Would this affect my rifle's accuracy?

[mmw194287]

**It's a long one...so I apologize.**

I have a Sako M995 in 338LM that I sent out to have drilled and tapped for a picatinny rail. After the work was done, the rifle was returned with the rail torqued on. After a quick trip to the range to test fire, I realized that the front screw through the rail was not making contact with the rail--it was simply run into the barrel tenon until it stopped. I took a file and some sandpaper and shortened the screw until it could be torqued to spec without making contact with the tenon threads.

I was never able to get anything resembling a decent group with this rifle (3-4" or much larger at 100 yards) shooting three or four different bullet types/weights, different primers, etc. It has a very efficient brake, is mounted in a KRG W-3 with nightforce 6 screw rings, and I've had a SWFA 3-15, Nightforce SHV 5-20, and Bushnell DMRII and LRHS on it. Put 140 or so rounds through it simply trying to shoot a target that looked like a group with no success. I was totally bewildered by my experience with this rifle.

Anyway, long story short, I decided the other day to simply remove the barrel and give it a look before replacing it. After pulling it, I immediately noticed a gouge just below the last tenon thread, that's actually pushing a bit of steel out in front of the face of the breech. It's not giant, but you could cut your finger on it. With reference to the muzzle brake, the gouge is perfectly in-line at 12 o'clock, and I can only reason that it was caused by the too-long first screw torqued against that last tenon thread.

Do I simply chalk this up as a curious discovery and move on/rebarrel? Or could something like this be responsible for the difficulty I've encountered trying to get this rifle to shoot decently? Is it worth bringing to the attention of the smith who performed the drill/tap and initially torqued the rail on? I consider myself a pretty experienced shooter and reloader, but I'm no gunsmith. I guess I'm wondering if someone who knows more than I do about the mechanics of chambering a rifle scoff at that bit of damage or is it cause for concern?

Thanks for any thoughts/advice on this.

 

[Wannashootit]

I don't see how that could have any affect on accuracy.
From what I've gleaned online anecdotally (never owned or driven one) they don't have a reputation of sub-minute accuracy- typically 1-2 minutes.
I've also read that bedding, and installation of an aftermarket recoil lug also helps.

 

[mmw194287]

I don't see how that could have any affect on accuracy.
From what I've gleaned online anecdotally (never owned or driven one) they don't have a reputation of sub-minute accuracy- typically 1-2 minutes.
I've also read that bedding, and installation of an aftermarket recoil lug also helps.

Thanks--appreciate your thoughts. It does look like a tiny little irregularity that's not in a particularly problematic spot, and I am inclined to write it off, but it would help me feel better about the whole deal if there was some kind of underlying cause I could figure out for the inconsistency.

I know I didn't explain what I was seeing at the range very well, but I was never able to shoot a consistent two or three inch group. It at the absolute best could string together 3-round 2MOA "groups" a handful of times, but never with any regularity so I didn't much stock in those. It was just kind of all over the place (while still on paper) with no rhyme or reason to what I was seeing.

 

[forthehunt]

My money is that it doesn't but then again, I don't know shit.

I'm just thinking... Maybe the gasses are escaping through the threading and it's undoing the barrel each shot, at the same time also increasing the amount of gas escaping as it becomes slightly looser.

 

[mmw194287]

I don't know shit.

I'm in the same camp.

 

[mmw194287]

your breathing , you touched it , you put it in the wrong place in your shoulder , you pulled the trigger .

Thanks for the help!

 

[spife7980]

File or dremel it off. If you took it off to put a new on it won’t hurt anything to at least check and see for yourself. If it doesn’t then it’s still going in the trash so why not.

 

[Wannashootit]

but I was never able to shoot a consistent two or three inch group.

In my experience, this usually means something is "moving"- or the barrel isn't fully free-floated.
Rail, rings tight? Make sure a business card slides all the way from forend tip to the receiver.

If that all checks out, I'd bed the receiver. I suspect the receiver may be shifting in the stock under recoil.

 

[ChipRockel]

Huh. Well this is a real plecostomus.

Did you let it soak?

 

[mmw194287]

Huh. Well this is a real plecostomus.

Did you let it soak?

Ateckt pleb a tickets. Flussghur pontifex.