300 mag m77 mk2 shoots bad

[264 WIN MAG]

Have a buddy that has an mk2 300 mag. He's pretty upset with it right now because we keep going to the range and it doesn't shoot like he wants it too.

I shot the rifle one time last weekend and shot about a 1" group (2 shots). That's about the best that rifle has ever seen.

At this point he's mad about the gun not being as accurate as he'd like and he says it kicks too hard so he's thinking about selling it. I hate to see him sell the rifle.

He had the barrel glass bedded, which didn't help. Then he had the stock filled with lead to reduce the recoil, which worked but made the gun twice as heavy.

[dave375hh]

It sounds to me your buddy is flinching. I've fired a model 77 in .300 win mag before and didn't think it kicked bad at all. Have him pad his shoulder when he shoots off the bench. When shooting from the bench your testing the gun not yourself, so stick a bag of shot between his shoulder and the gun.

[264 WIN MAG]

He's shooting the rifle in a rifle evaluator. It basically locks down to the table so you don't have any kick. There is still room for human error, but not a whole lot.

So you think it's him and not the rifle??

[SHOOTALL]

it did good for you but not him ! that is strong evidence !

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Ya sounds like the shooter----he would be better off getting rid of the gun and getting something that won't beat him to death-----I'm betting a .30-06 is the upper limit of what he would be comfortable with----something along the lines of a .260---7mm08----or a .270 would be a better fit.

[264 WIN MAG]

I don't know if it was me or what. I normally shoot sub-1/2" groups of 4 shots with my 264 Win Mag and 3/4" groups or smaller (4 shots) with my 270WSM. I only made 2 shots with the 300 he's got so I don't know if it was just good shooting or luck that yielded the 1" group. I guess I should have taken more shots with it.

I did tell him to get rid of the scope he has. It's only a 3x9 and it's kind of hard to be completely accurate at the range without more zoom (at least I find). On the other hand it might be more of a hindrance for an un-steady hand.

He's been saying that he was going to start hunting with his .243. I don't agree with him on that because I'm always of the opinion that if you have it...why not use it?? I just can't see having a 300 mag sitting in the closest to use a .243. He hunts my property and quite often we are hunting on big open fields where long range shots of 300 yards or better are necessary. I don't see a .243 being sufficient at these ranges.

On a side note he did bring the .243 out the same day. About the best group it shot was 4" at 100 yards. I don't know what it was that made the grouping so large. There was about a 20MPH wind and he believes it was the wind, but I don't see the wind having that large of an effect on even a 100gr. bullet at 100 yards.

[BlkHawk73]

  All too often ppl blame the gun and don't consider that they're the cause of inaccuracy.  If it shot good for you with the same loads, it's evidently NOT the gun. 
  Now one reason he wants to get rid of it is recoil...that there tells me he's anticipating the recoil and that's effecting his shooting and the accuracy.  I also wonder if he's tried different loads?  Each gun has a perferred load.  He may not have that load.  Can't just pick a box and say "this is what I'm gonna shoot" and expect target/match accuracy.   lastly, it's not a target gun.  it's a hunting rifle.  Match grade accuarcy isn't and shouldn't be expected from suh a rifle.  If he expects that type of performance, he should've bought a rifle designed and built for that purpose. 
 

[Coyote Hunter]

A bit of trigger work might help things considerably and the difference in the way you and your friend handle the trigger could account for some of the difference in accuracy (quite a lot, actually).


If one of you handloads, you might want to knock the velocity down to .308 or .30-06 levels and see how he does.  Then focus on trigger control and other aspects of shooting form as you work back up to full-house .300WM loads.

[corbanzo]

If he is complaining of the recoil, then he definitely isn't comfortable with the gun, which will greatly affect his shooting.  What is he planning on hunting with it?  If he wants something that will reach out there without punching him too bad, maybe something in a 7mm or a 270.

[264 WIN MAG]

It sounds like the general concencus is that its the shooter.

He is shooting 150gr core lokt bullets. I've told him many times to get something better and in the 180gr weight. Seems like all the 300's I've been around like the 180's.

[SingleShotShorty]

Have him shoot some 165 grain BT's in it or 168 match

[264 WIN MAG]

Match ammo for deer?

I don't know why he's all that concerned with it honestly. I shot the gun the other day and put up a 1" group and he's already expressed he wouldn't shoot at one past 300 yards...

For some reason he just wants a hunting rifle that he can go out and kill deer with and then go to the range the next day and drive tacks.

I talked to him yesterday and told him what you guys had said and he agrees that he is probably most likely flinching which is causing him to have bigger groups than he would like. I told him he just needs to go out to the range and shoot, shoot, shoot.

[SHOOTALL]

when he can call his shot then he may be able to get that !
most rifles out preform the shooter ! and its hard to buy perfection on the part of the shooter !

[corbanzo]

If it is shoot just deer, and then drive tacks, why does he need a 300WM?  As I said above... looks like he needs something smaller.

[jaybird]

I can think of other chamberings that would make for a more enjoyable day at the range. I am a 240 pound guy, and I know my shoulder gets sore after I shoot a box of ammo with my 300 wm.