Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles My Montana Project and results: A sick rifle

Warning: This thread is picture heavy.

After reading the 'Montana Project', I took my troubled 223 to the range for similar testing. I call the rifle 'troubled' because I've yet to find a load it likes. The gun won't group.

I've filled this thread with pictures of groups, and of the rifle taken apart. I'm hoping those of you with more experience and age with rifles can help develop a plan for getting this gun to shoot.

To remove any reloading variables, I grabbed two boxes of quality ammo. I've always had good luck with Federals stuff, the Fusions and the higher grade Premium:



Lets start with Round 1, snug on the action screws. First up were the Fusions and a 10 shot group. Pitiful with a capital P:



Next were the Premium loads, another 10 shot group. I was able to label each shot, as it walked the group two inches left to right as I shot. Interesting how it would touch two, then jump and touch two.



After that awesome display of accuracy, I made a change on the action screws from snug to 'oh yeah, thats tight'. The groups changed, but still lack acceptable accuracy from a $1100 rifle.

Round 2 with the Fusions. Much better than Fusion round one, but nothing to tape on the fridge at home:



Round 2 with the Premiums that again walked right to left allowing me to number the shots 1-10:




The big question in all of this - where to go from here? Agian, groups 1 and 2 were shot with different action screw torque.

I don't doubt the Montana platform, as I have a 84L in 270 that just plain shoots. Lets call it a 'Tikka Montana' because the gun is that accurate with just about every load. But I doubt this gun. Something is not right.





I pulled the rifle apart and took pictures of a variety of things.

First, the follower sucks. Any rear pressure and the SOB pops up. Doesn't cause cycling hiccups, not sure if its the side effect of something else hampering my accuracy:



I've taken a dremel to the feet of the mag box and where it likes to dig into the stock. Only mods I've made from the tinkering thread:

[img]http://i1104.photobucket.com/a...-A98E-6D1FE4759B51_zps7yiy0ryr.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i1104.photobucket.com/a...-981B-B818173EC45C_zpscjqyfcvh.jpg[/img]

Bedding: None. I've waited on this, wondering if this one needs a new barrel before I spend the money on bedding. Some looks at the stock:

[img]http://i1104.photobucket.com/a...-B157-5BB5EFE1CDCC_zpsc5ak7z10.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i1104.photobucket.com/a...-A40A-FE987320C4A7_zpsmtqyv8jj.jpg[/img]