.222 Contender Carbine Accuracy- Am I expecting too much?

[lakota]

I recently put together a Contender Carbine with a 21" factory .222 Barrel. The dealer said the barrel was new and unfired and the condition of the bore would support his statement. It will fire one decent group, just over the size of a dime. The next groups can well be measured in inches and soetimes feet as well. I have a 6-24x40 AO Tasco scope that fired sub MOA on another rifle. Everthing seems to be in order with the scope. I have a B-Square bipod mounted on the sling stud. The only thing that I can see a potential problem with is the forend. It kinda gives free floating a new dimension. No matter how tight or loose the forend screws are it rattles on the barrel as if the srews are under tightened. I strongly suspect the guy at the gun show gave me a bull barrel forend. Could this forend be the cause of my headache?  I was dreaming of a sub MOA rifle now it is more like a nightmare.

Scott.

[Raven]

Could you have the wrong set of screws for the forearm?  It sounds like they are too long so that you are not able to snug the forearm up to the barrel.  It should not rattle or feel loose in any way.  If the screws are too long, they would bottom out in the barrel before the forearm gets seated tightly.  If the barrel chanel in the forearm appears too wide  for you existing barrel (like a 1/8" to 1/4" gap on each side of the barrel), it could be the wrong forearm. My laminate and synthetic forearms for my encore have less than 1/16" (more like 1/32") gap on either side of the barrel.

[PaulS]

Lakota,
Are you cleaning the barrel between groups? Sometimes new barrels need extra care for the first hundred rounds or so. Contenders are sensitive to fore-end pressure (change in pressure or point of pressure can affect point of impact) and to fore-ends being tight to the barrel (as the barrel heats it expands faster than the wood). A sloppy fit on the fore-end is less likely to cause problems by itself. I would try a different scope - I have had problems with Tasco. Most of the time they are pretty good but not always. Make sure the mount is tight and the scope and mount are aligned. As you work to find the answer do one thing at a time and see if it makes a differnce before making the next change.

PaulS

[KN]

I have to disagree with Paul on this one. If the forend is moving around between shots then its not setting the same every time. Recoil movement in the forarm will varry from shot to shot. I would think it would wreek havock with accuracy if it were a sloppy fit. It would be comparable to shooting off a rickety rest. I would agree you probably have the wrong forarm to start with. I would definitly start with getting the correct one before I started making other changes. Just my $.02   KN

[lakota]

I bought a new forearm with an under-sized barrel channel, so that I can custom fit it to my barrel. In you fellow's experience, should I completely free float the forend or leave a lip on the end to provide forearm pressure similar to what Ruger does?

Thanks for the advice,

Scott.

[KN]

I would not do that. From every thing I have ever experienced or read about TCs, they will not like upward preasure on the barrel. I free float mine as best I can, usually relieving material all around the barrel except where the screws attach. I let it contact all around at these two points. Works really well for me. Others say they put a washer between the barrel and forarm to float it and say it works well also. Some also will use a couple of strips of elactrical tape placed in between with a hole in the middle for the screws. Any of these methods should work.  KN

[contendernut]

Scott,
 
Don't try and tighten the screws to much.  If they are too long, they bottom out on the barrel.  Then, if you tighten them up more, they will pull the dovetails out of the barrel.

[Bim]

For a gun to shoot inconsistantly like that I would think it would be the scope or the loads. Try shooting without the forearm see if it makes a difference. If you're shooting reloads try factory. Check that scope or try another. Do these one at a time to rule out each one. My money is on the scope.

[lakota]

What a difference a new forearm makes! I tried shooting with my new forearm today and shot 1" 3-shot clusters, and the forend is not even free-floating. Now I am uncertain as to free float the forearm or just leave it alone.


Scott.

[KN]

As long as the fit is good and not putting any awkward preasures on the barrel you should be just fine. If I have one that doesn't feel like it fits just right I go ahead and free float it. I have several that are and several that are not. They all shoot equally well.  KN

[contendernut]

Scott,

Try floating the barrel by placing a washer between the forend and dovetail locks of the barrel.

[Flash]

I agree with Contendernut. If you can manage to find some flat faucet washers, place them between the forend and the threaded sockets on the barrel.