# Rifle Questions?



## huntducksordietrying (Sep 21, 2007)

I am new getting into rifle shooting for the most part. I have always shot growing up, but never as much as I am now. I have always wondered, what options there are to make a gun more accurate? I have heard of floating the barrel, and glass beading, but I have no idea what they do or how that all works. Also how much does it cost to have things like that done, and where do you go to do it? I can hit a golf ball pretty consistantly from 100 yards with my .243, but I have seen guys that can stack shots on each other from that distance, wondering if I could get my rifle to that stage. Thanks for any advice.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Most custom rifles have a combination of having the action blueprinted and face trued, a high quality barrel with match grade chamber and target crown, glass or pillar bedding in the stock, and an adjustable trigger that breaks around 3 pounds. Some of these features are available in factory rifles, and as for cost it just depends on if you are replacing components or just having a trigger job done on your stock group.

IMHO, there isn't much reason to customize until you've played around a bunch with your individual gun. Most rifles have a food preference. Even the same model of the same brand will sometimes prefer a slightly different load. If your trigger breaks cleanly between 3 and 3.5 pounds you probably don't need to do anything. Step one: Get a bunch of different loads (hand loads or factory) that have different bullet weights and velocities. Punch some 5-hole groups with them. Usually you'll find a particular load/bullet combo that can group tighter. If you get a 1" group at 100 yards that is considered great performance from a production rifle.

Also, cheap optics and mounts sometimes don't stay completely true. There's no way to really know how yours is performing unless you just can't seem to tighten your groups with any combination of load to under 2+ inches. At that point it could be an optics issue.

Those are some ideas anyway.


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## James (Oct 7, 2007)

> I can hit a golf ball pretty consistantly from 100 yards with my .243, but I have seen guys that can stack shots on each other from that distance, wondering if I could get my rifle to that stage.


How are you shooting? Bench rest? Sandbags? Before you knock the rifle, you need to remove all possible shooter error. Shoot bench rest with sand bags and remove all jiggles, hold the rifle the same way each shot, take the same sight picture, squeeze er off just right, then see how the rifle does.

Make sure that the screws holding the barrel and action to the stock are tight. 
Make sure the scope and mount screws are tight. 
Try some different ammo. If you reload, play with your loads, diifferent powder, different charge, different bullet. Most all rifles will do better with a certain load. You just have to find it.

If none of this stuff gets the accuracy you desire, talk to a good gunsmith.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

What they said. Or buy a Savage. No really , for cost to accuracy Savage is one of the best buys out there. Or the other route is to buy a rifle and get your check book out. When you get into the accuracy game you better have a lot of money and unbelievable patience. Better take up golf instead. :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## huntducksordietrying (Sep 21, 2007)

Al Hansen said:


> Better take up golf instead. :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:


I have done the golf thing, thats why Im shooting at the balls.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

If your hunting rifle is popping golf balls "consistantly" at a hundred yards then you are doing well. The ones listed below are not hunting rifles , they are P-dog rifles. Nothing under a hundred. Most shots are 200-400. And occassionally the big bore (.243) has tried out to 600. And once in a blue moon with just enough aiming oil I have connected. I will admit it is rare, but that's the fun. I will try and post a few pics just for giggles. These are old pics and the .243 doesn't look like that anymore and there is a couple of new .204's.


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## huntducksordietrying (Sep 21, 2007)

I love your .243. I just bought a remington model seven from my brother in law. It shoots great. I was able to take it out yesterday and sight it in. I was shooting hornady's 58 grain V Max Moly. That is the rifle I am wanting to accurize a little. I am happy with the groups I was getting, I just would like to try some 600 yard praire dogs like you mentioned. I sighted it in at about 1" high, so that it would be dead on at 200 yards. With only 30 inches of drop at 500 it would be easy to shoot those rounds at the dogs. It has an ok simmons scope on it that holds zero well. It is a 3.5-10x40 I would like a little more magnification. I am just toying with the idea of makin it my baby.


