Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles range report with 7mm-08

I have 24 inch kreiger barrell on a remington 700 action that has been trued. It is on a bell and carlson medalist stock that has been bedded and i just put a new shilen trigger in it that is set at 2 lbs. I have loaded several different loads, and have found that they all seem to shoot the same. I have a horizontal string with each load. I am not showing any signs of pressure problems and its not me b/c im not doing this with my other rifles. I thought it might be me but I shot my other 7mm-08 with the same trigger, and I was shooting them into 1/2 inch groups. Here is a picture of one of my targets, what could be causing this string, these groups are all right at 2 inches at 100 yards

Which way are the shots walking? If they are walking to the left I would say there is contact with the barrel channel on the right side. And vise versa if they are walking right. Did you have just the action bedded or a full length bedding job?

It is bedded to the recoil lug. The shots seem to go one to the left then one to the right, and get wider as the group goes. I let the barrel cool between groups.

Check for contact in the barrel channel, the B&C stocks may need extra room for a good float.

Three things come to mind with horizontal stringing. The first is powder charge, though 2" groups suggests otherwise. Second, the bedding to the recoil lug leaves some of the chamber-end of the barrel floated. Many rifles do not like this. Bedding the first few inches in front of the lug is recommended. Finally, I would check your action screws, mainly the front, for torque. If the front screw is too tight, it can show as horizontal stringing.

If everything is tight it could be your load.. experience has shown me that a load in a particular barrel can string a group...

however if it is a hunting rifle.. and I am going after bigger game ( not varmints with high volume shooting)...does stringing some really matter???

you'll get a couple of shots at most any way...

and the first shot isn't going to "string" at all...

even some loads I have that string in varmint rifles are still more than capable of getting the job done.. and I am talking pop can sized varmints at up to 200 to 250 yds..

It could also be trigger pull technique or wind drift.

How's your bench technique??