Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 2 fliers in each 5-shot group

Here are the best results AFTER taking the steps I listed previously:

Federal Fusion 95gr, less than an inch:


Rem Core-Lokt 100gr, less than an inch:


Two separate groups with Fed Blue Box 100gr, well under an inch:


Not all ammo choices showed improvement, though. Hornady 100gr Interlocks spread out to 2+ inches, and Federal Premium with 95gr NBTs were 1 5/8" at the best.

Still, I'm VERY happy with the improvement shown with really minimum effort - dropping a bread wrapper tag into the recoil lug recess to eliminate play in the action, and using another one to elevate and free-float the barrel. Oh, and REALLY tightening the stock screws, of course.

I'll be interested to see if the changes become permanent once I sand out the barrel channel and glass bed the recoil lug. Working on the barrel channel will also give me a chance to reduce any tightness on one side of the barrel from the sloppy factory fit of the stock.

Thanks, all!!!

Awesome!

Fix the mechanical slop and good things start to happen! Happy for you.

God news.Sometimes KISS is the best method.Now you know what areas to work on rather than just digging into to it and hoping you fixed the problem.

BTW,I take no credit for the bread wrapper clip idea. Mule Deer posted that quite some time ago. I had always used a piece of old credit card. Those little clips with the hole already in them sure fit the bill when you can make your front action screw fit right thru them .

Yes, they are super easy to use. I also discovered that my trigger needs to be lightened a bit and my shooting technique needs to be tweaked - I was pulling a couple of shots as I tightened up on the trigger.

I should have remembered the "squeeze" technique where you only use your trigger finger and thumb to fire the rifle, tightening up in a direct line with the axis of the stock.

I also discovered that wind has a major effect on groups, especially with the light bullets of a .243. When I didn't pay attention to wind speed and direction, my group size quickly doubled.

Interesting on the plastic stock comments... I've got about 3 of them that I have not replaced yet. One of them for a buddy in 338 win mag, that will shoot 3 shot groups repeatably under half an inch with the right loads... The other 2 shoot reliably inch size groups. Neither of those is bedded or floated.

While I don't think plastic are the best by far, if bedded and floated out correctly, unless you apply sling tension, then they have always done well enough if searching for MOA basically...

I have a similar rifle, a .243 ADL Youth model that I swapped out the stock for a full sized camo plastic (factory) stock. I shimmed it up so that the barrel is floated, sanded off the little bumps at the end of the barrel channel, lightened up the trigger to just under 3#. Put a VX 1 3X9 on it in Burris rings and factory bases (tightened up). It will shoot 3) 70gr TNT hollow points into 3/4" or less at 100 yards consistently but I have yet to get 100gr Hornady's to consistently shoot into less than 1 1/2". I picked up some Nosler Ballistic Tip 95gr bullets to try next. I know the rifle is up to the task I just need to find the right load with a heavier deer bullet.