Mcmillian a5 stock question about accuracy issues

[G101489]

Took my Remington .308 out to the range today and was getting pretty awful groups. 1.5 to 2", mind you this same gun shot .5 pretty consistently in an HS stock. One thing I noticed was was the forearm bent like a wet noodle under any type bipod pressure. This resulted in garbage groups. This is my first high end stock. Is the normal? The stock is rock solid, so idk why it flexes like it does. The stock has aluminum pillars. Thanks

 

[roggom]

Try shooting off of your pack or range bag and see if that helps. It will mitigate bipod flex. You can pull the action out again and re-torque to spec. Another thing to try is getting some cork gasket material from the autoparts store and cut a bit out and place it in the barrel channel towards the end. Put enough to put 5 lbs of pressure at the tip of the fore-end. You can check with a trigger pull guage, it will take 5 lbs to pull the bbl away from the stock. You may need to rezero, but see if it helps. I had a similar issue when I put my Rem-Tac in a McMillan HTG, it really was not the stock, as my Rem has thousands of rounds through it, but it shrunk my groups. I did not want to bed the stock at this time, as I have Tikkas that shoot lights out.

 

[G101489]

Try shooting off of your pack or range bag and see if that helps. It will mitigate bipod flex. You can pull the action out again and re-torque to spec. Another thing to try is getting some cork gasket material from the autoparts store and cut a bit out and place it in the barrel channel towards the end. Put enough to put 5 lbs of pressure at the tip of the fore-end. You can check with a trigger pull guage, it will take 5 lbs to pull the bbl away from the stock. You may need to rezero, but see if it helps. I had a similar issue when I put my Rem-Tac in a McMillan HTG, it really was not the stock, as my Rem has thousands of rounds through it, but it shrunk my groups. I did not want to bed the stock at this time, as I have Tikkas that shoot lights out.

Thanks for the reply. I'm sitting here kinda dumb founded about the whole situation. Same barred action has shot in a HS-stock with bipod. I had another Remington in a houge stock a while back that shot even better. That gun was shot off a bipod as well.

 

[roggom]

Yes it happens like that sometimes. The action may not be setting in the McMillan correctly and may need to be bedded. The tip I gave was a from the late Gale McMillan when I was researching my issue. Dont take the quote the wrong way as some Remington barrels can shoot, but they are not Kreiger's. Your HS should have a bedding block, and I thought the Hogue had pressure pads at the foregrip (I can t remember).

"Posted: 01-08-2000 07:08 PM
Quality barrels will perform better free floated but poor quality barrel will perform better with a 3 to 5 lb fore end pressure. The reason for this is that
poor quality production barrels are not stress relieved and will tend to walk as it heats up. By putting fore end pressure you are actually bending the
barrel upward in an ark so that as the bullet starts down the bore it is trying to straighten out the gentle bow induced by fore end pressure and it holds
the barrel against that force. This causes the bullet to exit at the same vibration point shot to shot even though there may be a velocity spread. It is best
to bed the rifle with free floated barrel as it is easy to bed the barrel with fore end pressure should it not shoot free floated. Just hold the stock in a
vice and hang a 5 lb weight to the front swivel and put bedding material in place in the fore end tip and let set up. This means that free floating is not a
panacea and does not always help. Some do and some don't This is why all factory barrels are generally bedded with fore end pressure"

 

[sobrbiker883]

If I had an A5 that was properly inlet for my barrel contour and it flexed enough on a bipod to touch the barrel I'd be calling McMillan.
I've had plenty of A5's and the forearm being wimpy wasn't a problem with any.

 

[G101489]

Yes it happens like that sometimes. The action may not be setting in the McMillan correctly and may need to be bedded. The tip I gave was a from the late Gale McMillan when I was researching my issue. Dont take the quote the wrong way as some Remington barrels can shoot, but they are not Kreiger's. Your HS should have a bedding block, and I thought the Hogue had pressure pads at the foregrip (I can t remember).

