best bang for the buck rifle mods

[mattri]

Where is your time/money best spent to get the most accuracy out of a rifle?  Obviously certain makes/models will have their own particular needs but in general how do you get the most out of an average rifle?  If you wanted toget sub MOA out of a typical hunting rifle, assuming handloads and decent glass would you:

Float the barrel?

Pillar bedding?

Trigger work?

Trueing an action?  (700's not included, is this worth the trouble on your average hunting rifle?)

Muzzle re-crown?

Barrel lapping

I know this is a pretty vague question and that's sort of the point, what mods are proven effective more often than not on most makes/models of rifles?

[Hairtrigger]

You can do a bunch of work to a rifle but if the trigger needs work you will not see the full potential of the rifle

[Keith L]

I think I would shoot it and see how it works now.  Hairtrigger is right: a good trigger is a must.  Lots of the other things you mention may not be needed at all.

[JustaShooter]

For sure, shoot it first to see what you've got.  Then, do trigger work (if needed), followed by a close inspection of the crown with a magnifying glass and the "cotton swab test" to see if it needs work.  After that, if it isn't shooting as well as you'd like, consider pillar bedding and floating the barrel.  IMO, trueing the action is one of those things you really only need to do to get the last bit of potential out of a rifle, most non-benchrest folks will likely not be able to see the benefit.  Finally, I'd only look at lapping the barrel if it is copper fouling really badly - I've never considered lapping the barrel as an accuracy enhancement.

Just my two cents worth.

Just a Shooter

[gunnut69]

Float the barrel? Is the bedding bad? If the bedding is OK, then NO.

Pillar bedding? This is not accuracy work. It is a way to stop an action from   crushing the wood of a stock on a rifle that has really good bedding and I want it to stay that way

Trigger work? As a rule I would say other than cleaning the trigger mechanism well(part of a good cleaning procedure) that adjusting the trigger is paramont..if it's needed of course..

Trueing an action?  NO unless I'm rebarreling as the the only way to get this done involves removing the barrel..

Muzzle re-crown? I have seen poor crowns come from the factory so I do check this when I'm cleaning any rifle and repair if it's bad. It must be checked with a magnifying glass and may require little work or a lot depending on the severity of the damage or fault that is evident.

The best advise for a new owner is to clean the firearm and shoot it. Try to wear it out with careful practice. No abuse just plenty of good shooting.. You'll go a long way towards improving the weakest link in the shooting quatient, the shooter!

[ptpalpha]

My $.02.
Let's assume you've cleaned the dickens out of the barrel, so the rifling is clean and bright.
1.  At stated above, a good trigger is a must.  Make sure you know what you're doing or have a competent smith clean it up.
2.  Still not grouping?  Check the crown.  If that's OK, see if there is any uneven contact from the stock to the barrel; if there is then get out the sandpaper and fix it.  Make sure to re-seal the wood in the barrel channel after sanding.
3.  Make sure you have consistant torque on the action bolts.  Torque wrenches are relatively cheap these days; torque the action bolts evenly and write down the specs so you can repeat them every time.  While you're at it, use the torque wrench on your rings and bases.
4.  If she's still not grouping, you're down to the bedding and floating part. 
I wouldn't advise fire-lapping the barrel...you can enlarge the chamber throat too much very quickly.
I'm certainly no gunsmith...these are just steps that have worked for me.

[gunnut69]

Really good advice already.. I usually check the trigger on a new(to me) rifle while cleaning and adjust it too 3 pounds or a bit more.. The crown is checked with a 10x loup. If any dings or flaking then a fresh crowning simply cut over the existing one. The rifle is cleaned AND properly lubricated and reassembled.. the we shoot.Barrel lapping is a posibble solution to a rather serious problem, as is floating the barrel. Truing an action is one of those things that have a purpose but under most conditions is irrelavent. Pillar bedding an action doesn't really help the rifle shoot better, it is in fact a way to previent the bedding from changing over time and is used once the gun is shooting well. It will provide help sometimes but because it usually includes an action bedding job which is a good idea if the rifle is performing badly. Bolt guns tend to resond similarly with the Ruger 77(angled front screw) a bit different. Also any rifle with the third action screw such as the M70 should be assembled with little tension on the middle screw. Just enough to stabilize the bottom metal without affecting the action. Too muc pressure can warp the action and even a tiny bit of that is horrible on accuracy. I've even removed the middle screw on some rifles to eliminate the problem.