I'm with snipe hunter on both counts. Check barrel contact first and foremost. Last and always, too.
Never had a rifle, with ONE exception, a Kraut K98 in 8, that shot better bedded than floated.
As for the Ruger, with a simple scope and minimal handing, the weather alone might have opened up the groups.
Also, there's a real possibility that plain old LACK OF PRACTICE is a factor. On the same box? Not much shooting with that gun. I know that if I don't get trigger time, I forget how to "shoot." If my groups are only 50 percent bigger after I've laid away from guns for a while (like two weeks max), that's a good sign for me.
