Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What steps to refine a Walmart Special?

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I don't have a trigger scale but mine lightened up nicely by backing out the adjustment screw. I'm not a bench rest shooter so I prefer to have nothing less than 2.5#. Check to see if your bolt release has a dimple on it, that signifies it's been through the recall. Mine had and there was no epoxy on the adjustment screw so I put a dab of paint on it after adjustment.

Do you mean 40 inch lbs? I suspect that 40 ft lbs would collapse the stock.

Ernie the Gunsmith (google for his site) has some inexpensive replacement springs that he says takes them down to a manageable level.

drover

Thanks drover, of course I meant inch pounds, and have corrected my previous posts.

What color?

I bought one in a 223and its already at the smith being cannibalized. my pard bought one and shot it...being pragmatic.
The damn thing shot so good Im hoping my 'build' does as well when its done!

No schitt......

When will you people learn to leave good enough alone.

Factory stocks should be shaken, not stirred.

Steve, the one I bought a .223, so Im spending hundreds of $$$$ to rebarrel, restock,replace trigger, true up,and scope what will become my new.....wait for it......













.223

The 223 is the little engine that could. The govt had to make sure it was a success and private business took over. The 223 is available everywhere, in every action. NASA has apparently abandoned its plans to create "laser wpns" and is sticking with the 223. SDI technology has evolved to the point where satellites armed with banks of 223s have been launched. Their armament is gajillions of nuclear tipped 80 gr. .224 bullets.

And the heavens will shake, and the sky will burn red with fire. Or maybe more of an orangy-red. Nothing will be as it was. And stuff will rain down like rain when it is raining, except that it will not be wet or fall from the clouds or anything like that. But people will be afraid. Really afraid...

I think we can all understand the incredible advances to an idea Eugene Stoner had while daydreaming.

It's good that you are doing this. You and others like you that truly understand the power will chase away the ones who think you need big diameter bullets to kill stuff.

Tom,

Jim Carmichel wrote many years ago, before I'd ever published a gun article, about shooters attempting to "accurize" rifles they'd never shot in the first place. His favorite example was a walnut-stocked Ruger 77 in .220 Swift that shot so well, right out of the box, that he used it in some local benchrest matches, astonishing the guys shooting custom rifles in more "suitable" cartridges.

One of my favorite stories about factory rifle accuracy (which might also apply to at least one other current thread on this forum) I already told in OBSESSIONS OF A RIFLE LOONY, but bears repeating. Many years ago, when Dave Talley was still living in Glenrock, Wyoming, I was down there hunting something, and Dave told me the story about a Really Famous Accuracy Gunsmith who'd come out that spring to shoot prairie dogs with him.

The RFCG brought one of his own rifles chambered in .223 Remington, along with a short ton of handloads worked up for the rifle. When they went to the range to check the .223's zero after the plane flight, the really special trigger broke. Of course, even if a new trigger could be shipped overnight in they'd lose a couple days of shooting, so they went to the local shooting store and the only .223's in stock were Savages. So the RFCG bought one, I believe for around $200, and in Dave's shop mounted the Swarovski scope from his super-accurate .223.

They found the really special handloads fit just fine in the Savage, and at the range found the Savage shot just as well as the super-custom rifle. Whereupon the RFCG turned to Dave and said: "Don't you DARE tell anybody." Of course, when I showed up that fall Dave told me, but I have kept the name of RFCG a secret.

Pull the stock off, dig the glob of glue off the adjustment screw on the front of the trigger assembly and back the little allen screw out until you get what you want. I have mine at 3# - works very nice now. I always cock it empty and bang the gun around, flip the safety off and on and do what a I can to see if it will go off. No problems at 3# on the X-Mark Pro trigger that came with the rifle for me. I had it down to 2.5# with no issues but find that a little too light when shooting with gloves and put it at 3#. Actually a pretty nice trigger to be honest, better than the one on my Pre War M70. The whole gun is performing well beyond its $265 price tag. Nice to find a little value in todays markets.

But will that stop people from tinkering with rifles before they're shot for the first time? Heck no!

The old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." does not apply to most firearms owners.

In their defense, it hasn't been too many years since a virtual rebuild was required for brand new, factory rifles to shoot worth a darn. That, and nowadaze everyone figures if their rifle, regardless of cartridge or action type, won't bug hole, it's broken.

Steve,

Amazing, isn't it?

Actually, I've found it far harder to buy a rifle that WON'T shoot well these days than one that will. In fact, over the years have encountered several custom rifles with accuracy problems, all due to bedding mistakes that shouldn't have happened.

JB: I remember the Savage story and couldn't agree more.

I disguise my looneyism not by trying to 'accurize' the rifles...because I too have found them unbelievable good off the rack....but by 'customizing' the rifle to suit my own tastes and needs, which as we have seen are transitory and subject to whim.

If there was rhyme or reason to looneyism, we wouldn't need strait jackets or padded cells

Thats my story......




( but my pards rifle, mentioned earlier was a spotter shooting an honest 1/2 inch and he hadn't even fooled with the Xmark POS trigger )

Yeah, I know why you "customize" rifles. (Hard to get leopard print patterns on Wal-Mart specials, for one thing.)

I, on the other hand, am really happy not to have to dink with rifles to get them to shoot. This may seem weird, but apparently have done enough of it over the years to become a little weary of the process. Which is one reason I like so many of today's factory rifles that shoot right out of the box!

Its funny how after much thought we get the perfect rifle. Honestly told my wife this is the last rifle i need, a couple rifles ago! Also said I want to sell one to pay for this one. She just grinned at me. I was serious, but she knows me better than i do.

You also have just a couple more rifles than me, and you are pretty much required to give them all range tine to keep up on the latest stuff.


I, on the other hand, can leisurely create custom works of art. Stainless and Plastic 'bespoke' rifles as it were......capable-Im sure- of shooting .1 better than most factory rifles!


BTW: When did you want to take delivery on your zebra stocked .223AI Whiz Bang?

That always make me smile, John. It's great that fewer rifles have to be played with in order to shoot well.

I think the biggest issue with shooters these days is stock fit. It's always been important, but years ago there were other problems that needed a shooter's immediate attention. Remember when virtually every rifle had a so-so trigger, or an unsealed wooden stock that swelled, or was improperly bedded from the factory? It was also harder to find proper fitting scope mounts. Thank goodness for CNC machining! It's solved many of the action problems.

Factories cannot correct the problem of correct stock fit as easily as they tackled crappy triggers or action/stock fit. These days, more people should pay attention to proper length of pull and cheek weld. That would help with accuracy and felt recoil.

Been trying to get someone to buy a Cooper Excalibur in 243 the LGS has used for 1300. Great gun, good buy, should be scary accurate. Finally dawned on me, for most folks, a RAR or Axis is just as good for 1/3 the money. I like well built and accurate guns but, other than making me feel good, those cheap pos rifles will outshoot me in the field and that is good enough for most. I did not say the cheapies are equal, just seem as good to most.

You guys are making me feel guilty. I have a small confession to make: I have never bought a Wal-Mart special. Is my Looney status in jeopardy?

I want to buy another one. Found a new Classic walnut stock for my recently purchased 243ADL Wally-world cull-bin rifle and now it is too nice to cannibalize for the action. I did find that you can get $30-40 really easily for those no-name combo scopes if you'll put them on Craigslist. Even at $377, the 700 combo rifles are good deals for donors.

And FYI, a new spring from Ernie the Gunsmith allows for a safe and crisp XMP trigger at 3lbs or just under.