"Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

I have a Remington 700 XCR in 300 WSM that I purchased last year.

What are the best ways (after-market modifications) to get it (or any rifle) to generally shoot tighter groups for a "reasonable" price? I havemodified the trigger pull so far to lighten it up from factory.

I have heard that the barrel should not be in contact with the stock at all except for basically where the screws attch it to the stock(so you can slide a dollar bill between the barrel and stock)...is this true?? (I cannot slide a dollar bill between mine.)

Would glass bedding or free-floating the barrel at a gunsmith improve shooting?? (I don't know exactly what those jobs consist of, but I've heard of people doing it).

Thanks!

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

First off, tell us what size groups your particular gun is shooting. You may or may not be expecting too much from an off-the-rack factory rifle. If various brands of factory ammo are available for it, have you tried them to see if the gun perfers one over the other?
I imagine your rifle has pressure points in the forearm under the barrel. This is done intentionally to put a little upward pressure on the barrel. Some guns shoot acceptably with it, some do better with a free-floated barrel, where the pressure point is removed. I have rifles that shoot well with the barrel pressure, and also ones that shoot best free-floated. Glass bedding generally refers to making certain that the action and an inch or so of the barrel ahead of the recoil lug are in solid contact with the stock and there is no warping or torquing of the action, and the recoil lug maintains soild, even contact with the stock on it's backside (toward the action). Some folks do their bedding a little different, but this method has given me good results.
Perhaps the best thing you can do is to become a handloader if you wish to try to wring as much accuracy and repeatability out of your gun as possible. It's both a very rewarding and sometimes a frustrating hobby. It's no secret that guns are individuals unto themselves, and totally identical rifles may not shoot the same ammo the same.
I guess that is my take on your situation. I'm sure others on here will give you their opinion of what path you should take also. Good luck....

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

I got the Remington 700xcr in 270wsm last winter too. I installed a Burris Euro-Diamand 2.5x10x44mm scope with Warn rings and bases.I had the trigger worked on by a fellow benchrest shooter. Trigger pull is 2 Ibs.My barrelis free floated. I done a barrel break-in proceeder on mine. I have a chemist friend that makes his own bore cleanerand barrel break-in conditioner lube. We cleaned the bore really good and coated bore with his break-in conditioner lube. Then after each shot ran the conditioner lubethrough the bore each shot for 10 shots. Then cleaned the bore with his bore cleaner and did another 10 shot string using bore conditioner lube between each shot. Was using Factory 150gr. Winchester Power Point ammo. Started with 3174fps. at begining of break-in and at end was getting 3200fps. Then groups tightened up to 1/2" groups at 100yds. This is one gun that I am really happy with. I will be using it for my deer and elk hunt this year.

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

The trigger is the first step. You just do that because it needs to be done. Next, make sure that you go through and do a proper Barrel Break in. Just google barrel break in, or look through these forums as I have seen the procedure in here as well. I suggest free floating the barrel if it isn't already. That affects the barrel harmonics, or the way the barrel vibrates and flexes everytime you shoot. It the barrel is touching nothing, the thought is the harmonics will always be the same. If the barrel is touching, each time you fire, and the barrel flexes some, maybe shifts a bazillionth of an inch, the next shot, the harmonics wil be different. As for the glass bedding. I have never done it to any of my rifles, and all of them, with the exception of my AR have shot 1/2 groups.

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

I'll give you my accurizing package as an example fo the more common things you can do to improve accuracy.
hand lap bolt lugs,cocking ramp(notch),hand lap bore,glass or pillar bed,free float and/or pressure bed,lap scope rings and loc-tite bases,work up load. I have NEVER done this to a factory rifle that accuracy wasn't dramatically improved upon!

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

First off - don't do anything (except the trigger which you already did) until you get a couple hundred rounds through this rifle. Some rifles take a while to start shooting good. But don't let the rifling build up with fouling - particularly copper. Keep the bore clean.
If after 200 or 300 rounds and your bullets seem to walk up the target, take the action out of the stock and remove that little pressure point that Remington likes to put in the stocks barrel channel and check the rest of the barrel channel with the action back in to see if the barrel is free floating. (Run a $ bill between the barrel and stock.) If the $ bill doesn't slide down from forend tip to about 2 - 3" in front of the action's recoil lug sand some of the material away from the barrel channel until it does. Without buying a barrel channel rasp you can get an appropriate sized wooden dowel and wrap it with sand paper. Once you have your barrel floating - reseal your wood stock with Tru oil or some other wood sealer to prevent it from absorbing moisture and swelling or warping.
But again - don't do anything until you have shot the rifle a few hundred times.

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

I just got a new rifle in the .308 caliber, and have stubbled across this system. Ordered this from Cabela's the other day. Sounds very promising!!!;)

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...amp;hasJS=true

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

Oh man that would make me nervous! Id have to read tons of reports about those before I would fire one out of one of my gun.

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

Whatever you do-DO NOT use that firelapping kit!!! I have seen several barrels ruint because of those kits. If you want a smooth bore,handlap it. The firelapping won't let you feel rough or tight spots like handlapping will. PLEASE DON'T firelap your bore-handlap it,more trouble and takes time but you'll get great results as opposed to possibly ruining your bore.

RE: "Accurizing" a new gun to shoot tighter??
 

As your post said that it was a Remington XCR, I assume that it has a composite stock?
This being the case, you can sand on the inside of the forend or evenuse a dremel on it to remove more material. You can do this yourself as you don't have to worry as much about damaging the forend like you would with a wood stock. On the composite forends, fairly straigtforward and easily made to float.