ok, I bought a Rem 700 ADL in 30-06. the thing will not shoot under 4 in at 100 yards. I took the action off of the stock and when I went to put it back on, there is a spot in the stock that the action teaters on like a balance. When I tighten the screws down it pulls the action down into th stock, but i know there is pressure on the action. Is this most likely the cause of my extremely poor accuracy, and do you think bedding the rifle would fix this problem, or should I get a new stock, bedding, and a new crown?
as a comparison, I shoot the same size groups at 50 yrd with my open sighted marlin 45-70 as the rem with a scope will shoot at 50.
offer any advice or suggestions. I was thinking of selling it for $200 and using it towards a savage, tikka, A-bolt, or weatherby in the same caliber, but people I have talked to told me to bed it first and see if that was the problem. I've only target shot, and want to go deer hunting for the first time this year but will not do it if i can't group better than 1.5 in at 100 yrds. this deer season is comming up soon and have I to make a decition, I might just get a different rifle so that I know the problem is either me or the rifle.
PS. my E key on my keyboard doesn't work well, so if any words are missing one, that's why

I plan to have a 3 gun battery: 45-70 for close range open sights, 30-06 for longer range, and a 375 of H&H or weatherby variation for fun and bigger animals I might hunt in the future. but my 30-06 is looking very grim at the moment.
thanks for the help,
Matt

oh, yeah, one more thing. this is the first rifle I've had a scope on and it is possible that the scope may be defective, but it is unlikely, because I was shooting worse groups with open sights on it at 50 I am use to hitting upper half human targets with a 5.56mm or .223 rem at 300 yrds with open sights

if it were me id try and sand the spot down a little bit till it was about level with the rest of it and then bed it. also make sure the barrel isnt touching the stock in places as that can cause erratic shooting.

and if that doesnt work put it in a rich mans home.

Consider yourself lucky, it will feed a cartridge, fire it, and extract it. That's a rarity for a Rem 700!

quote:

Originally posted by Paul from nz:
make sure the barrel isnt touching the stock in places as that can cause erratic shooting.

Remember the Rem 700 has a pressure point at the tip of the forend were the barrel is in contact with the stock.

I own several Rem700's. Most are older guns (+10yrs old). I've never had one that wouldn't shoot well after a little tinkering.

The first thing I would do is check all the screws and make sure they are tight. Any loose screws (scope base, rings, or the 3 screws that attach the stock and action) will cause the poor accuracy you describe. I'd also try and carefully sand down the "balance" point you describe. The action should fit into the stock snugly with no high points.

If that didn't improve things I'd think about getting the action bedded and free float the barrel. You didn't say if it was a synthetic or wood stock. The wood stocks are easy to bed, but the bedding compounds don't stick very well to the Remington synthetic stock material.

If it has a wood stock, and you want to keep it wood, I would probably go ahead and bed the action and free float the barrel. An alternative would be to replace the wood stock with a Remington brand sythetic stock. They are inexpensive. I had a wood stocked Rem700 ADL .223 that shot poorly and after replacing the stock with a Remington brand synthetic stock it shot great. If the rifle already has a synthetic stock I wouldn't spend the money to replace it or have it bedded. I'd sell it.

If you have it bedded and it still doesn't shoot well I wouldn't go to any more expense, or effort. It can quickly turn into a bottomless money pit, sell it.
.

How many loads have you tried?

it is a synthetic stock. I,ve tryed federal 150 gr FMJ, federal 150 gr soft points, federal 180 gr soft points, and my own loads with 180 gr nosler ballistic tips.

I brought a 300wm adl that wouldn't shoot into 8 inchs. I free floated the barrel glass bedded the action ajusted the trigger and now she puts 180 gr bullets into 3/4 inch.

I got a 700ADL as a gift several years ago, a 243. Had the same problems you are talking about. Had to do some extensive work on the stock. Like yours, the action would not go down into the stock without tightening the guard screws. I got out the dremel tool and wasted the inside of the stock. Especially the recoil lug mortice. Then went to work on the barrel channel, cleaned it all out. To finish it up, I epoxy bedded the whole thing. Still wouldn't shoot. Added the up lift back to the front, still wouldn't shoot. Finally found where the bolt lugs were dragging on the front guard screw. Shortened the screw with a file to clear the bolt lug and it finally shoots. I have the impression that that stock was poured around the barreled action to make it. Had a terrible time getting the action out of the stock. It now lifts out and drops in. There is now relief on the sides, front and bottom of the recoil lug and the back is bedded soild. It was a time consuming and frustrating project. Didn't realise I'd have to rebuild the entire inside of the stock. Had a similar problem with a model 7 years ago and finally just got rid of the rifle. Haven't bought another Remington new since, the 700ADL was a gift.

Well, I've adjusted the trigger to ??? pounds(its pretty light), and I don't have a dremel. sanding would take quite a while because I'm pretty sure there is a lot of stock in tight places to sand off. Stocks are expensive so that would just add more cost when for the same amount of money i could just sell th rifle and get a new one. I think I'ld be better off just getting a new rifle. I'm not completely done with Rem, but I don't think I'll buy another ADL.
I'm thinking I'ld like to try a different brand, simply because I tryed Rem, and there are so many others I haven't tryed. So if any on has any suggestion for a new rifle in the $500-$600 range, have at it. I am willing to spend up to $700 if it will allow me to get a better class of rifle. I will probably be getting a model 70 safari in 375 H&H, so try to leave out the winchester brand for the 30-06.
Savage,tikka,weatherby,non ADL rem, or any other brands, give me your suggestions.
thanks for all the replies

Go ahead and glass the action before you turn grey worrying over the groups. Glass bedding solves a lot of problems.

