charlie 1 Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Rite chaps im hoping some of you could help me with a problem we've been having. My friend shoots a remmy 700 223 and tbh is very particular about accuracy etc. however we are all stumped over this one. he reloads and has been shooting this rifle for many years, he isnt happy unless he shoots thumnail groups at 100 yrds, which he generally does achive. however the last 2 weeks has been very different. we went out to play with the rifle with the exact same ammo and equip he normally uses when shooting, but his groups where ****. now the first day it did this we put it down to him having a bad day but then the next 3 days consited of the same thing. the bullets wouldnt shoot any tighter than 2 inch groups at 100 yrds. he cleans his rifles thoroughly and has had no trouble in the past, but it seems to have caught up with him. he has changed the scope which has made no difference and he has tried other ammo he used to use that grouped well before he decided to try some new ones. but the bullets are just going everywhere. and some of them form a horizontal line. its very strange and we cant figure it out. could it be that the barrel has now shot itself in?? he has only fired around 600 shots through it so he doesnt think he has shot the barrel out. so can anyone help please. hoping this all makes sence to you guys lol. atb charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Is this rifle sound moderated ? Has he had the rifle from new ? What FPS is your friend homeload ? It's not the amount of shots but how quick in sucession they were fired .Extreme heat is a barrels enemy A quick guess is that something might have worked loose .Check all screws even the ones that fit the stock to the rifle . Over cleaning can sometimes do more harm than good especially if a bore guide is not being used .A defective crown can cause eratic grouping . Centre fire can have the most experienced shooter losing his sanity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie 1 Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Is this rifle sound moderated ?Has he had the rifle from new ? What FPS is your friend homeload ? It's not the amount of shots but how quick in sucession they were fired .Extreme heat is a barrels enemy A quick guess is that something might have worked loose .Check all screws even the ones that fit the stock to the rifle . Over cleaning can sometimes do more harm than good especially if a bore guide is not being used .A defective crown can cause eratic grouping . Centre fire can have the most experienced shooter losing his sanity he does 5 round groups then leaves it for a min then carries on etc. he has a heavy barrel so it takes longer to heat up but after every couple of rnds he checks the heat of the barrel and stops if it is too hot. The rifle isn't moderated, he bought the rifle secondhand however the 1st owner only put 20 rounds down it and that was factory ammo i belive. he pushes the rounds out at 3400-3500 fps. i think he checked all screw etc on it. could u please explain what the crown is. i dont know as much about rifles so am learning a hell of a lot from all this. thanks very much. it really is appreciated charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 A sudden change in accuracy would indicate some dramatic alteration to the firearm. Some things to check 1. the actions screws are tight 2. there is no mark or burr on the crown of the barrel 3. check the moderator(if one is in use) for burrs or marks on the crown or deflecter plates. (also fire the rifle with and without the moderator to see if this has an impact on accuracy) 4. Vertical stringing might indicate that there is an impingement in the barrel channel that may be affecting the accuracy as the barrel heats up. 5. finally if available use a bore scope to check the throat of the chamber to see if there is any throat errosion. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisecobandit Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Prob not but it maybe the scope if its been knocked? As said first check the obvious like screws etc.Its normally something silly and its easy to get to technical to quick for probs and overlook the obvious. The .223 does wear the barrel quick compared to some other calibres but certainly not in 600 odd shots. Could the powder makers have changed/upgraded ingredients if its a new can or even got damp?Different weight bullet heads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Most comman faults with accuracy is ammo and pilot error . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I know it's the obvious one, but just in case, is the barrel clear of the woodwork (floating)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie 1 Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 thanks for all the advice guys, i will tell him to check all screws etc. he hasn't changed to a new pot of powder recently so i don't see y the other rounds previous didnt have the same problem. as i said it has occured very recently. he hasn't knocked the scope as we have changed scopes on the rifle and re zeroed as best we could but he just couldn't get any sensible groups. macca it is a horizontal stringing not a vertical one. wymberly, not sure if it is or isn't will check with him when i talk to him later. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I guess he is using a weaver rail screwed onto the action with mounts attached to the weaver rail. Check the screws on the rail, could be the problem. Failing that the crown would be my next query. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 The .223 does wear the barrel quick compared to some other calibres but certainly not in 600 odd shots. Its calibres like the 22/250 and 17 rem not the .223 that have a reputation for for barrel burners due to their achievable 4000 fps . Charlie 1 The crown is the very end of the barrel and the chamfer should be uniform and concave to protect the rifling with no defects what so ever .A slight nick can create all sorts of problems . your friend is running 50 grn bullets by the sound of it . Has he stripped the rifle down off the stock recently because to echo previous replys the stock could be interacting with the barrel when placed back together .. I have heard these tales time and time again about second hand centre fire rifles only having a few rounds put down them and I can honestly say that i know of no one who has moved a rifle on after such a short experience with it so if nothing else works then a trip to the gunsmith to have the throat of the barrel checked would be advisable . What happens in a worn throat is that the gases used to propell the bullet forward can now get in front of it causing destabilisation and seriously eratic grouping .I speak from experience shooting a shot out 22/250 and achieving 6"+ groups at 100 yds . Your friend should not worry as 99% of centre fire shooters have at some time or other lost accuracy and can't figure out why ,then all of a sudden it returns Best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie 1 Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 thank u chap that is brilliant. i will pass all this info on to him so he can sort it out. thanks everyone for your help. very generous of you. all the best charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 It sounds very like the barrel is coming into contact with the stock.I had the exact same problem with a rifle i had.It was stringing shots diagonally even with the slightest heat in the barrel.I took the action off the stock and sanded out the forend to make it float properly even when the barrel was warm, re-zeroed and have never needed to move it since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 It could also be as little as a grass seed getting between the stock and barrel and altering the harmonics of the barrel on firing. I had the same happen to me with my 595 tikka. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Ask your mate to check his scales, just 1 thing nobody has mentioned. Stringing could be inconsistant powder charge, case prep can cause inconsistant pressure resulting in velocity variation. there could be umpteen possibilities, best thing he can do is go back to the begining. and keep a diary of ALL he does. been there done that got a draw full of "t" shirts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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