Ok, I have some questions. Responses embedded.
What did the smith do to it as far as accuracy tweeking? Bartlein installed the barrel and lug. The smith mentioned above bedded the action into the stock.
Is it properly bedded? Pillar (McMillan pillars) and glass bedded. When I get a chance I'll work on pictures. Fit is very tight.
Were the lugs lapped and trued? I asked Bartlein to true the action, but they didn't charge me for it--which makes me believe it was not done. I'm not sending it back, as it took them 5 months to install the barrel (after they said the barrel was ready). I would send it to someone else before I sent it back, even if it meant yet another barrel. Not to say I think they make poor barrels. Bartlein mentioned for a hunting rifle they didn't think it was worth it to true the action.
Also, why are you using "CCI magnum" primers? I run regular old cci large rifle primers with great results in all of my 06's with all of the loads I run. As per the recommendation of Mule Deer, who mentions Ramshot powders often perform better with magnum primers. I also have CCI LR and CCI BR2s.
Your numbers don't tell us how far off the lands you are running those bullets (you need to know this) and if you are looking for suggestions it's helpful for us to know too... 0.005 off lands for initial run, measured first with Hornady OAL gauge. That's from memory, but I believe those numbers to be correct. Measured from base of case to bullet ogive.
Did you loctite those bases down? No, installed with torque driver set to 20 in/lbs. I thought I was going to have to change bases to windage adjustable, but now it doesn't look that way. I will reinstall with Loctite likely this week, before shooting again Saturday.
I'm assuming the scope is also "proven".... The scope went back to Leupold before install for correction--it was not tracking well previously. They also installed the CDS dial then, as it's a VXIII, not a VX3. However, the scope tracked well yesterday, as it took 5 shots for sight-in and didn't move afterwards. The above mentioned smith installed the scope with Leupold Windage adjustable bases, and when I first took the rifle out of the stock to visually inspect bedding one of the windage screws broke. I believe it was likely torqued too much. Anyway, I installed my previous Talley lightweights, so the scope was not boresighted. The first 4 shots were at 25 yards. First shot, turned 12 clicks right. Next shot, 10 clicks right. Third shot, 3 clicks right. Fourth shot dead on at 25 yards. Moved to 100 yards, and the fifth shot was 1/8 inch left, at 1.5 inches high. That was with some factory Win loads. Then I moved to the handloads.
I believe the rifle is likely not trued, and I don't know if the lugs were lapped, though I believe Bartlein laps the barrel. I suppose I could have someone install another barrel and true the action, but that's a lot of money ($850) for probably not much more benefit. Can a smith true an action and re-install the same barrel?
If I can never figure the rifle out, I would send it to Mike Bryant or other well-known smith for more work. But I probably wouldn't do that for at least two more years. I've already been without her for 6 months. That alone likely adds to the group size.
Keep in mind, I've never been through sniper training. There is an unquantifiable size to how small a group size I can shoot. I once qualified expert with an M16A2 enroute to Iraq for the USAF, but that's not saying much. I have very little time behind a military trigger, maybe 300 rounds in 12 years, divided between the 16 and 9mm Beretta.
