So when I bought my 20" Rem 700 Tactical .223, the muzzle face had marks on it, but the crown was intact. Now I notice this big ding on the crown and I also notice that my accuracy has gone down. I went from shooting .5-.75 MOA (probably averaging .65-.7MOA) to now struggling to shoot under 1MOA. All things being equal (I rechecked torques etc on Rings and base and action screws), would the crown ding have this much effect? I'm gonna drop it off at a smith on Tuesday, but just wanted to see. The accuracy is just not consistent now, and I can't seem to make it better by slowing down and going back to the fundamentals. I'm fairly new at precision rifle, but I know I can shoot sub MOA most of the time, and my groups have opened up big time. I struggle for 1MOA at 200 and 300 yards now too.
Second issue. I installed a Nightforce 20MOA base, and I can't zero at 100 yards, the scope doesn't have enough travel (Nikon M223). I like the scope, but down at the very bottom of the click range it's kinda mushy. Would switching to a flat base solve this? I'm guessing yes
Here's a pic of the muzzle:
300 Yard group from before with one sighter with Black Hills 69 Grain HPBT:
100 Yard group from before with Black Hills 69 Grain HPBT:
100 Yard Group yesterday (Fouled Bore): Black Hills
Best 100 Yard Group yesterday (Clean bore): Federal Gold Medal Match 69 grain
I fear that cleaning has caused this, not just the ding, but also in other ways.
Second issue. I installed a Nightforce 20MOA base, and I can't zero at 100 yards, the scope doesn't have enough travel (Nikon M223). I like the scope, but down at the very bottom of the click range it's kinda mushy. Would switching to a flat base solve this? I'm guessing yes
Here's a pic of the muzzle:
300 Yard group from before with one sighter with Black Hills 69 Grain HPBT:
100 Yard group from before with Black Hills 69 Grain HPBT:
100 Yard Group yesterday (Fouled Bore): Black Hills
Best 100 Yard Group yesterday (Clean bore): Federal Gold Medal Match 69 grain
I fear that cleaning has caused this, not just the ding, but also in other ways.