I am attaching a pic of a group I fired out of my son's 3006 this morning. Good shooting conditions, flat wind, but a bit warm. Took my time and got some decent groups, but this rifle really strung em out horizontally as the pic shows. I was bringing the point of impact down with each three-shot group, but within each group I had a "one-holer" going on vertical-wise. The scope is a 2.5 x 10 Schmidt with the thick crosshairs. Great scope, but the crosshairs subtend about an inch and a half at 100 yds.

I have read somewhere that horizontal stringing might be from a dislike of the primers in that rifle??? Vertical stringing is of course easier to diagnose. Rifle is bedded good and free floated and is a real hummer with the factory barrel. 1/2" groups are normal for this rifle.

Just wondering what anyone else's ideas are for the cause of the horizontal stringing.

Have a great weekend.

Hank

Well, lets add the dern picture why don't we?

Is that one six-shot group, two three-shot groups, what?

As I see the target, the six shots are in about 1.5" vertically, and 1.5" horizontally. to me that is a nice round 1.5" or slightly larger overall group, with neither horizontal nor vertical stringing. It is a bigger group than I would want, but still fine for hunting purposes.

My suggestion would be to try tuning two things, to improve overall grouping:

1. Bullet seating depth, in about .005"-.007" increments, both directions, both closer to and farther away from, the lands.

2. Very small "load tuning" powder charge adjustments of only about .3 grains. Object here is to hit the powder burning "sweet spot" pressure-wise.

I'd do them in either order, but definitely not both at the same time. If you adjust two variables at the same time and things get either better or worse, you won't be able to tell which variable is causing the change.

I think you need to shoot it a bit more to make sure it's a continuing pattern first. Usually when I see horizontal stringing, something is loose, scope base, or stock screws. With those thick CH you should use a different target, print or draw some with 2-3 in. squares and use a corner for an aiming point. It makes a heck of a difference with a lower powered scope.

Hank, Can you tell us what the load is? Just wondering. Jay

Check the guard screws for proper tension, and possibly if all else fails put a layer of electricans tape along the reciever to tighten the bedding... has worked for me!

I shot two, brought it down an inch, shot three, brought it down an inch, last shot to confirm another 1/2" in scope adjustment. No, that is not one 6-shot group, but three groups.

Shooting my all-time favorite 30/06 load: 57.0 grains of IMR 4350 with a 165 grain Ballistic tip. The rifle is glass bedded in Marine Tex epoxy in the receiver area, with the barrel free floated.

check your OAL...

jeffe

Two things I see. I loaded for my friends rifle for years using the exact same load. He would buy one box of Ballistic tips at a time. Some years I could get 1/2" or better and the next box would give me scattered groups even when using the first lot of powder. Going back to the previous years loads would tighten the groups again. I have always blamed the bullets. Since I don't own a 30-06, the dies were set just for his rifle.
Second, it is very, very hard to shoot tight groups with such large crosshairs. The only way to consistantly do it is to be able to aim into a bullet hole, not the whole center of a target.

Pull the scope and check/retighten base screws. LocTite, or nail polish them, then mount the scope and do the same, but, after all these screws are tight, take one at a time out and loctite them in. Pull the stock and clean all surface's to make sure it's a solid mounting. Torque the screws properly. Not to tight, and not at all loose. Books will explain.

Then go shoot three at 25yds. Adjust as needed to hit right on point of aim. Once they are all going into one hole. Move to 100yds.

Don't shoot to quickly to heat the barrel much. Turn the scope to max power setting so you can see what you're aiming at. Sandbag both end's. take care to ease the shots off all the same way. IF any flyers, shoot another group.

IF you get a five shot group this size without adjustments. That's a fine hunting group with this load. Leave it alone, unless you want to play sorting games with bullets, powders and brass. There's nothing wrong with this one group shown.

You cannot judge any gun, load, or shooter by ONE group. Shoot 500 rounds in groups of 3 or 5 shots. That's where you'll learn what the gun and loads will do.

One fact of life: "The more you shoot, the better shot you'll become"

George