When working up a load, I have often had a particular powder weight indicate vertical or horizontal stringing. It usually went away with increased or decreased powder charges. Since your rifle seems to group O.K. with a different load, I would recommend trying to adjust the load that's causing the stringing. I'm betting it goes away.

I reecently cleaned my cousins old Mod. 700 BDL in 30-06. He said it used to shoot very good with factory ammo. Then all of a sudden it just started slinging bullets everywhere. Problem is that he never cleaned the bore of the rifle, just the outside of the gun. After a very thouough cleaning of the bore he said it shoots better that it ever did. It did take a lot of cleaning, but that did the trick.

As a general rule: Vertical stringing is a pressure issue, and horizontal stringing is condition related. Eraticgroupings tend to be bending or scope mount issues. In BenchRest circles the thought process for vertical stringing is to either increase the powder by a click or two or decrease the charge depending on whether the conditions make you think that the pressure is high or low. for example if you did all your load development on sunny days that the temp hovered around 80 and this day the temp is a cool 60 then the assumption would be to bump the charge up a click or two etc.

I would further assume that since you stated that you haven't cleaned it in 1000 rounds that there is significant fouling. Significant fouling can cause increases in pressure, which might account for your stringing. That being said a Browning A bolt is far from a BR rifle, it is obviously a fine shooting piece though. I wouldn't worry too much either way if the group is stil under 3/4 MOA.

Well, since I am the worst person for cleaning rifles I did something today......Ordered up $330 of cleaning supplies, loading supplies, and a few other goodies from Midway today.

I should now be able to give all my centerfires the proper cleaning that they deserve. I might also have a new toy in the form of an Encore barrel coming from Eabco to play with

Delivery date on my cleaning supplies is 4/2, so sometime after that I will be able to post up results.

If its been that long since you cleaned it, might take that much in cleaning supplies to get it done...

My deer rifle gets cleaned after each season, or 2 boxes of shells, whichever comes first...My hunting buddy's gets cleaned whenever I do it, or he starts to have problems...(I do it then as well)...I don't believe he's ever cleaned a gun.

Thats kind of what I was thinking when I was ordering stuff up......I should be set now, just need to buy one of those nice Tipton gun holders with the next paycheck.