rem. 700 in 300 saum accuracy issues;

[7stw]

Hello and thanks to all. I have a rm. 700 in 300 saum that is driving me nuts. I bought it as a medium to short range rifle in a synthetic BDL configuration before rem went to the SPS series. It is about 2 years old and will not shoot the way that I feel it should,or can shoot. I have been shooting and loading for about 35 years, and this rifle just doe not want to come around at all. It has about 225 rounds thru it now and will not shoot under1.5 inches consistantly. I have multiple seating depths, several powder, primer and bullet combinations, and sometimes I can get SMK;s or Lapua scenars to shoot, but need to get a good hunting to at least show promise. I just recently thouroughly cleaned it with JB bore cleaner to rule that out, but it does get a routine cleaning otherwise. While cleaning and almost since new, I can feel a section inside the barrel about 1/2 way up that while pushing a jag thru it , that seems to be easier in that same spot for about 2 inches then returns to the original patch resistance. I am wondering if that is my culprit or what. Any body with similar experiences or with 300 saum in general please comment. Could I be looking at a barrel, or might remington take a look?lightbulbgun)Thank You. Shoot Well, Shoot Often, Aim Small, Miss Small

 

[Kiwi Nate]

I work with M700 rifles year in year out, performing accurising tasks. On average, from the factory, the rifles produce 2.5" groups at 100 yards. After bedding, free floating and a trigger job, almost all will give .75", some will go right down to sub .5" groups. As for bore polishing with an abrasive, I find it is very important to do this with mass produced barrels like yours.

I wrote a couple of articles about this some time ago that will help you out.
The first is called the dummies guide to rifle accuracy. if yoy are tearing your hair out, this article will give you some piece of mind. You can download it as a PDF for ease of use if you want to.
Terminal Ballistics Research Ltd

The second article is a blog of the rifles I worked on during 2008 and early 2009. This will help you gain some perspective regarding what to expect, what the current trends are, stats from our results etc.
Terminal Ballistics Research Ltd

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Nathan.

 

[7stw]

Nathan, Thanks for your reply and info. I knew that this rifle was NOT going to shoot like one of my senderos or bench rifles, but I have owned Many, many remingtons, that I have always been able to get to shoot, and in less rounds than this one has thru it. I agree that it could be a bedding issue. The stock is the "stock" that was issued before they went to the SPS series that has the checkering, versus the ones that are avail. now.The recoil lug area is hollow, and there is a pressure point at the forend. I have personally bedded wooden REM. stocks with good success in the past. Can or should this stock be bedded and floated or should I consider a better aftermarket stock :ie Bell and Carlson, or a laminated Boyds stock? The barrel, internally is smooth except for a spot about 1/2 way thru, that is as smooth as the rest, but is seems to be larger in that are onlyfor about 2 inches, then the jag tension returns to the same as the rest of the barrel. Unfortunately, my computer has a problem with PDF;s and I am afraid to download your blogs because they get lost or unreadable. Thanks again! Any after thoughts ?gun)

 

[Fitch]

Nathan,

Thanks for the links. Enjoyed the articles.

Fitch

 

[7stw]

I work with M700 rifles year in year out, performing accurising tasks. On average, from the factory, the rifles produce 2.5" groups at 100 yards. After bedding, free floating and a trigger job, almost all will give .75", some will go right down to sub .5" groups. As for bore polishing with an abrasive, I find it is very important to do this with mass produced barrels like yours.

I wrote a couple of articles about this some time ago that will help you out.
The first is called the dummies guide to rifle accuracy. if yoy are tearing your hair out, this article will give you some piece of mind. You can download it as a PDF for ease of use if you want to.
Terminal Ballistics Research Ltd

The second article is a blog of the rifles I worked on during 2008 and early 2009. This will help you gain some perspective regarding what to expect, what the current trends are, stats from our results etc.
Terminal Ballistics Research Ltd

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Nathan.

Nathan, I think I may have found the problem. After my second thread,I checked the crown and found it to be damaged, It is at the gunsmith now! I just happened to think about it and my gunsmith confirmed it.lightbulbThanks

 

[Kiwi Nate]

Thats good news, not the burr but that you found it. Glad you enjoyed the articles. You asked for after thoughts so here goes.

Occasionally, a rifle will have more than one problem such as muzzle burrs plus a bedding issue. In the beginning, trouble shooting is an absolute nightmare until each issue is able to be seperated. In your situation, you might find that the rifle now groups or 'clusters' more consistantly (around 2.5MOA). Once you get a consistant cluster, your'e getting closer to the final goal. The next issues will be bedding, forend stability, the trigger and after this, load development and bore maintenance.

The two synthetic stocks, old model and new model are much the same as far as accuracy potential goes. If they aren't properly bedded, they need to be left pressure point bedded as they came from the factory. With modern bedding compounds and MatchGrade stock stabilizer compound, a plastic stock can be made every bit as tough and effective as a glass stock. The major difference with glass stocks is that they come in such a wide variety of fits. Some of the beaver tail forend glass stocks are very nice to shoot. What you choose should be relative to your budget along with the fit of your current stock and how it feels to use. As an example, I like the current SPS stock on 7mm08 to .270 class rifles but on a heavy recoiling magnum, the slender SPS stock slips from my fore grip under recoil and becomes very uncomfortable to shoot.

Nathan.

 

[SomeRumbum]

Try RE19, 168 Nosler Combined Tech, Wlrm primers. Mine shoots bughole groups with a mid power scope.

 

[7stw]

Nathan, I think I may have found the problem. After my second thread,I checked the crown and found it to be damaged, It is at the gunsmith now! I just happened to think about it and my gunsmith confirmed it.lightbulbThanks

I had the barrel recrowed with a target style 11 degree, and it is now shooting .260 groups using 55 gr, of varget, WLRM primer and a 168 grain bullet. Boy those WLRM primers are hot. Anyway it appears gladly, that the crown was the issue. My gunsmith did a great job. Thanks to all that contributed. Shoot Often, Aim Small.gun)

 

[Sdhpu]

I had the same issues for a year with my 300 saum but I did find a recipe that worked in my Rem model 7 300 rsaum. Here's what worked for me.
Powder: IMR 4350 @ 60gr.
Bullet: Sierra 165 BTHP Game King
*Here's the real important part the bullet needs to be .007 from the rifling. Seating the bullet close to the riflings is the key.

You might be able to up the charge but this is what I loaded up and got dime groups. (I just about fell over) The recoil was very reasonable and much less jump out of my model 7, jump may not be as big a deal for you in the 700, but jump makes a model 7 a bear to shoot.

Hope this helps...