What would be the first step you would in in making a factory bolt action rifle more accurate? If it makes a difference lets use a Rem. 700 or Win. 70 varmint model.

bedding

Every factory rifle is different. Some have bedding problems, and most have a very stiff trigger. You have to look at the individual rilfe two determine which would give you the most improvement.

Practice.

quote:

Originally posted by hvy barrel:
What would be the first step you would in in making a factory bolt action rifle more accurate? If it makes a difference lets use a Rem. 700 or Win. 70 varmint model.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have no idea what your shooting skills are, or what your definition of “accurate†is.

The first step in the process is always to eliminate the variables...starting with the person behind the rifle. Take your rifle to a range and let the best shooter there try it out and see what it will do in their hands.

It has been my experience that most “box-stock†rifles are inherently far more accurate than are most “box-stock†human beings out there.

Many times investing in a few hundred rounds of ammunition and some coaching can make your “rifle†do wonders in the accuracy department.

It’s sort of like people who send their dogs to obedience school but don’t take any lessons themselves, and then after spending a bunch of money find that their dog doesn’t obey them any better than it did before.

As far as bedding a rifle goes which is better, using something like acraglass or pillar bedding? Has anyone tried one of the new stocks from Accurate Innovations? Are they as good as the manufacturer maintains or are they a waste of money?

quote:

Originally posted by hvy barrel:
As far as bedding a rifle goes which is better, using something like acraglass or pillar bedding? Has anyone tried one of the new stocks from Accurate Innovations? Are they as good as the manufacturer maintains or are they a waste of money?

I've have one on order but because mine is for a left handed MRC short action with a med-heavy Krieger barrel it's taking a long time. (April order)

Fjold let me know how it turns out.

First I would freefloat the barrel, and adjust the trigger if necessary.
Next either handload development, or If I did not hand load try several differnt factory loads.
If that does not produce the level of accuracy I seek, I would pillar bed the rifle.
If that doesnot work then it is "new barrel, custom gunsmith time.

Or you could just buy a Blaser R 93.

With "known's fixed, "shooter, Ammo, does the trigger give me any unpleasant surprises?
If it wasn't up to snuff, I'd look at the bedding. I'd properly bed the action with some support for the chamber end of the barrel. Different actions, different amount of support needed. And float the barrel. I use 2 thicknesses of PVC pipe rap tape which gives me about .010" clearance.
Then I'd take it to the range and shoot and see what happens, giving it a good try.

Then for giggles I'd pull out some dollar bills and slide them between the barrel and forend until I was just taking up the clearance. Shoot it some more and see what happens again. If the groups start to tighten up I'd keep adding bills until the groups started loosening up again. Take them back out until I got to the thickness where I had the tighted group. If this was the case then I would think that this particular rifle liked a little tip pressure. Knowing that bills are about .003", adding them up would give me the approx. amount of bedding materal I needed to add. If it doesn't make a difference you are no worse off.

Oh, check the scope and mounts too.

Just my $.02

Don

For me personnaly trigger, load development, bedding, and recrowning. After that get rid of gun or send to your smith for action and barrel work. Butch