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Long Range Hunting & Shooting
Inconsistent rifle due to recoil/muzzle climb
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<blockquote data-quote="LDHunter" data-source="post: 1609195" data-attributes="member: 105"><p>One truism I encountered many years ago in trying to acquire/build lightweight hunting rifles was to NEVER sacrifice barrel thickness when trying to shave ounces unless you're hunting under 125 yards at whitetails or larger game.</p><p></p><p>Skinny barrels whip, cause undue recoil and promote muzzle rise. I like lightweight stocks, lightweight/short actions, medium weight scopes and fairly heavy barrels. A short and light carbine with a medium weight barrel is my favorite combination.</p><p></p><p>For a lightweight carry rifle I aim for (pun intended) good accuracy and retained velocity up to 300yds. Beyond that I immediately change tactics to a magnum type cartridge, heavy barrel, and a fairly straight stock with full action bedding by a very competent gunsmith.</p><p></p><p>All bedding jobs are FAR from equal. Once you learn what to look for you'll find that most bedding jobs allow the barreled action to rock like a rocking horse in the action when you slightly loosen both action screws.</p><p></p><p>It should be like setting a concrete block on a perfectly flat concrete driveway. Also when you tighten the bedding screws back up both should turn fairly easily and then when the action hits the bedding they should come to an abrupt stop with no slow tightening or cross torquing necessary. You shouldn't even need a torque wrench. Just hand tighten and you're good to go. You shouldn't be tightening further and further into the stock/bedding as the action settles into it's place.</p><p></p><p>I once had a Remington Model Seven SS Magnum in 300SAUM that came from the factory in one of those tupperware stocks and the original owner had the action pillar bedded and action bedded into that stock by a professional gunsmith that also tuned the trigger. That rifle shot consistently 1/2" to 5/8" groups all day long but only weighed 6.5 pounds sans scope, ammo, scope mounts and rings.</p><p></p><p>Like an idiot I sold it and the new owner put a McMillan Alaska Wilderness Rifle stock on it which is a GREAT stock but the guy that bedded it did a really crappy job and the rifle shot patterns. He sold it back to me and I took it to my gunsmith and he ripped out the crappy bedding job and did one of his "bank vault" (my term) bedding jobs on it and it's back to tiny groups. It was all about the bedding.</p><p></p><p>I've said it before on here many times before. ALL rifles need a serious bedding job before you can get the best groups the rifle is capable of shooting unless you're incredibly lucky. Even the HS Precision Aluminum "Vblock" stocks. Once you skim bed those stocks, unless you have a crappy action or barrel, the rifles start shooting one hole groups with almost any ammo.</p><p></p><p>I always start with a quality bedding job and only once ever had to have the barrel channel bedded as well. I figure if that's necessary then a thicker barrel is probably a better choice but sometimes it's about the money and weight.</p><p></p><p>I've quit all those load work up agonizing hours because they usually aren't necessary with a good barrel, trued action, and a quality bedding job. Most any ammo or handloads shoot better than I can.</p><p></p><p>I know I'll probably get a lot of flak from this message but it's finally put years of chasing groups to rest for me where I can focus more on shooting form and my hunting rather than load development. If I was a benchrest shooter I know it would be a different world and I'd have to be more exacting but now once I get a rifle that shoots under a half inch reliably I usually call it good enough and move on to perfecting my shooting and/or hunting skills although those hunting skills are ALWAYS a work in progress... LOL</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LDHunter, post: 1609195, member: 105"] One truism I encountered many years ago in trying to acquire/build lightweight hunting rifles was to NEVER sacrifice barrel thickness when trying to shave ounces unless you're hunting under 125 yards at whitetails or larger game. Skinny barrels whip, cause undue recoil and promote muzzle rise. I like lightweight stocks, lightweight/short actions, medium weight scopes and fairly heavy barrels. A short and light carbine with a medium weight barrel is my favorite combination. For a lightweight carry rifle I aim for (pun intended) good accuracy and retained velocity up to 300yds. Beyond that I immediately change tactics to a magnum type cartridge, heavy barrel, and a fairly straight stock with full action bedding by a very competent gunsmith. All bedding jobs are FAR from equal. Once you learn what to look for you'll find that most bedding jobs allow the barreled action to rock like a rocking horse in the action when you slightly loosen both action screws. It should be like setting a concrete block on a perfectly flat concrete driveway. Also when you tighten the bedding screws back up both should turn fairly easily and then when the action hits the bedding they should come to an abrupt stop with no slow tightening or cross torquing necessary. You shouldn't even need a torque wrench. Just hand tighten and you're good to go. You shouldn't be tightening further and further into the stock/bedding as the action settles into it's place. I once had a Remington Model Seven SS Magnum in 300SAUM that came from the factory in one of those tupperware stocks and the original owner had the action pillar bedded and action bedded into that stock by a professional gunsmith that also tuned the trigger. That rifle shot consistently 1/2" to 5/8" groups all day long but only weighed 6.5 pounds sans scope, ammo, scope mounts and rings. Like an idiot I sold it and the new owner put a McMillan Alaska Wilderness Rifle stock on it which is a GREAT stock but the guy that bedded it did a really crappy job and the rifle shot patterns. He sold it back to me and I took it to my gunsmith and he ripped out the crappy bedding job and did one of his "bank vault" (my term) bedding jobs on it and it's back to tiny groups. It was all about the bedding. I've said it before on here many times before. ALL rifles need a serious bedding job before you can get the best groups the rifle is capable of shooting unless you're incredibly lucky. Even the HS Precision Aluminum "Vblock" stocks. Once you skim bed those stocks, unless you have a crappy action or barrel, the rifles start shooting one hole groups with almost any ammo. I always start with a quality bedding job and only once ever had to have the barrel channel bedded as well. I figure if that's necessary then a thicker barrel is probably a better choice but sometimes it's about the money and weight. I've quit all those load work up agonizing hours because they usually aren't necessary with a good barrel, trued action, and a quality bedding job. Most any ammo or handloads shoot better than I can. I know I'll probably get a lot of flak from this message but it's finally put years of chasing groups to rest for me where I can focus more on shooting form and my hunting rather than load development. If I was a benchrest shooter I know it would be a different world and I'd have to be more exacting but now once I get a rifle that shoots under a half inch reliably I usually call it good enough and move on to perfecting my shooting and/or hunting skills although those hunting skills are ALWAYS a work in progress... LOL [/QUOTE]
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Inconsistent rifle due to recoil/muzzle climb
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