help diagnose vertical stringing with .300 win mag.

[...]

so i picked up a Remington 700 LR in .300 win mag, and have been getting some strange groupings out if it.

so far ive fired a total of 40 rounds through it...200gr Hornady Precision Hunter.

its currently sitting in an XLR classis, outfitted with Badger rings and bases, and a SFWA SS 20X scope.

i had a hard time getting a zero on it initially......and on my last outting, i was getting terrible vertical stringing at 100yds.......upwards of 10-12" from 5 shot groups.....and when it did "group".....it was 2-3" groups.


right now im thinking the prime suspect is the scope.....so im going to swap that out for another scope i know is good.

ive scoped the bore and it honestly doesnt look too bad....ive seen worse barrels shoot better, and it wouldnt account for the stringing.

anything else i should check?

 

[GhengisAhn175]

Couple checks:

buy two separate brands of match ammo and shoot a 5 shot group. See if the problem persists. If so then you most likely have a mechanical issue.

If not then you have ammo issues.

Mechanical issues:
bad scope :you're already addressing it so that's that. Check tracking and ensure you're setting up scope properly

bad mount: verify rings are in place?

bad operstor: don't over torque...

chamber: it could be shot out but highly unlikely. The spread your getting is pretty bad

 

[Hawk in WY]

One more thing.

Magnum rifles and the classic left hand under the heel of the stock don't always work well together.

Make sure you have a stable front rest.

Use your left hand on the fore-end to stabilize the rifle.

Good luck.

 

[BearNaked]

Couple checks:

buy two separate brands of match ammo and shoot a 5 shot group. See if the problem persists. If so then you most likely have a mechanical issue.

If not then you have ammo issues.

Mechanical issues:
bad scope :you're already addressing it so that's that. Check tracking and ensure you're setting up scope properly

bad mount: verify rings are in place?

bad operstor: don't over torque...

chamber: it could be shot out but highly unlikely. The spread your getting is pretty bad

just to add to this list, go over every screw and make sure it is all torqued down to the correct specs. never hurts to double check everything.

one other thing, do you have a muzzle break on this? if so, then check that to make sure it is tighten down and is in line with the bore.

 

[...]

thanks for the input guys.

the rifle has only 40 round through it.....so its definatelly not shot out.....could be a shitty chambering job though.

i checked and retorqued the action screws half way through shooting......i didnt check scope screws.....usually once i set that up i leave it alone.....but i did wiggle it and it didnt budge.

also, no muzzle break.


if the scope and different ammo doesnt fix it, im probably just going to re-chamber it, and redo the crown.....and while i have it apart, ill true up the action.....pain in the ass, but doable.

 

[moosemeat]

300 wm has enough recoil to mess up scopes and rings. Check those first. If that doesnt work check the bedding. Also have another shooter give it a whirl. Not saying it's you, just take variable out of the equation.

 

[knockemdown]

Beyond what's been mentioned, only other thing that comes to mind might be bullet stability.
Were the bullets making round holes in paper?

Check/confirm barrel twist rate with a patched cleaning rod, and that is sufficient to stabilize that projo, at given MV...

 

[...]

Yup, was getting nice round holes.....its a 1/10 twist....so i should be able to stabilize up to 220gr no problem.


Im actually thinking the vertical stringing is caused by the buttstock slipping on the buffer tube of the XLR stock.

I noticed the other day that it was loose, and a good but closer than i usually keep it

Im gonna try torquing it tighter and maybe put on some kind of collar to help hold it on place.

 

[...]

well a little bit of an update.....thought you guys might be interested.

machined up a custom solid stainless buffer tube, that has a small step in it to prevent the buttstock from sliding forward





....also has the added benefit of adding 2.5 lbs to the rifle....a welcom weight on a 300 win mag......now to see how its shoots.