Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Horizontal stringing

I know I'm asking for a lecture because I forgot - but I'm getting older.........
Was @ the range the other day & a friend has a HOWA in 308, we got the verticle down pretty good - but experienced a very erratic not erotic(as in one to the right then one to the left by as much as 4 inches) horizontal phenom known as an inconsistent string... checked the free floated barrel, flexed the stock, checked out the scope ?????? Oh My, What Can The Matter Be, as the song used to go? I will try the screws with the proper Torx drivers & such, he seems to think it might be why the guy sold him the gun, but being the ever ready to tinker sort, I could use some ideas... his season starts pretty soon
Marty

Parallax in the scope?

Pull the scope off and try another for fun.

I'll try retightening everything, then swap to my old K-4 cast iron tester & give it another try, I didn't notice parallax wobble when I looked through it & that is one of the things I look for 1st, but it is not a "top end" scope, I think it was a package type deal. I really should have thought of that, it is the reason my Dad got his old 2506, a new Inertal target scope was bad (1957) & he put a Lyman All American on it & it shot bug holes.
Thanks for the thoughts,
MC

I just finished going through the same problem with my friends rifle. He has been pounding factory ammo through his 300 Weatherby for many years and his scope was thrashed. How do you tell if your scope is screwed- read your post. That's a symptom.

I had a factory .280 remington that would horizontal string badly if you jammed the bullets very hard into the lands. My guess would be scope.

I recently had a horizontal stringing problem that turned out to be the crown.

cheek weld and grip pressure perhaps..?

Dober

Bedding, not quite free floated enough. Scope or mount problems. Or possibly the rest isn't that solid and allows some shifting.

Guesses only, of course.

I always suspect the scope first when any erratic problem shows up.

As somebody already suggested, horizontal stringing is also often caused by the barrel contacting the forend more on one side than the other.

I have also seen erratic horizontal stringing when one locking lug isn't making enough contact--or any contact. This is uncommon but happens now and then.

John-how does one sort out the locking lug thingy?

Thx
Dober

By closely examining the rearof the lugs.

If you've looked at many before, in strong light you can easily see where the lugs are slightly polished from contact with their seats in the action. For people who've never looked before, one technique is to degrease the backs of the lugs with rubbing alcohol (or whatever) and "paint" them with blue Magic Marker. Work the bolt up and down a few times in the action and the blue will wear off where there's contact.

The symptoms of this can drive you nuts, but I have seen it in at least 3 rifles over the years. Often such a rifle will shoot fine for one group, or have a flier now and then, but very erratically. If the fliers always tend to come from one side of the main group, that can be a sign.

Vertical stringing usually occurs when shooting odd barrel lengths, particularly in conjunction with the 270 Winchester... (grin)

Most of the time I get horizontal (or sometimes vertical) stringing it can be traced to......too much Bourbon!!!

Lots of things to check, this one is well floated (you could stick your peanut butter sandwich in there as long as you sat on it first) the stock displays minimal flex in the forend, action screws were maybe over tight, scope mounts are freshly tightened & I'll take the try-it scope with us, as soon as we get back to the range I'll report the fix, I've never played with a Howa before so didn't think about the lug mating angle, haven't had to lap one since about 1970. Thanks for all the feedback
MC

Did this gun ever shoot good groups for the current owner???

My guesses would be bench protocol or load developement given the info provided.

Are the sling studs or the sling itself touching the sand bags?

I find scopes are quick to receive a bad rap, but often not the problem with customers at the local range.

I have had scopes go bad.
I think if paralax is the problem--- the old Weavers that I have experience with also had paralax issues. What scope is on it now?

JMHO
Tim

As a stockmaker, and knowing most of the signs that are an indication of poor accuracy, I suspect your problem is:

1. The front screw is slightly loose, tighten a bit at a time until shot falls near center. Indication of a need for a glass bedding on the recoil lug.

2.walking in "one direction" sometimes means side pressure on one side or the other of the barrel, but not always, so before you decide this be sure and check the tang, as side pressure on the tang will do the same thing as side pressure on the barrel channel..so deal with the tang first so that you don't end up with a horrible gap on one side of the barrel channel. YOu see this a lot, gappy forends.

3.Side pressure on the action caused by "misaligned or bent" action screws..

4. Free floating isn't always the answer to an accurate rifle, some barrels don't lend themselves to free floating, some prefer to be bedded tight all the way, and other rifles need to be 3 point bedded,that is fitted tang, recoil lug, and upward pressure on the forend, that pressure may be from several to as much as 5 lbs..Best way to accomplish this is with black electrictions tape, one layer at a time until it shoots to your satisfaction ( and it many not, you just have to try )if the tape works then put a dab of glass behind and in front of the tape and put the barreled action in the stock, with a surgical tube wrapped around the tang, whey dry take the tape out.

5. Probably your best bet is to start out with a full glass bedding job IMO and simplify your life..

6. It may or may not be your scope or mounts, but checking out the scope is a good place to start. Most of the rifles I have worked on were "bedding problems" or barrels that just didn't shoot well to start with, and with a bad barrel you may have to tinker with handloads until it accepts one load, or it could just be a bad barrel and unfixable..If its one of those dreadfull picky barrels I'd just as soon toss it and install a good Lothar Walther barrel and be done with it or off the gun and get another one..I hate picky guns.

Marty,
I know for a fact that your a good detective, it's an investigation, so take it one step at a time until you find the culprit...:) Have fun doing it...

problem #1 cured, some hamhanded previous owner with a big screwdriver stripped the torx screws on the rings, both @ the base & @ the hold on to the scope caps, felt good till I checked the 1st one, then all went loose .... new rings, checked & properly tightened the stock bolts (way over torqued) & tomorrow to the range, I'll let you know what next....
MC

Back to atep 2. put on the try it scope, dang thing still is erratic, this time for 2 shooters. I'm going to loan him one of mine for his hunt & keep fiddling (hope not like Nero) with it. If the old weaver (hasn't failed me yet, in 25 years) shows something then on to the next step. At least it is an easy kicker & fun to make go bang. just that pesky 4 inch erratic spread.
MC

Not sure what base you're using, but I had a perplexing issue with a front base screw that was just a hair too long. It would feel tight because it was bottoming out in the hole, but only snugging the base.

This allowed groups to shift mostly horizontally about an inch or a bit more. Shortening the screw a couple of threads was the cure. These were Tally Lightweight rings. Just an oddity that sometimes is not easy to find. Good Luck.