Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Need some advice to get an old rifle shooting well again

Any nicks or burrs on the muzzel crown?

Fist things first. Get some Wipe-Out and clean the bore per the directions.
Have had several friends and relatives with the same scenario. Clean the bore and your problem may vanish with the blue stain on your cleaning patches.

A few years back had one that went south out of no where. It was one of my only wooden stocked hunting rifles.

Pulled the action, checked the bedding all seemed fine when I placed the action back into the stock I remembered a trick.

I placed a small 1" piece if electrical tape 2" from the end of stock, Pushed the action to the butt a bit, rear screw good and tight front just tight.

That put it back to an 1 1/2" shooter.

D

Thanks for all the good advice.

I pulled the action, cleaned up the bedding around the recoil lug area where it may have been binding a bit underneath and in front, gave the whole action and barrel a good cleaning, checked the crown, and re-assembled.

Shot this afternoon with a couple factory loads and one hand load, groups were in the acceptable range, 1.75 -2" but not stellar. Good enough realistically for the hunting that I do but I'd like better.

Here are some pictures of the bedding, showing the cross bolt that I used to fix the stock split ( imbedded in clear epoxy) and the fore end screw and tang areas. The action is factory bedded in pillars front and back, the tang pillar slipped up during the picture, and does not sit proud of the stock when it is assembled.

Comments?

castnblast;
Thanks for the progress report and clear photos.

On the tang section of the stock - is there any way it's contacting on the rear of the tang or at the rear of the tang screw?

When you install the front and rear screws do they go in straight and more or less centered in the pillar holes?

Lastly, have you by chance varied how you've been tightening the action screws in?

Typically I'll run both front and back into the action and pull it into the stock as evenly as possible. Then the front one gets tightened like I mean it, the back one about 2/3 of that and if there's a center one it's only light finger tight.

Anyway sir, hopefully that makes some sense to you and was helpful. Good luck on the rifle - it does appear you're making some headway anyway.

Dwayne

Well, the advice worked. thanks all! I relieved the space under the recoil lug and cleaned up the crown. Rifle returned to shooting 1-1/2" groups with Federal Premium 160 gr. factory loads. So I went mule deer hunting. One shot from 225 paces, hit just where I was aiming. I was thankful for that deer.