Picked up a Ruger American Predator in 6 creed for a cheap coyote gun. Brought it to the range today and it was all over the place. I got it as close as I could at 50 yards and at 100 the spread was terrible. Almost a foot in every direction. The scope and rings are torqued to spec and leveled. It’s about -10 Fahrenheit today. Would the cold affect it that much? Could it be the brake? I’m lost
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How is the crown? Any indication on the brake of contact. I'd definitely pull it off and try without.
Also check for the barrel being free floated.
Also check for the barrel being free floated.
-10? Fuck that… Aren’t you shivering? Could it be possible that it’s you shivering and throwing the shots?
I had the truck warmed up and was taking breaks whenever I felt the cold was affecting my shooting. I don’t think that was a factor
What ammo? I bought a 308 about a decade ago and a couple of boxes of different ammunition. It shot federal msr 150gr into a “group” that could barely be covered by a basketball. I switched to Hornady match 168gr and put a group on the same paper that would be completely hidden by a quarter.
Maybe the barrel isnt free floated. Maybe it hates those bullets or that ammo, maybe its the brake, maybe the scope is no good, maybe the rifle is just a lemon. We can list reasons all day long but they are just going to be wild ass guesses until you do more inspection and/or testing and provide more information.
Until then, who the hell knows.
Until then, who the hell knows.
Were the holes in the target round?
I had that same rifle for coyotes and it definitely had no issue grouping temps -10 or colder. Mine shot everything fine, including hornady black. I’d try without the brake, double check the action screws, make sure it’s free floated, and try another ammo type or two. Could be a ton of different things like has been mentioned but don’t assume it’s because of the cold. If you got a lemon it would be better to sort that out now, not in several months when it’s warm.
Is it shooting all over right from the start or just when the barrel heats up?
Is it shooting all over right from the start or just when the barrel heats up?
It ain't the cold, I'm up in Northern MN and went to UND back in college when I shot Fclass leagues, and UND is right next to Canada and insanely cold.
I also hunted coyotes down to -30 and -40.
I love the cold, what I can't handle is 80+ degrees, and I hate 70+ degrees, but I can tolerate 70-80. I'll take the negative temps.
Anyways, grab some other ammo, I would like to see the groups, fire at least 5 rounds for them, preferably 8 or so for each group so some outliers can be tossed if necessary.
But grab something heavier, something lighter, and something similar and run a couple different brands in there as well.
So maybe something in the 80-90gr something again around your 100-105, then, if it's even realistic for your setup and it may not be, grab something heavier, if it isn't realistic then have something that's 100gr and something that's 105 or 107.
Again, shoot a sighter shot or two so you know your group will be on the paper, then run a group of more shots than normal.
That thing may be twisted for the 80s and the 100+ may just not run well.
Loosen and re-torque the action screws before you go while you're at it, just because, make sure she's seated right.
I also hunted coyotes down to -30 and -40.
I love the cold, what I can't handle is 80+ degrees, and I hate 70+ degrees, but I can tolerate 70-80. I'll take the negative temps.
Anyways, grab some other ammo, I would like to see the groups, fire at least 5 rounds for them, preferably 8 or so for each group so some outliers can be tossed if necessary.
But grab something heavier, something lighter, and something similar and run a couple different brands in there as well.
So maybe something in the 80-90gr something again around your 100-105, then, if it's even realistic for your setup and it may not be, grab something heavier, if it isn't realistic then have something that's 100gr and something that's 105 or 107.
Again, shoot a sighter shot or two so you know your group will be on the paper, then run a group of more shots than normal.
That thing may be twisted for the 80s and the 100+ may just not run well.
Loosen and re-torque the action screws before you go while you're at it, just because, make sure she's seated right.
Measure the twist. The .243 version of this rifle has a 9 twist, and the 6 Cm a 7.7. Perhaps a .243 blank made it into the 6cm pile.
Something is loose. In my unprofessional opinion.
A two foot group at 100 yds…This isn’t the twist or the ammo or the temp or even shivering
It’s a loose scope or broken internals in the scope or bullets impacting the brake…or worse
I don’t even think a marred crown would cause a 2 foot group.
A poor rifle these days shoots 2” not 2’.
It’s a loose scope or broken internals in the scope or bullets impacting the brake…or worse
I don’t even think a marred crown would cause a 2 foot group.
A poor rifle these days shoots 2” not 2’.
Wait ! Wait ! Wait a minute…..who the fuck shoots in -10 deg weather?
So last night I took everything completely apart and re torqued every single bolt. It’s a bit warmer today so I hit the range with the same ammo and my first group was right at MOA. I got it zeroed and she’s ready to hunt. That’s good enough for what it is. Thanks guys!
Glad that you found the issue with bolt torque. I had the same issue with my wife’s Remington 700. 6” at 25 yards, I start there before moving to 100 to save frustration. Torqued the base and rings, no joy. Swapped the “package“ scope, again no joy. Then went to remove the stock, the rear bolt was barely finger tight and the fron bolt was so tight it went pop when it released. Removed the stock and checked for rub marks and reassembled with equal torque on the action bolts. Now it shoots 5/8” at 100 yards with our hunting loads.
Look at it this way, you always get to shoot by yourself, and thats a plus!
The back one broke loose at about 45 pounds. The fron one around 60
First shot on a dog today and it did the job!
I have the predator in 6.5 creedmoor on a magpul stock. It is very accurate but shooting the same bullet, ELDX 143 gr, at 100 yds, at 2700 fps, from a rest, I got groups from 1.2 mos to .4 moa. I loaded the rounds using the same cases-Hornady ,cci lr primers. I tried IMR 4350, Staball 6.5, and RL 17. The tRL 17 gave me a 5 shot group you could cover with a dime. I was amazed at the difference just a different powder could make. I guess that every rifle likes different loads and because I was handloading, I could tune the load. Hell, that’s half the fun! The high shots are where I reset the scope for 200 yd zero. As a side , I also have the same rifle in .243 and had 2 one shot kills on pronghorns at 180 and 240 yds after playing with the various different components. Reloading is very satisfying.
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