Hey whattaya know, floating the barrel worked..

[rantingredneck]

I bought a Rem 700 ADL in .243 last year. Have had one in .30-06 for 12-13 years and wanted a .243 to go with it. Walmart was clearancing them so it was good timing .

Took it to the range a few times and was not happy at all with the way it was shooting. It was Minute of Deer, but my other ADL was a fine shooter straight from the box.

I tried torquing the screws tighter/looser than spec. I tried two different scopes (a Nikon 4x32 and a Millet). Just wasn't pleased. I was averaging 2-3 inch groups at 100 yds. I was planning to float the barrel and maybe try to bed the action (never done it before, but I was willing to give it a try).

Well my accident during bow season set my plans back a bit. I left the rifle as it was and my nephew actually killed a deer with it in Nov at about 125 yds.

So, this year I put another Nikon scope on it (Prostaff 3-9x40), and I floated the barrel. I took a dowel of the appropriate size, wrapped sandpaper around it and hogged out the stock. For those who aren't familiar with them, the 700 ADL's are pressure bedded with two pressure posts near the front of the stock. That combined with properly torquing the screws usually results in a good shooting rifle. This one was an exception apparently.

So the barrel is freefloated back to the action. The action is securely tightened to the stock, with no bedding compound.

Took it to the range yesterday with 20 rounds of Rem Corelokt 100 grain factory ammo (not reloading yet for this caliber). I started with a squeaky clean bore. First couple of 3 shot groups were just a shade over an inch. Next one was an ugly 2.5 inch group. I blame myself there, not the rifle. I settled in and got steady. Recited to myself "support the rifle with your bones, not your muscles" over and over a few times. Last few groups were 1" or better. The last 5 shot groups had 4 touching with one flyer slightly separated from the main group.

Here are some pics:
First group

2nd to last

Last

 

[garryc]

That combined with properly torquing the screws usually results in a good shooting rifle.

Not in my experiance, free floating nearly always works best. Especially in a wood stocked rifle because the amount of pressure can change with the humidity. One of the big problems with that pressure is that is is rarely consistant, it might be heavier at say 4 o'clock than it is at 8 o'clock.

I was planning to float the barrel and maybe try to bed the action (never done it before, but I was willing to give it a try).

If you do be sure to bed it 1.250 ahead of the recoil lug. I wouldn't mess with it my self. I'd drop it into a Houge piller bedded stock. That's a quiet stock because it's rubber coated. It's also something you can hang on to when wearing gloves because it tends to stick to them.

 

[rantingredneck]

Especially in a wood stocked rifle because the amount of pressure can change with the humidity

Yeah, both of mine are synthetic. I have never had any problem with my .30-06 ADL so I've kept it pressure bedded. For now at least .

I'm gonna leave the .243 as is for now too. No bedding or bedded stocks. For a hunting rifle it's hard to argue with that performance with factory ammo off a front sandbag only.

Next range trip, no bags. Field expedient rest positions only. We'll see how it does then. Or more correctly how I do. I know what the rifle can do now.

 

[Bogie]

Don't shoot off "hard" things. Take a backpack or a bag or a jacket, and shoot off that. Let the sucker recoil and follow through with it. Bouncing around on hard things is bad for accuracy. Bipods suck too.

Consider hogging a little out of the back of the recoil lug area, and drill in space for a couple of metal posts. Then skim bed it after you have it all lined up. Don't bed the front of the recoil lug.

 

[dm1333]

Good trick for a pressure pad, if you want to try it

This is a trick some bench resters showed me. Drill through the stock where the pressure pad would go and install a pillar. Use a long enough machine screw that will go through the pillar and touch the barrel. If you use a torque wrench every time you put the rifle back together you can make sure that you have the same amount of pressure at your "pad" each time. I may give this a shot with a 10/22 BR gun that I am building once I have added a second receiver hold down.

 

[rantingredneck]

a bag

Yep, what I use.

Thanks everyone for the tips, but to be quite honest this is a deer/coyote rifle and nothing more. As long as it's shooting an inch at 100 I'm good. Not looking to make a benchrest rifle out of it or make myself a benchrest shooter. I was a bit cheesed off at it when it was throwing 2 and 3 inch groups. 1 inch I can live with .

 

[ndking1126]

Rantingredneck,

I have an ADL in '06. I free floated the barrel, removed both iron sights, and gave it a trigger job.

Like yours, mine shoots pretty accurately after the work I did to it. The one thing I've noticed is it doesn't take much for my barrel to lose some accuracy thanks to barrel heat. And I'm talking by the 2nd shot during the summer. My first shot is always, always dead on. During the winter, with a little patience I get 3-5 shots in before the POI seems to start wander a little. Did you experience this? (Sorry, I can't see your pictures...)

This is a hunting rifle, so rarely is even a second shot needed. I've just assumed over the years that this is what you were sacrificing by buying the ADL over the more expensive models.

 

[rantingredneck]

And I'm talking by the 2nd shot during the summer. My first shot is always, always dead on. During the winter, with a little patience I get 3-5 shots in before the POI seems to start wander a little. Did you experience this? (Sorry, I can't see your pictures...)

Surprisingly no. I was kinda expecting that effect. Range temp on Saturday was approaching 100 degrees F. I fired 20 rounds in less than half an hour. 5 3 shot groups and one 5 shot group at the end. The 5 shot group was fired as fast as I could resettle the crosshairs and squeeze the trigger. I'd say that group was fired in under a minute and a half to two minutes total. I tend to shoot fast, even when trying not to.

The final group of 5 can just about be covered with a quarter. 4 of the 5 fall inside a nickel with one separated slightly from the group. I don't believe the separated shot was the last one either. I kinda felt like I flubbed the third shot of that string.

Bottom line, the barrel was darn hot by the time I was finishing that last string. I didn't see any evidence of heat effect at all.

Like you say though, since it's a hunting rifle 1-2 shots should take care of things.

 

[ndking1126]

Ah, thanks for the info. Good for you... bummer for me!