I just picked up a Anschutz 152 in 222 Remington. I took it to the range yesterday and got the shock of my life; at 100 yards, I was spraying bullets across the target. I checked the scope, the mounts and anything that could wiggle without discovering any movement. I took it apart when I got home and while finding nothing to which I could point and say, "Aha! that's the problem!" believe one of the following will hopefully tame this beautiful rifle down:

1. Lap the bore with J&B paste. I had a .223 that exhibited similar performance after an extended time on the rack. After a J7B treatment, it got back to tack-driving.
2. There is what appears to be a tension screw about half way down the bottom of the forearm. This screw was tight, as were all assembly screws. The screw, however, anchors into the bottom of the recoil lug, an arrangement I have not seen before. My guess is the screw is for adjusting/tuning tension on the barrel. Is anyone familiar with this hardware arrangement and its ourpose?
3. After my initial examination of the crown, I saw no obvious signs of damage. However, when examining the crown very closely, the entire bore exhibeted what appeared to me as a nicking or stippling of the tiny transitional area where bore meets crown. It is almost as though it had facets like a gem stone. My third course of action is to have it re-crowned.

Has anyone else ever come across something like this?

quote:

Originally posted by Col K:
Has anyone else ever come across something like this?

Nope, you're the very first.

Several things make bullets spray across the target rather than forming a group. A buldged or damaged muzzle, poor bedding, wrong weight bullet, damaged sights and/or optics come to mind.

If presented with this problem and upon a quick inspection there was nothing that was obvious, I would clean and inspect the bore, checking refraction rings that would indicate damage. If there was anything that looked out of the ordinary, I would probably slug the bore. I may even bitch slap it once.

While I was at it I would check the rate of twist. I would automatically "recrown" the barrel so I could rule that out as being the problem, and then I would address the bedding.

I would tighten and release the stock screws and watch and feel for any movement that would indicate uneven bedding which could explain wandering strikes. I'm not familiar with that particular "tension" screw arrangement you speak of, but as a general rule, screws used to "anchor" an action to the stock should be tight. Screws use to set tension are a different matter and would depend on the particular set up. I would have to see that particular item.

If there is contact between the barrel and the forend then the contact should remain uniform as you shoot. As the barrel gets hot it wants to move around, in doing so, if the point of contact shifts from shot to shot, so will the bullet strikes. Lastly, I would try a different scope and maybe look at the weight of bullet vs the actual rate of twist. It doesn't take an awful lot to throw bullets. So look the gun over carefully. Good luck!

I've been able to fix similar bedding problems by switching to hot chocolate instead of coffee.