help with accuracy problem!

[thelaw]

about 2 years ago i had my rem. 700adl rebarreled to .270 and glassbedded. after the work was done the rifle would print nothing larger than 1" groups, usually lots smaller. this past spring i removed the stock for the first time and had my father refinish it. nothing at all was done to the inside of the stock. every since the stock was removed the accuracy has went south. i can't hold better than 1.75" -2" groups, sometimes it gets as large as 3"! i'm shooting the same exact load specs from a solid rest. i was wondering if its possibily there is a certain sequence there is to tighening the 3 screws back down that attach the barreled action to the stock. there are 2 screws on either side fo the trigger guard and one on the forearm. any help.

[Mike in Ct]

I start with the screw under the forarm..get it started & just about tight..then I fit the rear tang screw..firm it up..go back to the forend tighten while putting your finger next to the end of the stock & barrel..Feeling for any unusual movement..then finish on the rear tang screw..the middle just needs to be tight enough to keep it in place..that should do it...mike in ct

[thelaw]

thanks for the advice. i tried just like you said, but when i tighten the screws up in this sequence, my barrel is now touching at teh end of the forearm with the stock. should i sand it down a little to float it?

[Mike in Ct]

Was the barrel free floated when the glass bedding was done ?? ADL remingtons with sporter weight barrels are (from the factory) normally pressure bedded barrels..They are supposed to have that upward pressure from the end of the stock touching the barrel...I think there may have been a shim under the action that is now missing...Try to remember if the gun was always that way..Did you remove anything or not notice a shim in there?? maybe your dad saw it & forgot to glue it back in place??? Without knowing how it was Free float or pressure bedded..this will be a tough one to sort out..Little things like that can seriously effect accuracy..Worst case ..experiment a bit..you can shim it slightly to raise up the action & reduce the pressure on the barrel...then test it...you can open up the barrel channel to free float it then test again..This may take some doing..just go slow..& only change one thing at a time...feel free to ask again I had an ADL sporter that just gave me fits..The barrel is being changed right now to a varmint weight...mike in ct

[Flash]

ADL's can be tack drivers but the torque on the recoil lug screw has to be pretty high. With the screws semi-loose, bump the stock on the butt plate to seat the recoil lug firmly against the wood and TIGHTEN the screw. Snug the tang screw with little pressure and zero it again. The barrel harmonics must be consistant for good accuracy so a solid recoil lug position is paramount. The forend tip may or may not make contact but you'll do better with a free float.

[gunnut69]

A piece of plastic(hard and slick) between the action and the stock, infront of the front action screw will give a temporary free float to the barrel.  the same plastic a bit behind the forearm tip in the bottom of the barrel channel will give you a pressure bedded barrel.  The plastic should be about the thickness of a credit card and this is NOT a permanent fix.  Most rifles shoot a bit better with pressure on the barrel but the rifles zero is much more likely to wander.   Don't over tighten the middle action screw.  Also is there a pattern to the groups, i.e., verticle stinging, horizontal stringing, nice and round just large?  Have you checked the crown.  A ding on the crown, however small, can do immense damage to the rifles accuracy. Did any of the finish get into the inletting?

[thelaw]

first of all, thanks for the replys. i want to think the barrel used to be pressure bedded. i know that after i had it glass bedded, the barrel was floated. i really don't know if there was a shim or not. after playing with it, i was able to ge the forearms screw snug and then the rear tang screw. as recommended, i then tightened the forearm screw down tight and then the rear tang screw as well. the front screw on the trigger guard i just got snugged down. i ran a piece of paper down the barrel and didn't hit anything until i got to the bedding which is bedded out about 3" in front of the recoil lug. my groups have been everything. i've had nice uniform, but large groups, two shots hitting about 1/2" or so apart and the other one strung out 2" and after looking at some of my targets i also have vertical stringing although it really is kindof "northwest to southeast" stringing for lack of better terms. i can't tell if any of the finish got into the inletting. the stock was quite glossy before it was refinished by my father, but there is some in there that i can see. i'm going to run some new type of cleaner down the bore before i take it back out this week. with the plastic under the forearm, will the zero possibly wander due to weather effects on the stock?

[Flash]

Yes, the zero will wander with forend pressure and if the barrel channel is sealed/finished, the forend can twist or warp while changing the forend pressure. The tang screw being too tight isn't good. If you're in doubt, take your rifle to the range with a screwdriver and tighten the tang screw between shots. As a matter of fact, do this on all the screws to find the sweet spot of what your gun likes.

[safetysheriff]

I suspect that you haven't got the action properly seated into the stock, against the bedding compound, before tightening the screws.   I think you need to pay Special attention to getting that action all the way seating inside that stock.    Start all three screws just a couple threads then, before tightening the front one snug.   Tap the rifle on the recoil pad gently...then tighten the tang screw snug -- but not too tight.   Tighten the front action screw firmly, and then tighten the small screw on the trigger guard.    I suggest this change from the usual sequence because of the bedding and stock re-working you/your dad have done.  

Good shooting.

[gunnut69]

If this started after the refinish we can logically assume that was the cause of the problems.  I suspect finish has altered the fit between the stock's inletting(glass bedding) and the action.  If the barrel is floated the forearm has little effect on the way the rifle shoots.  A zero that walks the way you described though is many times caused by a shifting scope.  Are you certain the scope base hasn't come loose or the scope slipped in the rings.  A group that strings usually means either the action is twisted in the inletting or the scope is moving.  Try the scope first.  Remove the scope and check the base screws for tightness.  Then inspect the rings to insure the screws are tight that hold the scope in.  If there's no finish in the inletting and the scope is well mounted it's possible the scope has failed.  The easiest check is to replace it with one from a rifle that is shooting well..  It is possible to find some problems using a bore sighter but most folks don't have access to one.

[thelaw]

well, i looked closely and it appears there may be some finish  back around where the trigger and bolt set in the stock. i checked the scope and everything appears fine, i'll take it off and check again though. i did notice that when screwing the barreled action back into the stock if i tightened the front forearm screw to much before tightening the rear tang screw, the barrel would be hitting the tip of the forearm to the point i couldn't place a piece of paper down it.

[thelaw]

stupid question, but i assume all the inletting and inside of my riflestock, with the exception of the bedded area should be bare wood? if so, i assume i can just sand out the finish that is in there.

[thelaw]

well, i went and got some Sweets 7.62 bore cleaner and just finished cleaning my barrel. i was told that it is the best copper remover on the market. it took a solid hour to get a clean patch. this is after i thoroughly cleaned it the other night. i removed the barreled action again and sanded out the areas that had finish build up. now i just need to load up some rounds and head back to the range. wish me luck.

[gunnut69]

The bare wood areas were not touching the metal and had no effect on the accuracy of your rifle but with no finish moisture will penetrate and can cause accuracy problems in the future.  The epoxy bedding used to glass bed your rifle needs no finish and should not have any..  Be very sure the scope mounts are firmly attached.  Stinging shots are a sign that somethings loose!

[thelaw]

well, I will be glad to say that my .270 is shooting like it used to now. i removed the barreled action, sanded out the finish left from the refinishing job, waxed the inside of the stock to help keep moisture out, retightened the mounting screws insuring a floated barrel and cleaned the crap out of the bore with Sweets 7.62 solvent. with a new load 130gr. nosler partition handload moving at 3122fps avg. velocity, i'm getting consistant .75" groups. thanks for the help

[gunnut69]

GReat!!  Good luck and clean shots...