"Posted: 01-08-2000 07:08 PM
Quality barrels will perform better free floated but poor quality barrel will perform better with a 3 to 5 lb fore end pressure. The reason for this is that
poor quality production barrels are not stress relieved and will tend to walk as it heats up. By putting fore end pressure you are actually bending the
barrel upward in an ark so that as the bullet starts down the bore it is trying to straighten out the gentle bow induced by fore end pressure and it holds
the barrel against that force. This causes the bullet to exit at the same vibration point shot to shot even though there may be a velocity spread. It is best
to bed the rifle with free floated barrel as it is easy to bed the barrel with fore end pressure should it not shoot free floated. Just hold the stock in a
vice and hang a 5 lb weight to the front swivel and put bedding material in place in the fore end tip and let set up. This means that free floating is not a
panacea and does not always help. Some do and some don't This is why all factory barrels are generally bedded with fore end pressure"

So you are suggesting that it's the barrel? I just doubts it's the stock.. I mean tac ops and GA precision both is the A5 and have some Very accurate rifles.

 

[sobrbiker883]

Pillars? Who did the bedding?

 

[G101489]

Pillars? Who did the bedding?

Yes, aluminum pillars. Came from McMillan with pillars. Rifle hasn't been bedded.

 

[roggom]

The end goal is to get it shooting well in the McMillan. First shoot off of a bag to rule out forearm flex while bipod loading, or bipod hop off of a bench. Try holding the forearm, vs supporting the butt of the rifle with your support hand.

Next try the cork thing, it will help determine if your bbl needs to be supported or free floated. Before you do that, run a piece of paper under the barrel to see if it is completely free floated, it may be touching at one point. If it shoots better with the cork, then you can have the stock bedded, and ask for pressure bedding at the fore-end.

The barreled action shot well in another stock, what we need to determine is what was going on in those other stocks that is different in the McMillan. Even though its pillar bedded, it was not bedded to your rifle. So it may only need a skim bed and recoil lug area. I only suggest the cork as it is not permanent. It would suck to bed your rifle and it still does not shoot.

 

[G101489]

The end goal is to get it shooting well in the McMillan. First shoot off of a bag to rule out forearm flex while bipod loading, or bipod hop off of a bench. Try holding the forearm, vs supporting the butt of the rifle with your support hand.

Next try the cork thing, it will help determine if your bbl needs to be supported or free floated. Before you do that, run a piece of paper under the barrel to see if it is completely free floated, it may be touching at one point. If it shoots better with the cork, then you can have the stock bedded, and ask for pressure bedding at the fore-end.

The barreled action shot well in another stock, what we need to determine is what was going on in those other stocks that is different in the McMillan. Even though its pillar bedded, it was not bedded to your rifle. So it may only need a skim bed and recoil lug area. I only suggest the cork as it is not permanent. It would suck to bed your rifle and it still does not shoot.

The barrle is free floated via dollar bill. How please explain how to do this cork thing. Also when i load the bipod, the stock and barrel separate. Would the cork idea work even with that happening ?

 

[roggom]

It's as simple as cutting the cork and laying it in the barrel channel. Start with one piece and stack another if your bipod is really pulling it away. In your case it will only be for troubleshooting. You can call McMillan and see what they can do for you or have someone bed the rifle for you. My point is the action may not be sitting evenly in the stock and a full action bed my help. As mentioned, I left mine corked as I already have a few Tikkas and an LRI Built Remmy that are super accurate. This rifle is a 1-1.5 moa, it's good enough for plinking and hunting.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[G101489]

It's as simple as cutting the cork and laying it in the barrel channel. Start with one piece and stack another if your bipod is really pulling it away. In your case it will only be for troubleshooting. You can call McMillan and see what they can do for you or have someone bed the rifle for you. My point is the action may not be sitting evenly in the stock and a full action bed my help. As mentioned, I left mine corked as I already have a few Tikkas and an LRI Built Remmy that are super accurate. This rifle is a 1-1.5 moa, it's good enough for plinking and hunting.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I sure do appreciate all the help!