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

The 500 + stuff gets very difficult. There are a lot of unseen variables at the greater distances. Wind, elevation, barometric pressure, your breathing, what you are shooting off of, ballistic coefficiant (sp.), heat waves and the list goes on and on. No easy task. :wink:


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Most of the accurization that I have done to my rifles involved a lot of reading, and even more trial and error. There is a lot of literature devoted to glass bedding a rifle, free floating a barrel, and other tricks. I would leave the trigger modifications to a qualified gunsmith. Or get a Savage with the Accutrigger. The new Remington X-mark trigger may be user adjustable as well. Most of my rifles are mildly custom. They may have been bedded, or had the stock reshaped. My 243 has a heavier 26" barrel barrel, trigger job, and custom stock. It is a beast that is only shot from a bench or bipod. At over 14 pounds it is a little heavy for the offhand shots. It shoots better than I can on most days.[attachment=0:3omggyl1]Remington 243 win 001.jpg[/attachment:3omggyl1]


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Loke said:


> Most of the accurization that I have done to my rifles involved a lot of reading, and even more trial and error. There is a lot of literature devoted to glass bedding a rifle, free floating a barrel, and other tricks. I would leave the trigger modifications to a qualified gunsmith. Or get a Savage with the Accutrigger. The new Remington X-mark trigger may be user adjustable as well. Most of my rifles are mildly custom. They may have been bedded, or had the stock reshaped. My 243 has a heavier 26" barrel barrel, trigger job, and custom stock. It is a beast that is only shot from a bench or bipod. At over 14 pounds it is a little heavy for the offhand shots. It shoots better than I can on most days.[attachment=0:3nkhy1eq]Remington 243 win 001.jpg[/attachment:3nkhy1eq]


Very nice Loke. I like.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks, most of the expense went into the function, not the aesthetics. But it turned out looking pretty well in spite of my efforts.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

I have gotten into the accuracy game as well. I only have stock equipment, but have been tweeking loads, different pressure points on the barrel, etc. We ought to get together and shoot sometime at a range or out west some where. It is a little cold now, but would be fun to do next spring. I'm not very good, but I sure have fun shooting from my homemade bench.









This is about the best 5 shot groups I have been able to get out of my .204. The fliers were all me.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

I can't tell you how much crap I put up with from my family about the shooting bags that I made out of old Levi's. Some day I'll post up some pics of my home made benchrest. It is pretty sweet. The elevation mechanism came from an old office chair. It is amazing what you can do with a welding shop at your disposal.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Loke said:


> I can't tell you how much crap I put up with from my family about the shooting bags that I made out of old Levi's. Some day I'll post up some pics of my home made benchrest. It is pretty sweet. The elevation mechanism came from an old office chair. It is amazing what you can do with a welding shop at your disposal.


My wife gave me crap about my sand bags as well. I sewed them myself on her sewing machine. I even utilized the zippers to fill them. I have since gotten an adjustable front rest and a leather rear bag, but I am partial to my old levis. :lol:


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## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

NHS, I like that bench!!! (and the 0.389" groups!!! :shock: ) 

You can get a lot of accuracy from customizing your rifle, and from reloading, or both (best). I haven't done a lot of work on my .243, just smoothed out the trigger, floated the barrel. But, in combination with good reloading practices, you can get a lot of accuracy without spending big $$$. Get a neck sizer, a neck turner, a good set of calipers (or mic), an accurate scale, and a bit of elbow grease, and you can make extremely accurate ammo. I designate my brass to one particular rifle (all ammo is loaded for that gun only). I do not full length resize my brass. I only seat the bullet to the depth that is just off of the rifle lands. I hand weigh each powder charge. I keep good records/labeling of loaded ammo. Trim all cases exactly the same, this goes for neck thickness too. Find the bullet that likes your gun, or vice-versa. Don't be seduced by max loads, your best load for that bullet/gun combo may not be the hottest (My gun will shoot ~.625" at 100 with 41.5 gr IMR 4350 and a speer 80 gr hot-cor, but its only going about 3080 fps, to date this is my most accurate load)


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