Just got my rem 700 30/06 out of the gun shop last thursday. Had trigger to 3 lb's and glass bedded. Holy CRAP what a diff. was shooting 2.5-4 inch groups before except the occasional flook that i might hit the same hole but they would be 4-8 shots apart from each other. Today after the bedding and trigger job, i am getting less than 1/2 moa at 100 yards and i am absolutely thrilled about it. It's like i went out and bought a brand new rifle. Just dosen't seem like the one i took in. I am very surprised and shocked at the difference it made in this rifle. The cost was 115.00 to glass bed and trigger job. Best money i ever spent and no way would i get rid of this rifle now. Difference is daylight and dark. Mine is a wood stock btw.

quote:

Savage,tikka,weatherby,non ADL rem, or any other brands, give me your suggestions.

This one would be nice but, it's alittle over your set amount:

CDL SF Limited

In your situation I would bed the action, float the barrel(at least a 32th), set the trigger at the desired pull, install good rings and bases, install a good quality scope, and head to the range. I'd do that even if it shot well as it is most likely, just something about a stock touching the barrel or an action that's torqued that doesn't sit well w/ me.

I would start w/ the scope and mounts first if you don't want to do the other mods.

What kind of scope are you using?

What mounts? If you're on a budget, the cheap Leupold Rifleman mounts and rings are sold at Wal-mart and they hold well.

Good Luck

Reloader

if it "teeters" like a see-saw, then there is an inletting issue. take a dowel rod and variuos sand paper grits,..and remove that wood until the action sets in without rocking and the barrel does not touch the stock anywhere in the barrel channel.

I have never owned a remington 700 rifle that had a pressure point,..not that there weren't some made????? I just never heard of it or owned any that had one.

ok, an update, I'm usuing a Nikon ProStaff
3-9x40 with leupold duel dovetail short rings and leupold 2 piece base.
I contacted Remington about the problem and they told me my serial number is listed as a youth model, and Gander mountain had it listed as a regular ADL. Remington is sending me a new synthetic stock for free, so I guess I'm not going to sell the rifle after all. After I Get the stock, I'll get it bedded anyways and see how much better it shoots. I adjusted the trigger my self but don't know how light it is because I don't have a trigger scale. it feels about at half of what it was set, and I banged the bolt forward and the but stock on the ground quit a few times to make sure the trigger wouldn't rlease unexpectedly.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions
On more question, what is the best way to focus a scope? it seems that by the time I'm getting close, my eyes strain and it looks blury. I can't seem to get the focus set just right.

Loosent the lock ring and aim it into the bly sky and adjust the lens til it is perfectly clear. Snug the lock ring and it is done.

I think I may need to clean my lense

gohip2000: Guy this is a great project rifle. and I mean, go bed the wooden stock. Everyone needs a dremel tool, routing out the wood with a dremel is mindlessly simple. Buying bedding compound, and I recommend something thick. Following directions is also simple. As a new person try Brownells's acura glass gell, the stuff works and comes with directions. I have not checked but there has to be lots of sites with advice on bedding rifles.

The only thing about bedding is that it requires lots of time and discipline for the preparation work. Prep work takes hours; gluing is over and done right or messed up in twenty minutes.

Now why learn to glass bed?, because you will find that one heck of a lot of factory rifles require bedding to shoot straight. Same for surplus military rifles. I have glass bedded at least thirty rifles and it always improves the accuracy. (Well I have one K98 that had a .329 bore, bedding did not help. Should have checked the bore diameter before glassbedding) Also should say, if the rifle shoots fine as is, I don't mess with the factory bedding. Until the bedding goes. Just finished a Ruger M77 Tactical in 308. Shot fine and then shot awful. After bedding I brought it down from an initial best of one MOA to half MOA.

you mean bed the SYNTHETIC stock. my stock is synthetic, and Rem is sending me a new one free of charge, which i will probably bed

You will probably have a time getting the bedding to stick to the tuperware stock.

The only thing I do to the tupperware stocks is float the barrel channel w/ a dremel until I have about a 1/16" down the entire channel.

Shoot the rifle first and see if things work out before you start messing w/ the stock.

Good Luck

Reloader

Gohip2000: I stand corrected. And I have never "glassbedded" a synthetic stock. And I don't know if there are differences. Between stocks.

I do have one match rifle in a synthetic McMillian Baker stock. Randall Gregory of Apple Ave Medford WI 715-748-4427, bedded the rifle with aluminum pillars and Devcon epoxy. I don't know a lot about synthetic stocks but would expect that good epoxy compounds should stick to them. I'll have to research that though.

Best luck

Hey just another idea for you, I have a Remington 700 BDL that wont shoot 4" groups at a hundred yards even being bedded and free floated. I found the problem being a very deep throuted barrel. I handloaded 180 bullets till they almost touched the
lands and bingo my first three shots were at .75
It just won't shoot 165 grain factory spec bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by MajorCaliber:
Consider yourself lucky, it will feed a cartridge, fire it, and extract it. That's a rarity for a Rem 700!

It's easy to see you don't know what you're talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight:
Loosent the lock ring and aim it into the bly sky and adjust the lens til it is perfectly clear. Snug the lock ring and it is done.

make sure the lock ring is decently tight, as tight as u can get it with your hands. if its loose the scope can fog.