Huntsalotey

I went out today with my NEF 7mm-08 to shoot some handloads and after shooting some proven loads my two best groups at 100 yards was 2 3/4" and a 3 1/2" groups. This is totally unacceptable to me. I need some advise on what to do with this rifle. I already went to the closest gun store on the way home to look for one in the same caliber but they had none. So I am home with this rifle. I really like it , but not with this kind of shooting. I know its not the scope because I have a proven Leupold on it. It is the single shot NEF. there appears to be some verticle stringing, but it is really up and down stringing. ONe shot up then next down. Etc. Can anyone help? Thanks

bigcountry

Tryed any good (federal) factory loads thru it? I got a 270 that loves a 4064 load but not other gun does. What is your load. I am sorry, as I have limited experience with NEF. Maybe take to a gunsmith to do a quick check on headspace. Not sure. If it was a bolt, there is all kinds of things to look for. When you say proven loads, is this in another gun?

Huntsalotey

My loads were as follows. I got them from others suggestions and my brother in law who shoots the 7mm-08. 1. Was 139gr. Horn. SP with H 4350 @ 47 grains. 2. Was 140 gr. Sierra Spitzer BT's with H 4350 @ 47 grains. The Sierra Spitzer Bt's was the 2 3/4" group. I also shot a couple 140gr. Nosler Part. with 41.5 grains of IMR 4064 and saw they were shooting opened up also after 3 so I quit shooting. I have yet to get any consistency from this rifle. I have fired one 4 shot group that measured 7/8" but that is smallest and was pleasing. I have put around 120 rounds through it and also did a breakin on the rifle and have cleaned it thouroughly after every trip firing. Maybe I need it to be fouled and dirty to get good groups???? Who knows???? Maybe free float the barrel by pillar bedding it up??? Or should it have some pressure on the foreend? It has a thicker tapered barrel almost of varmint measurements. And the barrel is 22" long. Thanks again for all the help I can get here.

James B

Some of the NEF rifles need to be free floated. Some of the guys put a small rubber O ring on the barrel stud to relieve pressure against the barrel. The forend is usually the problem. Also check and see if the fit is to tight beteen the cap on the rear of the forend and the reciever. Also you might want to polish the bore or except the idea that it migh take few hundred rounds for the barrel to start shooting well. Another thing to try, If your useing a rest, Keep it as close to the reciever as you can. Make sure the rest it in the same spot all the time. Repeat procedure is important to getting good groups with these rifles though thier hunting acccuracy is quite good. On one of mine I put two or three strips of mounting tape side ways on the forend in the barrel channel. My idea was to try anything to keep equal pressure between the barrel and forearm. If you need to take the little cap off the near end of the forearm and sand just a little off so the cap is not putting pressure against the reciever. Sometimes these little rifles take a little time and tinkering to make them shoot good. For some of us diehard NEF nut, this was half the fun.
My NEF 280 has the 26 inch barrel and shoots about 1 1/2 inch groups. The good thing is that although the groups are not real tigh, it never misses the X buy moe that an inch in any direction. It has what I call good hunting accuracy, your going to hit awful close to where you hold. Some NEF rifles seem to shoot better with the lighter bullets for caliber. If you stick with it I think you will find it will shoot pretty well.
One last thing Clean the rifle very well to start. Clean everything that you can get to. When yo finish cleaning the bore, its best to set them muzzle down. If you don't then any left over oil and stuff will run down into the chamber and may cause cases to stick. In other guns this oil can run out of the bore but on the break action the oil is trapped in the chamber. Sorry this got so long but these rifles hold a spot close to my heart You can polish the bore by repeated strokes with patches coated with Flitz metal polish. Then claen the bore real good.
One more last last thing. Many of the rifles have quite a bit of free bore so if you load you may want to seat the bullets out accordingly. However to great of OCL or long casings can cause them to stick in the bore when trying to unload a full cartridge. They will ussually pop out after you fire them in this case.

Pro-Line

James B is right on the free-floating. I did mine with 2 o-rings between the screw and barrel and it helped immensely. I also sent it back and had the trigger lightened. It cut my groups on my 223 from over 2" to about .75".

Fiddle around with loads, too. What works in one gun doesn't necessarily work in another.

Quilly

2 3/4 -3" sounds good enough to take down any animal with a broadside shot in the lungs and heart.
unless you want sub 1" groups i think those are fine groups.

James B

With a little tinkering they will shoot 1 1/2 or berrer groups. I shoot 120 grain Pro-Hunter Sierra bullets in my 280. I load them to about 2900 fps. They may over expand or come unclued on deer size game at to much more velocity than that. The 140 gr may be a better choice for most people.

Huntsalotey

Guys, if you can get me to 1 1/2" groups at the least, I will keep this rifle and be happy. As long as it can do it consistently. Thanks again.

NE Hunter

My son has the youth model in 243; my wife can put 3 of the Federal ( cheap ones) in one square of a sighting in target (a dime will easily cover it). It has a cheap Bushnel 4x scope on it. They are capable of doing some amazing things. Oh yeah that's off a bench rest

James B

I would start with polishing up the bore and relieving uneven pressure on the forend. Then shoot about 100 rnd through it clean it several time in between strings of shiots. Then fix your rest as decribed above and give it another try.BE SURE WHEN YOU PULL THE TRIGGER THAT YOU PULL IT ALL THE WAY AND HOLD IT FOR JUST A SPLIT SECOND. Otherwise the tranfer bar may pull back to soon giving inconsistant ignition. This seem strande but its true.