breaking in the barrel sporter 48

[nwt2002]

Okay i just got my model 48 sporter in 300wsm, i have followed the break in procedure and i am now working testing loads, how long till this thing settles in. Worst 5 shot group is 4 inches. thsi includes the the foul shot, however shot number 4 came right back to it and was touching.

Best group was the last 3 shot group measured .67 but just had to shoot one more and it put the group to 1.9 ... i am hopeful with this last group and i can say the last shot was pretty solid..
i am around 45 shots in total through the gun, i am hoping this will settle in soon.

Any advice???
NWT

 

[SJB358]

NWT, something seems amiss to be getting groups like that out of the rifle. Can you give any more specifics as far as how the groups are shot and if the barrel allowed to cool at all? What load are you shooting? Also, I know you probably have checked them, but it sounds like either the stock is loose or the mounts/rings are loose. Seems way to inconsistent for any reasonable load through the rifle. Scotty

 

[nwt2002]

shots are all at 100 yards, all shots off of a caldwell lead sled so nice solid rest, just trying to find a load that works. worst so far was factory win with 180 accubonds.
I shot some 168 balistic silver tips, hand loads, 5 shot group was over 3 inches.
Best group was 168 ttsx barnes, hand loads. like i said 3 shot group .67, i will reload it and see what happens. I have talked with a few guys and they say it takes a few rounds for the barrel to really get set in. I have one HS precision that i bought used and it shots 5 shot groups under .50, so i know that i am a not bad shot, not great, but its not totally me.
I rechecked my rings when i got home, one piece tallys. I upped the torque to 20 and will see if that makes a difference. i will give it one more range day and will strip the scope off(new vx3) and put on somthing i know is solid to see if there is a problem with that.
Stock is tight.
NWT

 

[SJB358]

NWT, I just seems odd that it would shoot that poorly with just about any bullet. I would think 1.5" groups would be normal with any run of the miss ammo. Again, something sounds weird. If everything is tightened down, I imagine you have a good chance of seeing if the scope is goofed up when you swap it over.

Good luck with it buddy. Maybe give a call to Nosler and see what they used to proof it. They guarantee MOA with it, so I bet they would tell you what they used to make sure it filled the bill. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

NWT,

My experience with the Lead Sled is not positive. I reserve it for extended sessions with seriously heavily recoiling rifles. You will be better off getting some good bags to shoot your 300 WSM from. The Lead Sled introduces some artificial deviations into the equation, in my experience. I assume you have weighed the tray with about 25 pounds of weight? If so, it does not allow the sled to yield to the rifle during recoil. Second, I have difficulty acquiring a solid sight picture, cheek weld and shooting grip with the setup. This introduces a factor that can degrade accuracy. My general assessment of Winchester ammunition is that of all the major manufacturers, it is the least accurate in any rifle tested. It is not the cheapest, but it is not the most accurate.

I will confess that I've not shot a Model 48 Sporter, but I have shot over 40 rifles chambered in 300 WSM during the past several years, and none have disappointed me. Most shooters want to use 165/168 grain bullets. I prefer 180/200 grain bullets. My confidence load is built with 180 grain Hornady InterLock SP bullets and IMR 4350. In every rifle tested, the load yields no less than 1.5 inch groups, and sub-MOA in most rifles. I cannot recall a single rifle that did not yield MOA or better shortly after initiating testing.

In light of your experience, I do believe a call to Nosler is in order. They deserve the opportunity to see if a problem has developed or if an error escaped inspection; they deserve the chance to make it right.

 

[nwt2002]

Dr. mike thanks for the help, as for the lead sled, i dont put much weight on it and i have had pretty good luck with it so far, i have a good set of bags and i find the led sled is nice when you are at the range for an all day'r with multiple guns... but i will try switching back to the bags and seee what happens. I did do a field tighten on my scope rings and that seemed to help a bit, but that was on the last group, i originally tightened them down to 15lbs as recommmended with lgith weight rings, but i am wondering if that was tight enough. Should be good now just over 20, might be to tight.... but we will see. I am not giving up on the rifle... just needs to get better in a hurray, i have a hunt the first week of august.

 

[DrMike]

I hear you on the multiple rifles. Last week, I toted a 30-378, a 300 Wby, a 270 Wby and a 270 WSM to the range for an extended all-day session. This followed an extended session with a 300 WSM, an 8mm RM, a 300 SAUM and a 7 X 57. It was a joy to have the little 7 Mauser just to have a respite from the others. What I do notice about the Lead Sled, regardless of whether it is weighted down or sans weight is that it walks as the rifle recoils. I am convinced that this degrades accuracy. I can't help but wonder if you are experiencing an issue with a wandering reticle on your scope. Maybe mounting a trusted scope will be beneficial in diagnosing the issue.

 

[Anonymous]

I have the same rifle that I've been shooting a few years now. My experiences are as follows...

Factory Winchester 180ABs with the black coating didn't shoot worth a darn- 3" was about the norm, I still have a couple boxes floating around here somewhere....

Federal Premium with 180 TSX shot great but quickly copper fouled the barrel and accuracy went to pieces in 5, 3 shot groups. I got pressure signs on every spent cartridge as well.

Best performers to date are Federal "Blue Box" with 180 Speer Cup and Core bullets and Nosler Trophy Grade with 180 ABs- both shoot into less than 3/4 MOA with boring regularity. I think they're loaded to about 2900fps, a little slower than the Winchester or TSX rounds.

The Trophy Grade shoots fantastics and bullet performance was perfect on every critter I've shot with it. I ordered a case so I'm unlikely to run out of hunting ammo in my lifetime. The Federal Blue Box makes a fairly economical practice round.

I'm now starting to experiment with 150gr handloads but don't have any real data to speak of yet.

 

[nwt2002]

thanks for the tip, thats about right on with the winchesters. I never have had a box shoot great, I cant get nosler TG here, i will have to order some in if i can. Will have to look for a supplier in canada.

 

[DrMike]

If it has been listed with Canada Customs, either Corlane Sporting Goods in Dawson Creek or Bartons Big Country in Grande Prairie would be able to get Nosler TG ammunition. I would imagine, however, that if the rifle will shoot Nosler ammunition, it will shoot good handloads crafted for the rifle. Strange about Winchester, their premium ammunition has never shot well for me in any of a variety of rifles during break-in. Velocities were good, and accuracy was absolutely absent.

 

[Anonymous]

At the time I was messing around with it I thought the black coating might be the culprit but after some more thought I think it might be the higher velocity, the uncoated 180ABs travelling 100fps slower shoot perfect.

I also shot some Federal Premium with 180gr Trophy Bearclaws shooting pretty fast and got groups running about an inch or so. Fine for hunting accuracy but the bear never poked his head up to test on-game performance.

I'm hoping I can get the 150BTs shooting good with RL17 at about 3300fps- sheep medicine for sure.

 

[FOTIS]

 

[Nosler4]

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