What would you change?

[6pakzak]

Fair enough. Sometimes context gets lost in writing, it could've come off completely different if we were talking.
I just wanted to emulate that my rifles are special purpose rifles, the rifle that shoots a mile gets a 6oz trigger, the rifle that gets used with gloves for hunting has a 3# trigger. It's not masking it's just appropriate applications.

And I never believed you or anyone getting a light trigger is masking anything, probably everyone on here has guns with aftermarket or tuned triggers doesn't mean we are masking anything, I wrote it so he would also read it and see how ridiculous it sounds, I would be an idiot to make assumptions about someones skills by what trigger they had, although if you had a 15lb trigger for long range precision shooting I might have my doubts. I do apologize, maybe I should have followed up with an explanation.

 

[gohring3006]

And I never believed you or anyone getting a light trigger is masking anything, probably everyone on here has guns with aftermarket or tuned triggers doesn't mean we are masking anything, I wrote it so he would also read it and see how ridiculous it sounds, I would be an idiot to make assumptions about someones skills by what trigger they had, although if you had a 15lb trigger for long range precision shooting I might have my doubts. I do apologize, maybe I should have followed up with an explanation.

No worries
Cheers

 

[Deleted member 48126]

If you can choose the one best thing you could do to make a firearm shoot better what would it be, which one thing would you change over everything that would make the biggest difference, basically the first thing you would do to make a gun shoot better, but can only do one thing, what's most important.

Training. Could be the best gun in the world but it isn't worth anything if you can't shoot.

 

[CoachChris]

Go get training. The human is always the weakest link in accuracy. It's not arguable. It's a solid fact. Honestly, if one has good fundamentals, they don't need a special trigger unless your splitting hairs. 1/8 moa type hairs.

If you are talking strictly mechanical? Scope. Get a quality scope. It's not a optical device at its primary function, it's a telescopic sight. If you're sight is cheap and finicky, so will your shooting be.

Are you talking specifically mechanical on the rifle? The stock. The reason I suggest that over say, blue printing, or barrels is because a good stock, or even a modular stock compliments fundamentals of marksmanship….the most important thing of accuracy, right? Having the right length of pull, and the right comb height, or more simply a proper setup is critical for the shooter to be consistent.


Blue prints give small gains, and barrels now a days even from the factory are good enough in most instances. My wife took at cheap ruger American off the shelf and shoots 1/4 moa with it for example with no modification other than a cheek riser.

If you're fundementals are solid, you have a decent scope and a rifle set up for you're body…you're good to go. If you get to a point you want to be more competitive, or further your accuracy, then barrels, and blue prints, even triggers and other gizmos can help with that, but they aren't required.

This

 

[JAYgs8163]

"Firearm" - pretty broad variance here with regards to "make a gun shoot better". Since we are on a LR Hunting forum I assume we are talking about making a basic bolt action rifle shoot better. As in your Kimber with a "7lb trigger."

First- Trigger such as a TriggerTech special set at 2-2.5 Lbs.

Second- setup of rifle optic to the shooter. Making sure proper mounts and installation of the scope are done specifically to the shooter. What works for me may not work for the shooter/owner of the rifle. When I setup a rifle for someone they are required to be present for mounting the optic. This allows for proper eye relief to be set and also cheek weld. When I'm at the range I see so many struggle with getting a good field of view through their optic and it's usually because the optic/rifle were not mated the the shooter properly. Cheek weld and setting field of view to make sure you get a clear field of view through the optic with out struggle is so important and is ignored by many. Sometimes adding a small cheek rest on the butt stock allows for proper alignment for the shooter/owner. Anyways… proper setup of the optic is way up on my list.

I mention the above 2 as I've worked on many rifles for folks and the above 2 have made the biggest improvement in accuracy OF THE RIFLE assuming nothing is bad with the rest of it and the owner can do their part at the range.

 

[schmi015]

buy a tikka and put a great scope on it.

 

[Starbuck]

I ONLY buy Tikka Factory Rifles now, so I just need to replace, the Trigger Spring with one from, Elay Precision, YoDave or Ernie the Gunsmith.
I have put, Timney $ 230.00 Triggers on, my Rem 700's tho.
On ALL my New Rifles, I do, the Triggers,.. FIRST
Hunting pull weight, a CRISP, 2.5 to 3 Pounds,. Varmint & Target shooting a CRISP,..1.0 to 1.5 Pounds.
Then mount scopes,.. Lap / Loctite, etc.
I check, barrel "Free Float" clearance when putting in, the Trig Spring on my Tikka's.
Next I start Bbl Break-in and working up, loads.
Then Bedding,.. "if" necessary.

