I FINALLY gave up!! - UPDATE - New 243 w/Success

[Teknys]

After 14 months with three stocks (CDL, HS and a Bobby Hart), countless bullet types / brands / weights, 5 powder types, three different boxes of factory ammo, three scopes and three different bases, and also a Jewell Trigger.

The Rem 700 CDL SF 243 has to go!

Never in my life have I had such a problem to get even close to acceptable accuracy. I couldn't get this gun to shoot anything with ANY consitancy to know where to adjust the scope. My last outing this weekend at 65yds had an avgerage group of about 3". Some groups 6" and one group 1.5" followed by a 4" group about 4" away from the first one.

To check my self the other gun I had along shot a 1/2" group and a 3/4" group. I not going to have any hair left if I keep at this. My buddy bought the same gun at the same time from the same dealer as I did and he his one more try away from being in the same un-happy place I'm at.

Well I "fixed" my problem by pulling the Jewel and installing it on the Sendero 300RUM and trading the CDL and HART stock yesterday. It is for another 243. I want to have this cal. I didn't go with another Rem 700 this time.

As I'm typing this I rembered that I was able to get one outing to shoot OK by shimming the front screw area of the block with a piece of aluminum pop can. It wasn't barrel contact but the way the marks were on the action and bed.

Doesn't matter anymore when a man wakes up in the morn and has come to grips with " OK I'M DONE". I just let this go and start again. This gun has capitalized about 95% of my reloading and shooting and $ this last year. Time to move on. I know I could have spun another barrel on but like I said, "I'm done".

Sorry for the rambling but ... by Friday I'll have a fresh start at it again.

====================UPDATE========================
Purchased the Savage 10 Predator Hunter Max 1 in a 243.
Broke in the barrel and it was shooting better the the CDL 243 with just "junk" loads. I made up a few loads of 90gb Deep Curl and 90 & 95 BT. It shot everything I put down the barrel. One group was at .6" but everything was at 0.3 - 0.5 three shot groups. This was done shooting off a card table and folding chair at the sand pit - not very stable.
View attachment 90gn DC 44gn H100V.jpg

My buddy with the "other" CDL 243 went home to remove trigger and stock and get rid of it. He gave it one more try and the best was 1.25" and most were scattered up to 2.75"

 

[DrMike]

I think we've all had that one rifle that just wouldn't shoot, no matter what we did. After the fact, we might imagine that if only we'd done one more procedure or tried one more load it would have shot. However, your comment, "Doesn't matter anymore when a man wakes up in the morn and has come to grips with 'OK I'M DONE'" expresses the final frustration. Good luck on the next project.

 

[Guy Miner]

"After 14 months with three stocks (CDL, HS and a Bobby Hart), countless bullet types / brands / weights, 5 powder types, three different boxes of factory ammo, three scopes and three different bases, and also a Jewell Trigger."

Can't say you didn't try! Dang. I haven't had that much patience, generally, with a problem rifle.

Best of luck on the next one! Any preferences? From what I've seen lately, I'd think a new rifle from Ruger, Winchester or Savage would likely work out real well.

Guy

 

[PJGunner]

Well, I guess I can't say I blame you. I have a rifle the behaved in a similar manner and I put a good two years into finding a load that would work so I know exactly where you're coming from. I already knew the gun wasn't a shooter because the guy I bought it from told me he couldn't get it to shoot. Still, the price was right and I'd been wanting that style of rifle since they first came on the scene.
This one was a Ruger M77 tang safety RSI chambered to ne .308 Win. In that two year period, I tried just about every known load considered suitable for the .308 Win. I could find. Finally, one day I said to myself, "Let's get unconventional and see what happens." I started with W760 which it consideed by some to be a bit too slow for 150 and 165 gr. bullets in the .308 but as nothing else had worked, might as well try. Well, to make a long story short W760 and the 165 gr. Speer Hot-Core would consistantly stay in 1.5" groups. beat the hell out of the 3 and 4 and someimes 6" groups I was getting using more "proper" powders for the cartridge. Even the 180 gr. Sierra round nose stayed within that 1.5" grouping but I felt it was two slow. The Speer bullet did 2550 FPS, no barn burner but it kills deer very nicely out to 250 yards, the longest shot I've taken with that rifle.
I'm sure you're wondering why I even bothered? Back in the mid 1970's, I had a very nice 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenaur stolen from my vehilce. It was gifted to me by the wife of my gunmith friend who pased back in 1957. It was a rifle very dear to me and I hunted it a lot. I've been looking for a replacement ever since but any I've looked at have the barrels screwed up by corrosive priming or some other thing not right. When the Ruger RSI came out, it was a close, if not perfect replacement and when the one I bought came up at a decent price, I went to look. Fit is important to me and when I looked at a light switch in the room where I was looking at the gun, closed my eyes and snapped it to my shoulder, then opened my eyes, the crosshairs were centered on the little button of the switch. :shock: I tried this a few more times on the switch and objects in the room with the same results. I then asked the guy why the price was so low and he said because the damned thing won't shoot. At least he was honest about it. I've had that rifle for many years now and it's one I will never sell. FWIW, I got the bright idea to relieve the metal nose cap a a bit and now groups with the 165 gr. bullets are down to 1.25" on average. :grin: I've never bothered to see if any other weight bullets would also shoot now. It does just fine as is.
Paul B.

