Browning BAR vertical grouping

[BigRed308]

I have a browning BAR 30-06 that has shot well enough for years-as it’s been a 100 yard deer rifle. Took it on a hunt and it jammed up, got it cleaned and functions fine now but I am having vertical groupings 5-6” apart vertically but groupings are fine horizontally. Changed ammo and problem replicated.

Any idea what this is? I checked the scope and everything is tight. Never been an issue prior. Scope is a Leupold vx-3i.

Pictures attached.

 

[Hecouldgoalltheway]

Man, that really looks like a scope or mount issue. Did you pull it all off and put it back with loctite? I'd go through that first. If you already did all of that, check your bolt face for damage maybe? Maybe when you "jammed it up", you somehow damaged the bolt face or the chamber itself.

When it jammed up, was it dirty enough that maybe you've developed a carbon ring? That Could make a mess of your groups, but it does seem that you have consistent vertical stringing. If I had to guess though, scope, rings or bases.

 

[BigRed308]

I’m leaning towards scope issue as well. Checked base and rings. All were solid and tried to retorque, nothing budged.

 

[FOS373]

FWIW - Browning BAR Safari 30–06 as well. Shots just before I went on a Canadian Moose hunt. I’m not saying they will stack shots, but 5-6“ seems odd. I have a NF 2.5-10 on mine.

What are the bases on your rifle?

 

[BigRed308]

Leupold bases. It’s an older Belgium model.

 

[FOS373]

Do you have a muzzle brake or a BOSS? My BOSS came loose once and the pattern opened up quite a bit

 

[BigRed308]

No muzzle break.

 

[cornhusker86]

Try another scope.

 

[hlee]

How clean did you get it? And, how many rounds down it since the cleaning? If for example, you scrubbed all of the copper out of the barrel back to sparkly fresh steel, it might not shoot all that well until you have a bit of copper built back up in the barrel. Just a thought.

 

[mtrmn]

"Got it cleaned"-does that mean you got somebody else to clean it? I'm just thinking maybe the torque on assembly screws like the fore-end or something. I've only messed with one civilian BAR in my life and I seem to remember some screws involved. And the buffer inside had deteriorated and fell to pieces when removed. You seem to indicate the accuracy went to crap when it was cleaned, so I'm just throwing some possibilities out there based on very dim memories.

 

[fanninland]

Likewise, several years ago I was cleaning my dads 30.06 BAR (because he rarely did) and the buffer had come apart. I can’t remember the exact details but I ordered a new buffer and couple other parts thru Browning, got it back together and it shot great (about 2 moa for that gun). So not sure if the buffer would induce such vertical stringing but might check it. But yeah I’d definitely try another scope too.