Here is what I did to a friends NEF .223 Ultra Varminter to make it shoot decent, before it would only shoot 1.5-2" groups no matter what kind of handloads or factory loads we tried in it. In the forearm, I opened the barrel channel up and made a "pillar" bushing to got into the forearm retaining screw hole and underneath the lug on the barrel. When the screw is tighten down to about 35 inch pounds the lug on the barrel should bottom out on this pillar. Then I bedded the entire forearm. After that I recut and re-crowned the muzzle. The I reworked the trigger to 2 pounds.

The it was back to the handload testing. We found a load with a 50gr Hornady V-max, 27.5 grains of Hodgdon BLC-2, Federal cases, and Federal S/R primers, that gave 5/8" 5 shot groups at 100yds. That is one heck of a crow busting rifle now.