Help!- confused by my target from the range today.

[lodgepole]

Agree, heating and/or barrel touching.

Also, in my experience I have never found a gun that would shoot core loc or Barnes solids well. Just my experience. Buy some different bullet weights from different manufacturers and see what your gun likes.


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[txfireguy2003]

I never liked the dollar bill test, I prefer an index card. That barrel will flex like a noodle when you fire, and I anyways figured a little extra clearance was better than minimal clearance. What stick are you using, is it the black plastic one or a wood or laminate? I won't own a rifle with a Tupperware stock except as a donor, stock upgrades are the first thing I do to those guns.

If you were just throwing that sized grouping and the first shot was random, I'd say you need to keep looking for a different ammo that the gun likes, but with consistent "cold bore" shots, something is changing with heat. Try firing one round, then do something on your phone for 5 minutes, then fire one more, then 5 minutes rest and one more, see if they are all together. Another thing to try is to keep shooting 5, 10, 15 shots, let the barrel get good and warm and see what it does. I'd bet it keeps drifting up and left and gets worse and worse the hotter it gets.

As far as solvents go, I've gotten hooked on Gunslick foaming bore cleaner. Fill the bore and let it sit for 15 minutes or so, then mop it out with a patch. Repeat until the patches come out as white as they went in.

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[dustoffer]

One thing I don't think I saw mentioned--shooting off rubber blocks. Try it off a good rest too, but I'm betting it is a bedding issue. I bed all my rifles and free-float the barrels. This practice has given me the best results, along with a detailed accuracy workup to find the bullet the barrel prefers.

[grizzman]

I have good results with Barnes TSX and TTSX bullets.

I always use the dollar bill method to check the channel. I can't remember if the Tikkas are free floated.

The bill is pulled down the length of the forearm between the barrel and the forearm (barrel channel). There should be no sticking down to the action. If there is, then you may have some contact that is affecting the accuracy.

Before you start sanding anything, I would check the torque on the action screw. It might be too tight. I use a Wheeler torque screwdriver and set it at the factory settings.

There are a lot of things that can affect accuracy but most of those things can be checked without a gunsmith.

[grizzman]

https://youtu.be/lxqbymnNeKQ

Good brief explaination.

[grizzman]

Also, when you shoot, is the barrel or the forearm resting on your front rest?

I caught myself shooting with the barrel resting on the front rest a few months ago and the groups were bad. I corrected the mental lapse and went back to shooting tight groups.

[grizzman]

As far as solvents go, I've gotten hooked on Gunslick foaming bore cleaner. Fill the bore and let it sit for 15 minutes or so, then mop it out with a patch. Repeat until the patches come out as white as they went in.

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I used to use KG 12 for copper but had better results with the Gunslick foam.

[Bill]

More thanks.

It's a walnut stock. Tupperware is for duck hunting.

The Boyd's video was good. A dollar bill is 4+ thousandths, so his 20-40 would require 5- 7 stacked bills to check.

SIZE: US currency bills are are 2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long; they are .0043 inches thick and weigh 1 gram.


μολν λαβ

[txfireguy2003]

More thanks.

It's a walnut stock. Tupperware is for duck hunting.

The Boyd's video was good. A dollar bill is 4+ thousandths, so his 20-40 would require 5- 7 stacked bills to check.

SIZE: US currency bills are are 2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long; they are .0043 inches thick and weigh 1 gram.


μολν λαβ

How thick is an index card? I never measured one.

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[JW]

More thanks.

It's a walnut stock. Tupperware is for duck hunting.

The Boyd's video was good. A dollar bill is 4+ thousandths, so his 20-40 would require 5- 7 stacked bills to check.

SIZE: US currency bills are are 2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long; they are .0043 inches thick and weigh 1 gram.


μολν λαβ

Omg Bill!!!!! Mines carbon not Tupperware!!! [emoji13]


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[BLACKFINTURKEY]

Do you suppose after your first shot you begin to anticipate the recoil which results in a slight jerk of the rifle? Not trying to call you out but make sure each shot you "go through the motions" and have good form. Hope you get it figured out.

[ra61hunting]

If it is a new gun it is supposed to shoot 1" MOA out of the box. Return it and let the man. sort it out.

[Bill]

Help!- confused by my target from the range today.

Returning it when I bought from Europtic in Pennsylvania and a FFL transfer would be a headache.

I don't think it was anticipation, the pattern was reproducible.

I checked the free float. I could get 4, new bills stacked between the barrel and stock (~.017") up to the receiver and 5 or 6 bills easily under up to 1" in front of the receiver (.021-.026). Is that sufficient or should I sand it? If you sand, do you reseal the wood?

What I did find was with the Wheeler torque screwdriver set at 35 inch-pounds was the 2 action screws backed out easily- the were in at < 35, how much who knows. I reassembled and torqued to 35. That's a good tool to have in the workshop!


μολν λαβ

[JW]

Help!- confused by my target from the range today.

Returning it when I bought from Europtic in Pennsylvania and a FFL transfer would be a headache.

I don't think it was anticipation, the pattern was reproducible.

I checked the free float. I could get 4, new bills stacked between the barrel and stock (~.017") up to the receiver and 5 or 6 bills easily under up to 1" in front of the receiver (.021-.026). Is that sufficient or should I sand it? If you sand, do you reseal the wood?

What I did find was with the Wheeler torque screwdriver set at 35 inch-pounds was the 2 action screws backed out easily- the were in at < 35, how much who knows. I reassembled and torqued to 35. That's a good tool to have in the workshop!


μολν λαβ

I still think after you've done all that you should put a box of rounds through it. My new rifle tightened up after I had about 25 rounds through it. That a pick one box of ammo and do the groupings one brand at a time. [emoji13]


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[StrayDog]

1st it may very well be those core lockts. I used to love them but I got similar groups with newer batches in both my 243 and 30-06. Switched ammo and problem solved.

Not to question your shooting skills - but I've found it difficult to shoot off a bench with consistent groups under certain circumstances (bench too high, seat too low, can't position the rifle well because the bench edge is in my way). Try shooting prone - and use an often overlooked shooting technique called natural point of aim.

Get in position and on target and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and open your eyes. The crosshairs should be at 6'oclock some distance below the bullseye. Close your eyes again and exhale deeply. This time the crosshairs will be at 12o'clock some distance above the bullseye. If you aren't seeing the crosshairs track between 6-12o'clock you need to readjust your position. If prone, make sure you keep a straight line from the tip of your head all the way down your spine to where the good Lord split you.

Also concentrate on placing your cheek in contact with the rifle, exactly the same place every time.

Shoot with a neutral lung volume (deep breath, exhale, squeeze the trigger).

And remember, sometimes you just have an off day.

Not trying to be a know-it-all, just a few simple tips you may or may not already know.