I need some ideas

[Lenard]

A couple of months ago, I purchased a 700 in 204 in stainless and a composite stock. I have been attempting to get it to group. I glassed the action and a pad in front of the action. When I use a dial indicator and loosen and tighten the guard screws, I get only .002 of movement.

I have tried 32 V max along with 35 gr. Bergers and any number of powders. I cannot get a group better than 1.250". I have tried the recommended seating depth and .010 off the lands. I have tried Remington BR primers and Federal small rifle. The Crown looks good. Did I buy a pig in a poke?

Frankly, out of dozens of stocks I have accurized, this one does not seem to respond like most of the others I have worked on. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Lenard

[Wiiings12]

Howdy Lenard, I have the exact same rifle you do, and it cuts holes for me at 100 yards. I am using 40 grain v-max bullets from Hornady (Not handloads). I haven't ever tried anything else because these shoot so well for me! I just bought a stock from Boyd's and received it yesterday. If I am still getting consistent groups with the new stock, I might be able to part with the synthetic one that comes standard. (if you are even remotely interested in trying that..)

Hope that helps you in some way!

[Lenard]

Glad to hear yours is shooting like they are supposed to. Yup, the bullets are the first thing that comes to mind as I have eliminated other causes that I am familiar with. I just might go buy a box of 40 grain V max and see if they do ok.

I am hoping someone else has some ideas or has had similar experiences.

Lenard

[Wiiings12]

How smooth is the action on your 700? Mine is alright without any cartridges in it, but things get kinda rough when you add ammo. Do I just need to shoot it more or is something wrong.. or I am just being picky..

[Lenard]

Wiings, it is a long way from smooth. I sure wish I had not bought this gun. Since confidence is paramont in shooting, this one is just an aggrevation to me. My 223 and 243 are superbly accurate and I am just not used to the inaccuracy of this gun. Maybe I should take my losses and sell the gun.

Lenard

[Glen]

Which 700 is it? The ADL with the worthless POS plastic stock? If so can the plastic & get a real stock for it. It should settle down some then. Thats what my ADL needed. HTH

[Lenard]

Glen thanks, it is a BDL with the plastic stock. I will readily admit it is junk, the stock that is.

[Wiiings12]

One more for that ruling.. But I have to admit, mine shot great. Never had any problems with it other than the way it looked... Check out http://www.stockysstocks.com/servlet/th ... Categories if you're interested in buying something else. They have some nice walnut stocks that start at like 70 bucks. I would first try using some different bullets though.

[Lenard]

Thanks guys. This stock was not right from the beginning, not having full contact with the recoil lug and high on one side of the rear tang. I just ordered a Hogue, pillar bedded stock. I just want to get this over with as there is nothing I hate worst than a gun that won't shoot.

Thanks again.

[jo191145]

Lenard

If you bedded it that should eliminate the problems, mostly anyway.

You might want to pull the action again and make sure the bedding is adherring as it should. The plastic stocks can be tough to bed. I did a quicky job on a Savage cheapo in 308 Win. Shot great for a while then accuracy started to suffer. The bedding had broke loose by the rear pillar.

Maybe remove the pad in front of the action.
Try a box of 40gn ammo. Most factory 204's don't like the 40's much but every once in a while one demands it.

[Wiiings12]

Lenard, Just a few posts up I asked you how smooth your action was. Today I took apart my bolt and cleaned it. There was a LOT of crap in there and the action is way smoother now. I know very well I haven't shot over 100 rounds out of my .204 either. Us having the same rifle, you may want to give that a look.

[Lenard]

Jo, I took my dremel and carved some dovetail grooves into the recoil part of the stock. The glass has held well, as I treated the tang the same. This gun has done the same thing, although it quit for a few rounds. I get two holes cutting one another, and another will be from 1"-1 1/4"out of the group.

That lead me to believe the bedding was haywire. Thus the glassing. My experiences have shown me that when you get two or three shots to group in a tiny spot, with one going out of the group, it is bedding that is the culprit. The bedding is as near perfect as I can get it. Only .002 of movement when the guard screws are loosened. I have found that anything under .005 will give good grouping results if everything else is fine, the shooter, ammo, etc.

Another thing I noticed, was that the magazine box was not up against the recoil abutment when put together. With wood stocks, that magazine helps bridge the recoil lug area and strengthen the entire area. So my thoughts are that the recoil abutment was flexing with every shot, and not returning the barreled action to the same place each time.

[jo191145]

I'm not a Remmy guy so I know little on thier personal characteristics.
I recently bedded a Remington 700 in 308 for my freind which never has shot well since new. There must be some trick to getting that mag box in. It took me a while to figure it out. Gun still does'nt shoot.

Some day I'll get another look at it and see if I can try it without the mag box.

Hate to say this but.....
Is their any rifling in your barrel? When you look in the muzzle with a flashlight does the rifling look abnormally faint or shallow. I saw this in one barrel of mine. Darn thing would shoot in one hole for three or four rds then just go haywire until it was scrubbed clean.
During X-Mas shopping I picked a Remy off the rack at a gunshop. No flashlight along but I could not see what I consider normal rifling. Heck I could'nt see rifling at all. Might have just been poor lighting but I think the lighting was not entirely at fault.

[Wiiings12]

Jo, I would have to say that the rifling is rather abstract, but at the same time it is there. I put a flashlight at the end of my barrel and looked down the other side. At a strait on view you can just see some little swirls in there, but if you tilt your head off center a bit some nice rifling is revealed. I am no expert.. but I would say the rifling IS different.. not sure how, or why..

The few times I have been able to shoot my Remington at some paper I never took a shot right after the last, I always let it cool off for a minute or so. And that thing would cut holes all day long shooting it that way. I always keep my barrel clean too, not after every other shot or anything like that, but every time I go out to shoot I know that little puppy is sparkling!

[Lenard]

Jo, with a good light, you can clearly see the rifleings. I don't now if Remington screwed up with my stock, but the design is surely not being used on high recoil guns as accuracy would be lacking.
Is your friends 308 the plastic stock model? I would hope they are using a more substantial stock for the larger claibers. I do know that some guns just do not shoot well, but that has never been my experience with 700 Remingtons. I have only seen one in 30 years,a wood stocked 7 mag. The recoil lug was only touching on one side of the abutment. I glassed it and it went right to shooting nice groups.

Wiiings, the gun that won't shoot with a warm barrel, is absolutely no good to me. I need one to stay on after a half dozen shots in just a few minutes. On the 700, I never let the barrel get hot, waiting between shots, when shooting for groups.