rem 700 22-250 help please

[tanman]

first of all thank you everyone for taking a peak at my post i really appreciate the help

i bought a new remington 700 sps varmint in 22-250 i shot 70 rounds through it before i started really paying attention to the patterns i am a great shot with my shotgun and i am not new to guns at all but i cant shoot a good group to save my life! i am shooting hornady 55gr v-maxv and am shooting groups the size of a paper plate at 100 yards i can shoot a three inch group at 200 with my old rifle i am going to go try different ammo tomorrow any other ideas for what could be going wrong

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[johnsd16]

Are the groups (or lack thereof) completely irregular? Sounds like a scope/mount issue to me. Either scope isn't holding zero, or more likely if its a quality scope, the mounts are loose or cracked or malfunctioning is some way. Did you mount it yourself? If not who did? Go through and inspect for hairline cracks in bases rings and screws and retighten everything.

You can see wide groups with even one base screw loose, but more often the ring top screws.

If everythings tight and good mount wise. Try different ammo. If similar results, likely the mounts/optics. Though ammo usually won't be paper plate bad at 200yds. Nothing against you but see if it'll shoot a sub 2" group at 100, or even 50. Also have someone else shoot it.

Lastly if nothing works, remove the scope and either put a known functional scope on that gun, or put the scope in question on a gun that for sure shoots. You don't need to sight either one it, just see if it will shoot a group. Same point of aim, just the nice little group might but 7" up and left, but a group means the scope will maintain point of impact with respect to point of aim. Again, don't waste shots sighting it in if you are doing the gun/scope switch, if its on the paper you can tell if it'll hold a group or not.

If none of the above, the gun goes back to remington.

[waskawood]

Factory ammo or reloads? What is the twist of your barrel?

[paul pachowicz]

John, repspectfully, I disagree with a 2 inch pattern at 100 or 50 coming out of an inherently accurate .22-250. Typicaly a new gun needs a break in period of shooting, cleaning, cooling, etc. Another thing could be goin on, for instance, a horribily channeled stock for one. However, I do agree a poorly mounted scope will cause major problems as can ammo that the gun simply does digest very well. I do know one thing, if I spent that kinda money on that caliber and it didn't pattern one hole at 25, 50 & sub MOA at 100 I'd be screaming mad. As mentioned in another thread, Remington has fallen from my grace years ago. Having someone else shot is a good idea, I've done that myself in reverse. But, the 1st thing I'd do is run a dollar bill between the barrel and stock, check the stock screw for tightness, then look at the scope then the chamber and then the ammo. What he is getting with that caliber is completely unacceptable.

[paul pachowicz]

Tan....could you descripe the pattern you are getting? I mean, scattered, climbing, tec? Is that a bull barrel? I'm askin a "smith" I know and he asked about it.. I'll try to help ya out.

[tanman]

its a heavy barrel pretty much a scattered group but the paper plate group was at 100 yards i did mount the scope myself and i did take my time that doesnt mean its perfect i will have to really look at it close the gun will be at the range with me today

[klecker]

I have a rem 700 sps in 243. When I first got the gun the trigger was set real heavy from the factory. If i shot it in a vice it would hold nice groups. How ever out of the vice it was all over the place. Had other people shot it and they all couldnt belive the pull it had. Got that fixed and now its a tack driver.

[tanman]

ya it goes in for a trigger job on friday

[WalleyeGod]

Tan:

Sounds like you might be seeing someone with some gun knowledge on Friday. When he has the gun have him double check the barrel crown if after he/you check the scope mounts and potential stock issue and finds them to be good. He will know what to look for I am sure.

I am wondering one thing here too before you do the trigger job and that is the warranty on the gun. Not sure how Remington will view the trigger job if it turns out that something of a bigger issue is your accuracy culprit. You may want to look into the accuracy issue first and then do any "modifications" to the rifle once you have determined it is a shooter or not. Maybe you could check on that with the dealer you purchased it from or with whom you are bringing it to on Friday. Just a thought.

