Bedding did the trick
 

Went to the range today and shot my best group so far with my 300 mag... Shot factory loads at 1" and my reloads at 1" to just under:D

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

For me the best thing you can do to make a gun shoot is bed them!!

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

Mr. Longbeard, what make of rifle is your 300 mag? who did the work and what all did they do?
thanks.

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

It's a Rem M700 XCR... After talking to bigcountry I decided to do it my self...

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

Well, it was messy, wasn't it? But not too bad? Biggest mistake I make is wanting to over bed and not just hit the recoil lug. I go too far sometimes.

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

I have a Ruger 77 that I had a trigger job done by my local gunsmith who does excellent work. The rifle shot well but the trigger was heavy. When I went to pick it up he took me into the shop and showed me how sloppy the Factory bedding (inletting) job was. He snugged up the front guard screw and as he was tightening up the rear screw the told me to watch the tip of the forearm in relation to the stock. You could see the barrel lifting well off the forearm. He told meit should be bedded because the action was rocking in the stock. For only $25 it was money well spent. It is more accurate than ever and the trigger breaks right around 3 lb with absoultely no creep. (trigger job $25, bedding $25, sub MOA 300 Win mag. priceless)

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

Excellent! Glad it helped you guys out. I tried it on my Browning A-bolt I used to have. Helped a little but not enough. Had to sell it (wanted better than 2" groups at 100 yards, which big brown claims is acceptable).

Haven't tried on my Tikka yet. But then again she shoots like this stock out of the box so I'm hesitent to change anything. Barrel is already free-floated well and it might be good enough with my handloadsto not bother with.

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

I always suggest bedding, even on new rifles. It may shoot really well out of the box but the wood to metal contact can change over time and cause groups to drift or open up. Proper bedding and free floating stops all that.

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

Since I'm using a SS rifle with synth stock I'm not too worried about things warping or changing. I do check the clearance occasionally between the barrel and stock to make sure but the clearance is always better than a thick piece of card stock. Last several groups I've shot have been around 1/2" with my handloads at 100 yards. I think I'll leave well enough alone for now.

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

Power-You certainly can't complain about groups like those for a factory rifle.When you consider the price,the tikkas certainly are impressive.

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

Synthetic stocks can warp. Especially the black, oily, plastic ones that most firearms manufacturers use. Those stocks don't adhere well to bedding material also. Getting a good mechanical lock with the bedding is a good way to keep the bedding from shooting loose. I mechanically lock bedding in all rifles I bed, regardless of stock material
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Most folks like just enough clearance between barrel and stock to slide a dollor bill or index card in. That's not much clearance. Depending on barrel weight and stock material, just laying it on a rifle rest can make the stock bend enough to touch the barrel. I always use 1/8" to 3/16" gap in the barrel channel. Builders of competition rifles and sniper rifles aren't worried much about looks andusuallygo with a gap big enough to slide a penny around the barrel channel.

RE: Bedding did the trick
 

Some synthetic stocks can indeed move slightly when exposed to heat,such as when they are left in the sun on a hot day.They are however quite stable in the temperatures that most of us encounter while hunting big game.The stocks effected are the injection moulded plastic stocks that are common on factory rifles.However the higher quality synthetic stocks like mcmillan,h-s precision and rimrock,are extremely stable under all conditions of temperature and humidity that you would ever hunt under,much more stable than any wood or laminate for that matter.