Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles 1st shot out of group with RR Predator Pursuit

My RR throws the first shot about one inch from the remainder of the group. I've added a sixth shot that always stays within the 1 MOA or less group. I've shot about twelve groups with at least three different loads with both 60 and 77gr bullets. Most groups shot from the a hot barrel; all with the same magazine.


Will a taper crimp help? Any other suggestions?

you could try seeing if the scope has parallax in it at 100 yards, could be your first shot is off due to where your eye is relative to the ocular. Then shoot a 5 shot group single loading followed by a 5 shot group from the magazine, see if you have two groups. I would clean the chamber first.

Frankly my solution in the past to this problem is to sell the rifle if you get two groups from single loading and magazine loading.. I am not smart enough nor have time enough to fight something like that....

Does it happen only with the first group? How many shots are you firing into the group? It may be you getting settled in behind the rifle. I know nobody wants to consider that possibility but I went through the same thing only to find out it was a shooter problem.

No matter how my ammo is loaded into the chamber, the COAL does not change. I have to chamber the same round 3-5 times from a magazine to get the bullet to budge and it actually moves forward just a few thousandths. Measure your neck tension to be sure but as long as you are getting .002"-.003" you should be fine without a crimp.

Before you sell the rifle... and after you've seen if its you or the gun, is 1 inch out, enough to matter for what you are doing?

According to Formidilosus, your gun is broke, Sorry.

Are we talking 1st shot and cold barrel or every time you shoot a group?

Thanks: all good points. I haven't checked for parallax but will first chance. For me, parallax problems give randomly large groups with inconsistent fliers at various points. The RR always throws the wide shot on the first shot hot or cold. Does the same almost every group including some shot by an experienced competition shooter friend.

Also, I will try shooting groups single loading as a test, and I will give the chamber an extra good cleaning.

Wont be selling the rifle. This is my first AR and working out accuracy problems is part of the fun for me. My purposes is PD shooting and possibly local matches.

More tips and suggestions will be appreciated.

I wish I had suggestions...

Other than a new barrel.

if you get two groups from single loading and then magazine fed, maybe replace the barrel. I had a bushwacker once, bought during one of the panics.. the rear sight had to be screwed to one side to get the rounds on paper at 50 yards, I figure they just built a POS and shipped it, that one lasted a month IIRC.

I wish I could be positive and blow rainbow smoke but at my age, I just relate my personal experience as it was.

Try loading a magazine full, putting up multiple targets and shooting two groups without unloading. It could be the difference between dropping the bolt from the catch and having it cycle normally. Sone handguns will do the same.

Yes, it can be related to the difference in how the bolt chambers a round.

But WHAT do you do to solve that issue?

Stronger buffer spring?
swap out the bolt?
Heavy palm on the forward assist with the first round?

I'm also wondering about the quality of the stress relieving of the barrel.....and there is only one way to fix that.....new barrel.

Never heard of those solving the problem but I'll damn sure try to put that in the back of my head in case anyone around here runs into it.

I coudl see the FA thing, I could realize the spring might help. Not sure how swapping the bolt could, BUT I don't discount suggestions. Glad I"ve never had the problem. Most likely don't quite see that in top line barrels I'd bet.

I to suspect cryo could help, but cost of that vs cost of the tube and not knowing if it would fix or not......

Now if I could just get back to working out the 1 and 2 groups from my 7x300..... always one flier in 3 shot work up groups... never consistent when... but talking bolt gun now and way OT...

Yea Rost, I'm not sure any of those idea's would work, but if there was something different in the lockup between the first and remaining rounds, even if it was very slight, I can see how it might change the POI.

Since the spring moves everything into battery, and the bolt does the actual locking, I was just considering them as outside possibilities.

Since springs and bolts are good parts to have on hand, and cheaper then a barrel, they are just something I would consider trying, but if I was a betting man, I have to go with an improperly stress relieved barrel.

Shooter problem; gun doesn't know how to count or when groups start or stop.

MM

I am thinking the problem is likely the first round chambering softer than those during gas powered cycling. Single loading some groups may tell me something. A good push on the forward assist is worth trying. A call to Rock River is next.

It's probably not a stress relief problem because it does the same thing hot or cold or shooting fast or slow. If this barrel was on a bolt action it would probably be very accurate.

Montana Man, rifles can't count, but they react to differences in bullet pull, vibrations, cartridge concentricacy, and various other mechanical dynamics.

You might be onto something there. Is the BCG locked open when you insert the loaded mags or are you using the charging handle? It might help to vary your technique a little. Just a SWAG on my part.

Have you measured the rounds before and after loading to see if there is any change in the COAL?

seeing if it shoots two groups with single loading and mag loading gives you a damn good story to tell bushwacker and put targets in the box when its going back.

next randomly generated thought...what buffer in the gun? Go to the next one up, H1, H2 or H3...

edited to add...

I once bought a demo Conquest scope when they were a newer product. I had 3 of the 2.5-8's at one time. On a nice Kimber .257 Roberts the gun was producing two groups at 100 yards, over and over again! I was pulling my hair out with loads, technique, different bags until one day I noticed that where my eye went made the crosshairs move a bit at 100 yards....Zeiss told me the parralax had been set for a muzzle loader, not sure if this is correct but what they told me, the rifle was fixed when I remounted it and tried again.

but if you have had a sniper shoot it well then its just the gun...

part of the parallax problem is that folks think scopes are foolproof.

I center everything even with a scope, probably a habit from shooting irons so many years, but I digress.

Sending it back to bushy because the first round is only an inch out won't generally get you anywhere..

I sent a TC barrel back once, it was shooting 4 inches at 100... they shot a 5 inch group and sent it back saying it was acceptable... so I bought a new barrel for the gun. Renegade 54. Factories don't much care about tiny groups generally speaking