Hopefully it won't be a time consuming issue to resolve and it turns out to be a simple fix for you. Keep us posted.

Good luck,

WG

[Jmnhunter]

I was getting frustrated with my savage 22-250 when shooting; I was on a half arsed shooting bench, but made sure i would be relaxed and had a decent rest. i noticed also after i shot 3 rounds or so the groups would be off, barrel was hot, so i would shoot up to 3 at a time, left the bolt open and let it cool while i checked the target.

I have to sight my 30-06 scope every year, and i'm starting to believe its the cheap weaver mounts; the leopold mounts on my 250 have been holding the scope dead on yet so far!

[paul pachowicz]

Tanman.....I've got some items for you to check. So, if you'll contact me at my email addy I'll forward it to you. [email protected].

[johnsd16]

John, repspectfully, I disagree with a 2 inch pattern at 100 or 50 coming out of an inherently accurate .22-250. Typicaly a new gun needs a break in period of shooting, cleaning, cooling, etc. Another thing could be goin on, for instance, a horribily channeled stock for one.

Absolutely agree. My point was will the gun shoot a group-- at any range. If it will shoot a group of any kind at 50 or 100 then at 200 is all over I think about different things compared to if sprays them all over even at 50yds. Sort of a diagnostic test.

Also agree on break in, but since 95% of guys don't really break in new rifles it usually won't be the culprit of this poor of accuracy. If it was, there'd be a ton more guys out there with this same complaint every early Nov.

Its also not best to take out a brand new setup and start at 200yds. I always plop a few in a check a group at closer range to see how everything is behaving.

I would find it very strange for pie plate irregular groups at 200yds be from stock-barrel contact or from ammo. Most factory ammo will shoot OK out of most production rifles, and there are lots of guns out there with non-free floated barrels that shoot really well. I wouldn't tolerate it, but I would be very suprised if barrel contact was the issue here.

[tanman]

quote No you should be shooting better than an 8" group at 100yds even if you shot 1000 times and havent cleened it. LOL. Something is very wrong. Could it be your stediness. Have someone else shoot it once. quote

yes i know that thats why i am here asking for help. i was shooting a 2 inch group at 200 yds before i baught this gun. im asking what might be wrong with it not asking you to tell me im shaking too bad

[reddog]

No way I would have a trigger job done on that rifle until I got it to behaving better.

$.02

[marksman]

Just curious! What kind of scope is on it?

[tanman]

the gun is at the smith! he said he might have it done by sunday. its the remington scope that came with it for now....not for long

[Ufatz]

Goofy scope or mount. That will be $20 for diagnostics, please. Thank you.

[tanman]

the action screw was too long and the barrel was not gloated properly

[tanman]

floated

[paul pachowicz]

Tanman, that smith buddy of mine in Ohio told me he got one in with the same problem. So far there have been 75 reports of this. The lug screw was too long by 1/8 inch. He said that Rem woould pay for the fix and issue a 25% off coupon good for Rem products.

[Wallydog]

Tanman,

Has anyone ever coached you on proper benchrest shooting techniques..........?

You can have the most accurate of accurate rifles but if the "nut behind the stock" doesn't perform correctly you'll always have poor groups!

WD

[walleyemaniac]

You guys ever heard of sniping? Pretty much what your going to do with that gun (in a round about way). Granted you want a tight group and that gun should be a tack-driver, but you need to know where and how that gun shoots "cold" and, where it goes when it warms up so you can compensate. I never once saw anyone ask "where the first one hits and is that accurate every time?" Just a process of elimination. I don't shoot my gun a bunch of times right before I step into the field. The first one is the one that counts.

Glad to hear you found the problem, hopefully huh. I didn't mean to sound sinical, but if the right questions were asked first it would eliminate alot of probable causes. Those guys know what their talking about to make that gun more accurate even "hot". I'm just a big believer in "one shot one kill" not banketing the area with lead. You just need to make that first one count then there's no need for number two or groups.