needs correcting, a properly bedded rifle won't change, and you dont need a torque wrench to tighten a properly bedded rifle, sometimes you can force a improperly bedded rifle to shoot well with adjusting the torque but you shouldn't need to if its bedded right.

 

[cloverleafs]

Great post for me. I have a Browning 308 that exactly does this except for ONE time. I shook the same way 3 times and got a 3 shot group of 0.190 inches at 100 yards. Yes, I am boasting, but I have to admit it was only once.
Thanks guys. Lots of great ideas to test. I have a page of notes that will keep me busy most of the spring.

 

[ROB WHALLEY]

No,

Is it possible for a new barrel to be the cause of 2 shots being VERY close together and a third shot being 1/2" to 3/4" apart? The shot that is "out" can be the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd shot.

This is on a Tikka T3 Varmint in 22-250 Rem. Using the original, factory stock. It use to shoot amazingly well.
Replaced the barrel with a Rem Varmint contour, 1:12 twist. Had to reduce the breach end to 1.150" to better match Tikka action.
I was hoping to use close to the same load that worked well in the original barrel so I had the gunsmith cut the finished length to match original barrel.

Things I've tried:
1. Different charge weights (OCW type of test)
2. Different seating depth of bullet
3. Open up barrel channel a little more.
4. Inspect bedding area and then overall stock for any crack.
5. Use a different, known good, scope
6. Use a different scope mount, (to remove the rail). Used the Tikka Optiloc rings and another different scope.
7. Try a different bullet

Have any of you seen a new barrel be the cause of such behavior?

Thanks -- Todd

It's you. If its any 1st, 2nd or 3rd... It's you.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I have seen that many times, you've got some good suggestions going on here, but I have a few suggestions I believe will help, I started reloading in 71 or 72, rebarreled my first rifle in my high school ag shop class, (yes you could do that back then, they let me do that as long as the trigger was removed) I spent the better part of my adult life barreling guns and reloading for accuracy, when I retired in 2010 I had 109 different sets of reloading dies. when this occurs there were two things that were most likely to be the problem, bad bedding or a primer change, some guns are just extremely finicky and some are very user friendly, in some rifles a primer may not make much of a difference but in others they can turn a clunker into a keeper, match primers do not always produce the tightest groups so don't be afraid to try several brands, I didn't pick up on the powder, but I would try going with one that is a lot faster and one that is a lot slower, some barrels don't start to behave until 200 rounds have been fired in them, back in the day I always started with bowler ballistic for ops and Winchester WLRM primers to get a feel for what a rifle will do, and last to check the bedding the best and easiest way is at the shooting bench, next time you go fire a group as you normally would, then let the barrel cool a bit, then remove the rear guard screw and fire a second group, if the rifle is bedded correctly point of impact shouldn't change, if it has, the bedding needs correcting, a properly bedded rifle won't change, and you dont need a torque wrench to tighten a properly bedded rifle, sometimes you can force a improperly bedded rifle to shoot well with adjusting the torque but you shouldn't need to if its bedded right.

A correctly bedded rifle is very important. Changing powders, primers, bullets, cans make a big difference. Recoil could be another problem. Dry firing should be done make sure the shooter form is correct. Have a friend watch. I have been lucky most of the time in achieving good grouping rifles. I have shot rifles that never did group with what I wanted either. I had a model Ruger 77 in 22 mag, that I had to work over the stock forearm by removing out 1/8" or so. it was grouping at about 5" at 100yds, now it's down to 1". Not what I would call great, but a hell of a lot better. It changed the vertical elevation by 18". I burned somewhere around 200 rounds to achieve this.

 

[Mram10us]

Possibly. But very consistent shooter error. As mentioned by someone, more shots in a group might show a pattern

I have had consistent shooter error I had a 7-300wm and 7mag that both did this. Fixed both by rebedding. One was a savage and the other was a rem700. The tikkas I have built and/or bedded didn't have this issue Except for one with the old style stock that had a crack. Replaced the stock, bedded and it still shoots great for my buddy. Best of luck.

 

[JuddL]

I didn't read all 6 pages and don't have a lot of help on the subject. I've had one barrel that acted the same way and I never did figure it out. At 562 rounds I sold it with full disclosure for $150 if I remember correctly. It was a 6.5x47 barrel made by one of the premier cut rifling makers. No reason to name because I never contacted or sent it back to them.

I tried 2 different action/stock combos, 4 different powders and 3 different bullets. The one thing I learned from that barrel, it won't take me 562 rounds to cut bait next time.

Sometimes we just get crappy barrels...thank goodness it's pretty rare. Good luck!

 

[ShtrRdy]

I didn't read all 6 pages and don't have a lot of help on the subject. I've had one barrel that acted the same way and I never did figure it out. At 562 rounds I sold it with full disclosure for $150 if I remember correctly. It was a 6.5x47 barrel made by one of the premier cut rifling makers. No reason to name because I never contacted or sent it back to them.

I tried 2 different action/stock combos, 4 different powders and 3 different bullets. The one thing I learned from that barrel, it won't take me 562 rounds to cut bait next time.

Sometimes we just get crappy barrels...thank goodness it's pretty rare. Good luck!

Thanks for relating your experience. This is what I was looking for. You took the testing WAY farther than I have.

I dropped the rifle off at the gunsmith last Thursday. He's going to look it over and if he doesn't find anything or have any other suggestions I'm going to send the barrel back to the maker.

A couple things I've picked up from all the excellent advice offered is I should have tried a different WEIGHT bullet and I should have fired more rounds into a group to see if there were any trends.