Sub-Par Accuracy After LOTS of Custom Work

[Outfoxed]

Brand new to the forum. I'll try to make this as short as possible, but my gunsmith and I are thoroughly perplexed by this rifle.

7mm Rem Mag, Rem 700 ADL dating to roughly the 1980's. that was my best friend's (He was one of the Granite Mountain Hotshot Firefighters who was killed 6/30/13 on the Yarnell Hill Fire, and his wife gave me this rifle).

What I did to it:

• Bell and Carlson Medalist BDL
• Free Float
• Adjusted original trigger 2.5 lb
• Vortex Viper PST 4-14x

After the work I did, it shot <.5 MOA @ 100 yds. and I whacked a mule deer buck at 545 yds. After that hunt, my late friend's father-in-law approached me about working on the rifle it since he is a local gunsmith.

What he did to it:

• Glass bedded and pillar bedded the Bell and Carlson stock
• Shilen barrel 1:9 twist with a Vais muzzle brake
• Pacific Tool & Guage bottom metal
• Accurized action, bolt, barrel w/Pacific Tool & Guage tooling
• Burris XTR rings
• Weaver 20 MOA base
• Cerakote sniper grey finish

Now, with all the work my gunsmith did, I am getting 2-4 MOA groups @ 100 yards with the same ammo I was shooting when I killed that Mule Deer buck I mentioned before.

Troubleshooting we have done:

• Shooting with/without muzzle brake
• Different scope
• 3-4 different types of factory ammo
• No less than 12 reload combinations shooting
  • 162 Hornady SST
  • 175 Sierra Game King
  • H4831
  • Retumbo
  • H1000

Based on our troubleshooting, a average thinking person like myself would draw a conclusion that it has to be something with the gun. My goal is to get this rifle to shoot at least as good as it did before if not better.

I have extended this humble request to gain as much knowledge as possible and use your suggestions to make this gun shoot true. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. The sentimental factor of this gun is such that I am determined to make it shoot.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[gillettehunter]

Was the scope bases bedded? Are those screws tight? Scope ring screws tight? Copper out of the barrel? Tried a different scope to make sure it's the rifle and not the scope? Others will come up. With other suggestions. That's a start. Bruce

 

[pikeman]

You put on a new barrel? I would say work up a new load for that barrel.

 

[FEENIX]

You put on a new barrel? I would say work up a new load for that barrel.

Yep!

 

[Dhammer]

No expert. But my first thought was new barrel too. Doesn't mean it's going to like the exact same ammo the okd barrel does.

 

[Jluck]

What twist?

I actually know a guy who put a (wanted) 1:14 on a 30 cal for a "LR" rig. People have weird ideas including some smiths.

 

[mountainman56]

Start eliminating things you changed. If possible I would screw the old barrel back on and try it. Since this barrel has a known history if the rifle still shoots lousy you can eliminate the barrel as the source of the problem and go from there.

 

[Outfoxed]

Was the scope bases bedded? Are those screws tight? Scope ring screws tight? Copper out of the barrel? Tried a different scope to make sure it's the rifle and not the scope? Others will come up. With other suggestions. That's a start. Bruce

Yes, yes, shot both fouled and after cleaning copper, have put different scope on, and shot the scope on different rifle with good accuracy.

 

[Mike 338]

Do this regardless of bullet used.

Optimizing Precision And Accuracy From VLD Bullets

 

[Dr. Vette]

After the work I did, it shot <.5 MOA @ 100 yds. and I whacked a mule deer buck at 545 yds.

I read this and wonder what you were trying to gain by having it worked on, but that's just me.

As others have already noted, I'd look at the barrel and also the chambering. Consider having an independent third party gunsmith look at it and give an opinion on the workmanship. He may see something that's been overlooked.

 

[jsthntn247]

Since the action was trued you might want to check and make sure the front scope base screw is not contacting the barrel threads. Had that happen to me once and give me fits until I figured out what it was.

 

[mountainman56]

Since the action was trued you might want to check and make sure the front scope base screw is not contacting the barrel threads. Had that happen to me once and give me fits until I figured out what it was.

+1 Most definitely! I wish I'd have thought of this. Had it happen to me on a custom Stiller someone else had built that I was trying to work up a load for.

 

[Outfoxed]

Thanks for all the feedback. I will for sure check the front screw on the base. We cant use the old barrel since there are issues with the tollarances after the accurizing, that's the only reason we went with a new barrel.

I also have a buddy that has extensive 7mm reloading experience and we're going to start trying to work up a new load in the laboratory.

Any other little things you all think we need to check? I hate wasting powder and bullets if there's anything we missed. Thanks.

 

[Predator 22]

I would have someone check the crown or just cut off a 1/2" from the muzzle and recrown it without the brake and threads for the brake shoot it then thread and add the brake.