I've found this to be the best answer. I have rigs that cost much more than Tikka's, but none that really shoot better.

If you're having trouble with your current set up, the one thing I'd do is sell it and buy a Tikka. Great triggers right out the box. I know their COAL isn't the best on long chamberings, and their twist rates leave some to be desired for high BC bullets, but they generally aren't picky and the ones I've worked with shoot fantastic with factory ammo.

As an added bonus, unlike most other actions, there is actually empirical data backing up just how rugged the Tikka actions are in comparison to other designs. Just search for the Canadian Ranger rifle tests.

 

[muzzletalk]

Go get training. The human is always the weakest link in accuracy. It's not arguable. It's a solid fact. Honestly, if one has good fundamentals, they don't need a special trigger unless your splitting hairs. 1/8 moa type hairs.

If you are talking strictly mechanical? Scope. Get a quality scope. It's not a optical device at its primary function, it's a telescopic sight. If you're sight is cheap and finicky, so will your shooting be.

Are you talking specifically mechanical on the rifle? The stock. The reason I suggest that over say, blue printing, or barrels is because a good stock, or even a modular stock compliments fundamentals of marksmanship….the most important thing of accuracy, right? Having the right length of pull, and the right comb height, or more simply a proper setup is critical for the shooter to be consistent.


Blue prints give small gains, and barrels now a days even from the factory are good enough in most instances. My wife took at cheap ruger American off the shelf and shoots 1/4 moa with it for example with no modification other than a cheek riser.

If you're fundementals are solid, you have a decent scope and a rifle set up for you're body…you're good to go. If you get to a point you want to be more competitive, or further your accuracy, then barrels, and blue prints, even triggers and other gizmos can help with that, but they aren't required.

I agree 100%. Every year I spend time in a class. I love to see how different instructors teach their classes. It is surprising to me how many people don't understand the importance of good fundamentals. I'm willing to bet if someone was to ask Tiger Woods what the most important part of golf was, he'd probably say the fundamentals of a good stance and swing.

Mechanical, stock, or optic. Although I have felt some god-awful triggers in my time. So my answer really depends on what type of base I'm working off of.

 

[jeremy_f24]

I ONLY buy Tikka Factory Rifles now, so I just need to replace, the Trigger Spring with one from, Elay Precision, YoDave or Ernie the Gunsmith.
I have put, Timney $ 230.00 Triggers on, my Rem 700's tho.
On ALL my New Rifles, I do, the Triggers,.. FIRST
Hunting pull weight, a CRISP, 2.5 to 3 Pounds,. Varmint & Target shooting a CRISP,..1.0 to 1.5 Pounds.
Then mount scopes,.. Lap / Loctite, etc.
I check, barrel "Free Float" clearance when putting in, the Trig Spring on my Tikka's.
Next I start Bbl Break-in and working up, loads.
Then Bedding,.. "if" necessary.

I do like tikka as well. Haven't upgraded my spring yet tho. How difficult is that to do.. do you do it yourself?

 

[spladi]

If you can choose the one best thing you could do to make a firearm shoot better what would it be, which one thing would you change over everything that would make the biggest difference, basically the first thing you would do to make a gun shoot better, but can only do one thing, what's most important.

Maybe someone has mentioned this already here but my 2 cents is that stressing the gun while pulling the trigger is not conducive to accuracy unless it's straight to the rear or into your shoulder let's say, this shooting off the bench that is, Adjust the crosshairs to the aiming point (with the rifle rest) and confirm the set up by sliding the rifle back and forth in the rests a couple times adjusting in between slides, keep them there as you grip the rifle and throughout trigger pulling.

 

[shinbone]

Diagnose what is causing the problem. The best trigger in the world (or best barrel or whatever) is not going to help if that is not the problem.

This!

The rifle is an entire system. If one component of the system is crap, it doesn't matter how good the other components are. IOWs, each component of the system has to be working properly for the rifle to shoot well. Find the weak component and then fix it. Rinse and repeat until satisfied with the performance.

Likewise, the rifle and shooter are a system. It doesn't matter how good the rifle is if the shooter is the weak component. Etc.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

1. Bedding ( advise from. Gun smith.). 2 Trigger. 3 professional bore exam

 

[Patriot56]

It's not the arrow, it's the Indian!

 

[Stgraves260]

If only one thing I would recommend a good quality shooting class so that you may understand the fundamentals of long range shooting and what's all involved.