Howa Mini 6.5 Grendel- what is wrong?

[25WSM]

Those Ruger Americans shoot pretty good all the ones I played with. I put one in a Boyd's stock with glass bedding and it shoots clover leafs. It's a 6.5 Creed. If you hand load you can make the Creed have virtually no recoil also.
Shep

 

[338 dude]

Trying to find out what is wrong with my Son's 6.5 Grendel.
The above picture is 5 3 shot groups at 100 yards. We have checked the action screws, free floated the barrel, lapped the bore and tried a dozens of loads from 90 grain Speer TNT's to 129 grain Hornady's.
This thing just does not shoot well. On top of the group size, every different load prints in a different location (usually a stock issue) but this thing is pillar bedded. I tried bedding the recoil lug but it appears to be as tight as possible.
A trip to the gunsmith and he saw nothing out of sorts. Does anyone have experience with this Action or Rifle?
What can we do to get this thing to be a reliable shooter?

Change your scope and see if the results change

 

[338 dude]

Optic is a Vortex Crossfire 2, Warne Rings in Picatinny bases.
He asked me today if I would take the Nightforce off of my 7 SAUM and put it on his rifle to see if the optic was the problem... I love the kid to death but taking the optic off my SAUM... that is a hard decision!

You love the kid you said it yourself switch the scope and try it I'm betting that's the problem I'm not a fan of vortex especially they're cheaper models and re-zeroing the scope is not that big a deal

 

[338 dude]

It is Turkey season here in Tennessee

this is right near you a friend of mine and his son Don't know where it was shot but he lives in Newport and he hunts right around his house I imagine that's where it was taken

 

[UplandFreak]

Don't be shocked if hornady black isn't that good. I have a 2 mini's and and ar none shoot that stuff better than 1.25" but man do my hand loads shoot.
Also if you end up needing a new rifle just get him another grendel a I'm a huge fan of the least amount of recoil possible for kids and new shooters. For most the creed has no recoil but I'll tell you right now that when I volunteer for the youth hunt at a ranch by me that they all shoot better with a 300blk or 6.5 grendel. Remember the base he forms now is gonna stock with him a while. So learn the fundamentals right without having to worry about recoil. Same reason most of us have a practice rifle and don't practice with lapua's.

He is 16 yrs old - closer to a man than a kid. Probably ready to move up to a larger cartridge anyway.

 

[25WSM]

He will love the Creed. Factory Hornady ammo shoots so good you don't even need to reload for it. I've built more Creed's for people the last 2 yrs than any other cartridge and they really do shoot great.
Shep

 

[javman]

Maybe be the scope. That's why I carry my bore sighter or laser bore sighter and if I see erratic groups like that I start to see where the crosshairs are from shot to shot. If I see them moving then the scope has crapped out.

Have a Predator myself in 6.5 GR and it's and accurate rifle.

 

[SMK1000plus]

Those Ruger Americans shoot pretty good all the ones I played with. I put one in a Boyd's stock with glass bedding and it shoots clover leafs. It's a 6.5 Creed. If you hand load you can make the Creed have virtually no recoil also.
Shep

Same here. My 6.5 Creedmoor "Go Wild" got bedded into a Boyds Pro Varmit Laminate with PTG M5 bottom metal added for AI magazines. Cloverleaf 5 round groups at 100 yards. It's the one that started it all for me...

 

[25WSM]

The Americans outshoot the 77s no problem. Sort of like when remington brought out the cheap 788 and it shot better than the 700.
Shep

 

[Jake Suttles]

You guys all make some really good suggestions!
We are going to change the scope load some more rounds and give it a try.
I am actually thinking about asking my Dad to help us go over it and double check my work. Never hurts to have another experienced eye on a project like this.
I did email Howa and ask them if this would fall under a warranty issueo if the once over and scope swap do not work we will travel that route.

