Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 70 FWT Horizontal Stringing Question

I bought a brand-new Model 70 FWT in 30/06 in early 2015. At first, groups were at or under 1 MOA with most loads. Fast forward to the last couple of weeks when I’m getting ready for elk season, and suddenly it’s shooting groups that are about .75 MOA tall and about 3 MOA wide. It does this with three loads and three different Leupold scopes. I’ve checked the action screws, the ring and base screws, and they’re all tight.

Any ideas about what’s going wrong?

Thanks,


Okie John

check if the front base screw is dead heading on shank, front action screw hitting bolt, or you might be dealing with parallax.

I'd bet the summer humidity warped the forend.

Did you Loctite the base screws? Don't just "check" them, Loctite them and use a good set like Leupold dual dovetails. Also make sure the front base screw is not bottoming out on the barrel threads. Check factory bedding to be sure your action is not being stressed/torqued. Make sure your barrel is still freefloated, like it was when you bought it. After trying 3 scopes, I'd be more inclined to think it's a base/ring problem, or a bedding problem.

Make sure there isnt a copper build up in the barrel. Also make sure the barrel is still floated as suggested above.

Checked the screws and I think I’m OK. How do I check parallax?



Could be. But I’m in western Washington, and it’s generally a lot wetter in the fall. I’m definitely thinking bedding or some other kind of weirdness with the wood.



I also think it’s either mounting stuff or bedding. I used blue LocTite on the base screws, and I had to shorten one of them to make it work when I first mounted the scope. I’ll check the others, though. I’m using Weaver rings and bases, which may be part of the problem, though I’ve had good luck with them before. The barrel is free-floated, but how would I check to see whether the action is being stressed or torqued?



I just went through it with Hoppe’s and Sweet’s, but I may not have gotten everything out. I’ve put about 500 rounds through it this year, so that may be part of the issue.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I’m really looking forward to getting this sorted out.

Thanks again,


Okie John

John,
I like Wipe-Out to clean the bore.
You can usually tell if the action is torquing by the way the screws tighten. If they go from loose to stopped in about 1/4 turn, the action is sitting good. If OTOH the screws start to give resistance and come tight over 1-2 turns, the bedding needs attention. Try tightening the front and see how the back one tightens then try the tightening the back first then the front. If you don't go from loose to tight in 1/4 turn either way you are putting stress on the action.
Best of luck with the elk.

2nd the wipe-out, best stuff I've found for removing copper. Never cared for sweet's. Barnes CR-10 is better than that stuff.

What I found with mine is it just likes playing dirty.

After I clean mine at the end of the season it takes several rounds (10-15) to get it shooting well again. It just likes the fouling better. So now all I do during the season is run a bore snake thru it with a little Break Free or dry and call it a day. 1.5" groups at 200. I just do not think mine gets that much copper fouling to warrant "Heavy" cleaning all of the time. I am sure you will get plenty to say that I am nuts but it works for me.

Hope this helps you.

I've seen rifles that shoot best dirty. This one had about 500 rounds since the last cleaning when it started to act up. I might need to shoot it more and see what happens.


Okie John

OK, so I got a Wheeler FAT torque wrench and re-checked the action screws. I tightened the front one to 60 inch-pounds and set the rear one at 35 inch-pounds and started shooting test groups. The first group was about 2 MOA and about 5 inches to the left. I got back to 1 MOA with 40 inch-pounds on the rear screw, then moved the POI back to center. It's now holding about 1 MOA, which is nice, and should get me through hunting season.

The next step is either a proper bedding job or a synthetic stock, but I'll deal with that after I get game on the ground.

Thanks for your help.


Okie John