Remington 700 Issues

[hilltop101]

I recently bought a Remington 700 ADL 7mm 08 with a 22" barrel used and have been having accuracy issues. So far I've shot three different factory loads and my best group was about 3". I tried Winchester 140 gr. Ballistic tips, Remington 140gr. Core lokt, and Federal 140gr. Fusion. The best group was with the Fusion ammo. I've owned several Rem 700's in the past and they have all shot 1" groups at a hundred yards. My former rifle was a Rem 700 '06 with a Zeiss 3x9 scope that consistently shot 1" groups or less at 100 yards using factory Remington 165gr. Accutips. So far I've torn the rifle apart, cleaned it thouroughly, and adjusted the trigger to a crisp light pull. Fortunately I have a set of 7mm 08 reloading dies from a previous 7/08 I owned so I plan on reloading some 140gr. Nosler ballistic tips with a couple of different powders to see if I can get better groups. (I'm not sure that reloads would make that substantial of a difference.) Also, I have the rifle came with a Leupold 3x9 rifleman with a cheap pair of kwik set bases and rings. Although the scopes is not a premium model, it's not shabby. I'm planning on swapping out the bases and rings with 1 piece Leupold dovetails.

I like the rifle. It's light, easy to carry, and a great caliber to hunt deer in West Texas. However; the accuracy is currently unacceptable. Is there something I may be missing? What else could be causing the accuracy problems? Would I be better off just selling and hoping to get a better rifle or are there some things I could do to improve the shooting quality of this rifle?

 

[trebark]

Make sure everything is tight....action screws, bases, rings. Do you know who owned the rifle previously? you could ask them what they shot in the rifle. Or you might have just found out why the person sold it.

 

[hilltop101]

When I pulled the rifle apart I checked everything and the actions screws bases and rings were tight. If its not loose screws or the ammo what could be the problem? Maybe the barrel? If replacing the bases and rings and experimenting with reloads doesn't work where should I look to next. I don't understand why there's such a difference in accuracy between two rifles of the exact same model.

 

[Mike6158]

I had problems with an out of the box 700 VTR (.308) until I went through a barrel break-in procedure (shoot 1, clean, shoot 1, clean for 20 rounds). I didn't mess around with the factory stock and I changed it before I ever fired a round through the rifle. Even with an HS Precision stock, groups were terrible prior to the break-in. They are sub 2" at 300 yards now (but that's with a 20x scope, Mark IV rings, and a 20moa Mark IV base).

 

[RT2506]

Did you remove that pressure point out at the front of the hand guard? I have cured a many ill shooting 700's by simply sanding out that pressure point and free floating the barrel.

 

[Chas1]

hilltop101, I don't understand why there's such a difference in accuracy between two rifles of the exact same model. With a standard remy such as ADL BDL it's a luck of the draw some shoot and some don't...any number of things could help assuming it's not you ie-one or more of the following: re-stock and bed, recrown, tigger job, rebarrel, true the action...it all depends on how much you want to put into it.

 

[roninflag]

i picked up a 7mm mag adl that was made in 1967. adjusted the trigger it shoots great. factory rifles are a gamble.

 

[loaders_loft]

+1 on free floating the barrel.
+1 on hand loads, I'm sure they will make a difference if you work up a load.
+1 on barrel break in.
often there is a substantial shift in point of impact between the cold shot and warmed up shots. Shoot your groups all cold or all hot, depending on the type of shooting you intend to do...

 

[MTBULLET]

also, check the crown CAREFULLY, use a magnifing (?) lense. a real problem area in rifles that have been "used" . Re crowning can cure a lot of problems, and easy to do.

 

[Chas1]

Loaders_Loft, when you say "Shoot your groups all cold or all hot" Question and I have no preconceived opinion other than quite often I'll read on LRH to let the barrel cool and I'm thinking cool or hot shots mixed could affect groups...and I think I'm ok there...But, I also thought shoot...let barrel cool...shoot...let barrel cool helps to take care of barrel and throat thus extending accuracy...soooo am I assuming too much or is it ok to shoot one shot after another even if the barrel gets a little hot?

 

[loaders_loft]

if I notice a point of impact shift in a rifle I'm shooting, then I have to make a decision. For a varmint gun like a 22-250, I know it will be shot several consecutive times, so I don't let the barrel cool between shots when shooting a 5 shot group. However, for a big game rifle, I know every shot will be a cold bore shot or one follow up, so I let the gun cool between every shot or two.

if your group is big because of a shift in point of impact between a cold & hot shot, then don't do that unless that's the way you always plan to shoot it.

 

[Chas1]

Loader_Loft, thanks for responding. I think I got it now. I guess in my mind i was thinking a string of shots one after the other.

 

[hilltop101]

Thank you guys for all your input. It's definitely given me some direction. So far I've adjusted the trigger, bought 1 piece leupold dovetail base and rings, and ordered a box of Hornady 139 gr. SST's (still waiting for them since they're on backorder).

I have one additional question I would like input on. The fit of the original synthetic stock doesn't seem ideal and I'm thinking about changing out with a Bell & Carlson Alaskan II with the full bedding block. Right now Stockys has them onsale for $203. So here's my question: is this a great stock at a reasonable price? And would this be the next logical step for improving the accuracy of my 700? Thanks in advance for your time and input.

 

[Chas1]

No personal experience with Bell & Carlson stocks. Know some that have them and they are satisfied. I'm sure there are others here that can and will comment firsthand.