But Holy Cow- 8 months to get a rifle back!
If that is the case, We will most likely send it off to Howa and pick up another rifle for hunting season. My son expressed interest in a Ruger Predator in 6.5 Creed. Any thoughts?
This kid is paying for this himself. He wants to earn the money and make it his rifle. I am really proud of him for that but I hurt for him buying a cheap rifle... but he just turned 16 and I like seeing him tinker to try and figure it out. This is a much better pass time than playing a video game AND he has really started learning how to reload. Both of those are a plus in my book.

Hey Bub

You guys all make some really good suggestions!
We are going to change the scope load some more rounds and give it a try.
I am actually thinking about asking my Dad to help us go over it and double check my work. Never hurts to have another experienced eye on a project like this.
I did email Howa and ask them if this would fall under a warranty issueo if the once over and scope swap do not work we will travel that route.

But Holy Cow- 8 months to get a rifle back!
If that is the case, We will most likely send it off to Howa and pick up another rifle for hunting season. My son expressed interest in a Ruger Predator in 6.5 Creed. Any thoughts?
This kid is paying for this himself. He wants to earn the money and make it his rifle. I am really proud of him for that but I hurt for him buying a cheap rifle... but he just turned 16 and I like seeing him tinker to try and figure it out. This is a much better pass time than playing a video game AND he has really started learning how to reload. Both of those are a plus in my book.

Hey John cool seeing you on here.

 

[jdyoung]

Reminds me of a friend of mine with same problem, ( different brand rifle though). The scope base screws on the front of the action were a touch long and bottoming, leaving the impression the base was tight when it wasn't . Because of that I always compare the screw hole depth to the screw .

 

[DavidA]

For me this sounds like a similar problem I had with a Rem 700 , 270 win For me I had a cheap scope on it. I tried different factory loads, I put a Houge over molded aluminum bedded stock on it. and still No matter what it shot basketballs size groups at 100 yds. So one day I said, I am going to break down and pout new glass and mount on it. So I got a Warner 20 MOA rail and a Millet 4-16 x 50 ( a little heavy) and groups went down to 1" to 1 1/2 . On the other hand as earlier stated some times you just get a runt. I would transfer out a mount and Scope I know that works and if groupings do not change send it back to Howa.

 

[ajkellerusmc]

You guys all make some really good suggestions!
We are going to change the scope load some more rounds and give it a try.
I am actually thinking about asking my Dad to help us go over it and double check my work. Never hurts to have another experienced eye on a project like this.
I did email Howa and ask them if this would fall under a warranty issueo if the once over and scope swap do not work we will travel that route.

But Holy Cow- 8 months to get a rifle back!
If that is the case, We will most likely send it off to Howa and pick up another rifle for hunting season. My son expressed interest in a Ruger Predator in 6.5 Creed. Any thoughts?
This kid is paying for this himself. He wants to earn the money and make it his rifle. I am really proud of him for that but I hurt for him buying a cheap rifle... but he just turned 16 and I like seeing him tinker to try and figure it out. This is a much better pass time than playing a video game AND he has really started learning how to reload. Both of those are a plus in my book.

My Ruger predator shoots great in the 6.5 CM. Had to put it in a magpul hunter stock cuz the plastic one from Ruger is meant to be discarded. Mine shoots .75 moa with 143 ELDX and 1moa with the 120GMX. Great on deer and speed goats.

 

[floyd kittrell]

Maybe this has no relevance to your problem but is something for everyone to know . I and a friend chased problems with his scope Nightforce on his proven rifle and load by doing all the usual things and could not determine the problem . It is a bug hole Remington ultra mag I gave to him . He had always shot it out of a loaded down lead sled . Finally out of desperation he removed the base , when he did he found broken screw or screws . He had the action rethreaded for the larger screws replace scope and rings and it shot as it always had .We do not know for sure the recoil or lack there of caused this but neither he nor I will ever use the lead sled . I do not know for sure , just saying .