Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Vertical Stringing

I agree that the bag being "hard" can affect groups.

What so many are glossing over is that he said it wasn't stringing shots before changing the trigger. If in fact nothing else has changed, form, load, rest, whatever, then it points to something with the rifle itself. It could be a piece of foreign material in the bedding, interference from the new trigger to the stock (as someone else mentioned), the stock taking some moisture and "swelling" if it's wood, etc. Start with what may have changed when the problem started. Is the recoil lug bedded tight? If so look for "shavings" or foreign material in it's pocket.

I think its more the individual person that affects group size, not the sandbag. A lot of guys grasping at straws here and pulling chit out of their azz.

That.

I followed your advise of placing a piece of soft material (I use a towel) a long time ago and the vertical stringing I was experienncing disappeared.

The proof is in the pudding.

Alvaro

Yes, you surely are.

WOW Swifty you sure know how to rant, only problem is you always seem to leave out any common sense.
You mention Tony Boyer, He runs his bags very hard. when he feels it is too hard he might take out a teaspoon's worth of sand but it is still pretty hard.
one thing is for sure is the rear bag is softer than the front (opposite of what you suggest). Looking at Tony's book right now............not even a mention of the airsoft BB's you also suggest.
Hardness in sand bags is relative not absolute. I mentioned that I have 8 different rests for different applications, my rest for Benchrest is by far the hardest and the one that I use for Big game rifles with slender stocks I still consider hard but is more supple. there is an appropriate hardness for each application and sand of some sort most of the time is the best solution. Never IMO airsoft BB's.
The only analogy I can think of is you are saying Rectal is better than Vaginal........you can sell that until the end of time and I'll still never believe you.

Yeah, I know I read that from you JB. This is a heavy outfit with a 26" barrel and bedded McM Game Scout stock with a Nightforce scope.

If I change receiver screw torque, should I tighten the front or back? Currently I have it at 45" lbs in the front and 40 in the rear.

1) I have had this happen a few times when the barrel was touching the stock. As the barrel heats up, it pushes further up from the stock and the point of impact climbs with each shot.

Slide a dollar bill between the stock and the barrel, and make sure it goes all the way to the receiver. Where they touch the stock can be relieved for a barrel clearance fit.

2) If the new trigger interfered with the stock in the rear, it could pry the barrel down in the front, down into touching forestock.

Put carbon black on the trigger and assemble the rifle. See if black shows up on the stock. Relieve the stock so the new trigger fits.

Heat will cause it to rise.Another thing you might try is back off 1/2 grain and see what happens.

Oh, one more thing (Lieutenant Colombo interpretation here) that I did not mention thinking it did not matter , I had a pretty breezy head wind while shooting. Maybe 5 to 8 mph?

Would that matter?

I don't think a 3 mph difference in a head wind will cause that big of movement at 100 yards. I am assuming 100 yards as I don't think you stated. If it is properly bedded I also don't think that screw torque is the likely cause. Take it apart and check everything for any binding or foreign material in between the metal and the stock. If nothing is in there Clarkm is probably on the right track. The new trigger is touching somewhere. I am guessing the trigger assembly is held in with cross pins like on a Rem 700. Is one of the pins sticking out on one side further than it was and now digging into the stock?

Also, is one group all that this happened to? If so, it may be all for nothing, can't base much off of just one group.