Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Accuracy issues

A couple of years ago I purchased a used Remington 700 compact in .243. With the compact factory stock it shot sub moa with both federal premium 90 grain accubond and 80 grain blue box. I swapped the stock to a b&c alaskan TI and put in a timney trigger and now it shoots 1.25/1.5” groups. Any suggestions??

I would look to the barrel bedding first, if one stock puts pressure on the barrel and the other does not, that could affect accuracy. Second, I’d look at action bedding, may be different enough. Also, did you torque the screws the same in the new stock?

Old70

The factory stock I just tightened the screws didn’t measure torque. The new stock i torqued to factory recommended specs. The barrel beddding was where I was thinking also.

Did the barrel in the original stock have a pressure point near the front of the stock ?
Put it back in the old stock and run a piece of paper between then forearm and the barrel, if it binds hard there is a pressure point there.
You can put some shims in the new one to replicate it using piece of a coke can, keep putting in more and more shims until it groups.

IF there is no pressure point in the old stock, then the action needs to be bedded into the new one...

Frankly I’d bed the new one first, and then screw with the pressure point later

The new stock has aluminum pillars. Would I still need too bed?

Double check the bottom metal and magazine box, make sure they aren't binding on the action when you torque the action screws. Magazine box should have a little wiggle room. Check and make sure the bolt handle isn't contacting the stock, check that the bottom of the recoil lug isn't touching the stock, make sure your front action screw isn't rubbing on your bolt lug, and check to make sure the new trigger isn't touching the stock. Sometimes aftermarket triggers require a little material to be removed so they don't rub the stock. Also, when you tighten the action screws, tighten the front screw first, then the rear. Look for any movement or flexing of the action when you tighten the rear screw. Both screws should go in with ease and come to a quick stop.\

Bedding is recommended but not necessary for good accuracy in a well made stock. I'd bed after checking everything else.

A couple years back I got to playing with a 700 .243 I've had since 1975 or so. It never shot well in the original ho-hum stock (2.5-3 MOA) and at that time I did not know much about this stuff. In gunsmithing school (78-80) I noticed the stock forearm had a warp in it - so when I came on a cheap, but well figured blank, I built a new one. Bedded reciever and free-floated barrel.

Still 2.5 MOA.. But lots prettier.

Used it for 30 odd years that way, killed lots of stuff - deer, sheep, black bear, moose, caribou.

Having nothing much else to do a couple years ago, I rebedded it, full length - 2.5 MOA.
Free-floating the barrel - 3.0 MOA . Then I started jacking with forend pressure point.

As other posters said above, that SOB needed exactly the right amount of forend pressure point. That is the only rifle I have that is that picky.- most of them have a free-floated barrel, one (the most accurate) has a full-length bed.

The .243 shoots MOA now, with an epoxy pressure point up front, but at one point was half that with the credit card bit.

That'slose enough... and should be stable. Not gonna chase that other .5 in a gun I don't really like.

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"Look for any movement or flexing of the action when you tighten the rear screw. Both screws should go in with ease and come to a quick stop."

This - well half this... Action screws as said .

Big Stick got on the rag and quite abusive when I stated the "flexing of the action" bit. He's an ass, but he was right. As usual...

I wasn't thinking that through.

It isn't the action that flexes, but the stock. If the action is bedded in flat (and most factory rifles are not), both front and rear screws should go from coming snug to fully tight in a half turn. Preferably less. I like a quarter turn. Or less.

Bending (torque stressing) the stock "just so" with a torque wrench to achieve accuracy isn't my cup of tea for a hunting rifle. Certainly not with a wood stock, which can also change with humidity and temperature changes.

I own and have owned quire a few REM 700s. I’ve yet to find one that didn’t shoot better with the barrel free floated from about 2” in front of the action.

I had one of the first 700 stainless/synthetic in 260, it would not consistently group no matter what I tried. It just about drove me crazy, I did everything that is supposed to help including bedding the action, checking mag box, making sure there was adequate clearance in the barrel channel, etc, etc. I finally gave up and was going to rebarrel it - when I loosened the barrel about a half-turn it was so loose that it could literally be rattled
I tightened it back up and installed a couple of pieces of match book cover where the speed bumps are on a 700 stock and it immediately became a sub-MOA rifle. Apparently the up-pressure added enough stress to the threads to tension it enough, or perhaps I changed a node - regardless it worked.

drover