 

[C.Smith]

You certainaly have more patience than I do. I would have gotten and have gotten rid of a rifle that will not shoot after a very short amount of time. good grief. I wish you luck in finding a better rifle.

Core

 

[Guest]

I had a similar, albeit shorter, experience with a Rem700 in 7mmRemMag. I won't buy another Rem700 (new or recent production) because of my experience and the prevalence of these kinds of stories.

As a replacement, you should also consider the Weatherby Vanguard or Howa 1500. Either is a stellar out of the box rifle (like the ones Guy mentioned, also) and would serve you well. The Vanguard Sporter is just about the best value in wood-stocked rifles out there right now. You can get one in 243Win with a 24" barrel for under $600, and possibly under $550 if you shop a bit. Whatever you choose, keep us posted.

 

[RiverRider]

I'll never know why, and I'll just quit wondering...but I went through SIX different rifles chambered in .243 and never got one of them to perform consistently! I always wanted something in 6mm Remington anyway, but settled for the .243 chambering---and it just never worked out. A rifle in 6mm-284 fell in my lap a few weeks ago and I've already enjoyed much more encouraging results (and my 6mm Accubonds will be here soon, high expectations!).

The rifles I cycled through we're a Mossberg ATR, a Weatherby Vanguard, a Sako L-579, a Model 70 Featherweight, a Remington 798, and a Kimber 84M Classic. Maybe it was my approach to powder selection but I tried four or five of them. Maybe the bullets I tried, I dunno---I tried six or eight. All I know is I am done with .243!

 

[Polaris]

IDK, rem don't seem to build 'em like they used to. You are not alone. Hard to go wrong with a vintage rem, or a Savage or Mauser. Don't hear about many of them being bad seeds.

 

[velvetant]

My last three Remington rifles did poorly. 243, 7-08 and 300WM.
Kept the 300WN and sold the rest. I was able to find one halfway decent load for the 300WM so far.
My last two rifles have been Winchester featherweights, one in 243 that like RR I could not get to shoot, Now its been rebarreled to 6.5 Creedmoor.
My Winchester FW in 270WSM is super accurate and was easy to get to shoot well
One Weatherby Vanguard in 270WSM that drove me nuts, got rid of it after trying for a few years.

I feel for you Teknys, been there and done that tooooooooooo many times

 

[Teknys]

====================UPDATE========================
Purchased the Savage 10 Predator Hunter Max 1 in a 243.
Broke in the barrel and it was shooting better the the CDL 243 with just "junk" loads. I made up a few loads of 90gb Deep Curl and 90 & 95 BT. It shot everything I put down the barrel. One group was at .6" but everything was at 0.3 - 0.5 three shot groups. This was done shooting off a card table and folding chair at the sand pit - not very stable.
View attachment 90gn DC 44gn H100V.jpg
My buddy with the "other" CDL 243 went home to remove trigger and stock and get rid of it. He gave it one more try and the best was 1.25" and most were scattered up to 2.75"

 

[jmad_81]

I also have a Savage .243, and if it is shooting over 1.5" something is very wrong. Normally, most loads are under .75 inches, and my keepers are all capable of .2"-.5" groups. Savage builds shooters for sure. Nice choice.

 

[SJB358]

Congrats buddy! That Pred Max is a great hunting rifle. They look sturdy and man, they all seem to shoot really well. Glad you made out well.

 

[gerry]

Cool, that one shoots great. I have the same gun but a LH 260 Rem on order that should be in this summer what are your impressions of it? Hopefully it shoots as well as yours.

 

[Guy Miner]

Very nice! Savage is really building accurate rifles anymore.

Impressive. That 95 gr Ballistic Tip bullet is a favorite of mine on mule deer. Accurate and just plain gets the job done.

 

[Songdog]

A rifle in 6mm-284 fell in my lap a few weeks ago and I've already enjoyed much more encouraging results (and my 6mm Accubonds will be here soon, high expectations!).

Shot a lot of coyotes, and a couple deer with the 90 grain NBT out of a 6/284.... the 90 AccuBond should be the same.

I'll tell you this, you won't be disappointed with what a 90 grain bullet at 3600 can do to stuff!

 

[RiverRider]

I'm sure! I won't be pushing it that hard though---unless the rifle just refuses to shoot it any slower. I'll be pleased as punch if it shoots well at 3300 or 3350. I'd been working with 95-grain Partitions and had pretty much only probed (gently) for maximum, but when the 90-grain Accubonds appeared at SPS I figured it was now or never---or however long that might have turned out to be---so I snagged 500 of 'em. Care to reveal the powders you liked best?

 

[Guy Miner]

An excellent article on handloading the .243 Win:

http://www.6mmbr.com/243Win.html

 

[DrMike]

Congratulations on picking up a sweet shooting rifle.