My 7wsm.......

[HeathSexton]

Has lost it's freakin' mind! I was shooting my standard load from my 7wsm the other day and only got off 2 rounds before my chain broke on my steel @ 400yds. I retrieved the target and noticed one rounds hit where it was supposed to and one barely hit the steel, 12"x16".


WW brass
CCI250
162 Amax
2.855"
H4831 - 64grs

I was running right at .7" @ 100yds with this load until I checked again earlier in the week. 2"-3" groups for 3 shots. Something must be loose, so I changed rings and bases to Warne Perma's and torqued it all back down. I have sent 40 rounds down range in the past 3 days and no groups have been under 2". I have loaded from touching the lands back to .145" off.


Anyone seen a rifle loose it's mind sitting in the safe?

 

[JD338]

Heath,

Have you checked the bedding? Its pretty hot and humid.
Is the barrel free floated?

JD338

 

[OU812]

Is this with new brass or has the brass been fired several times? Work hardened brass will do what you have seen.

Bill

 

[HeathSexton]

Barrel is free floated, new brass, same lot of bullets/brass/powder/primers.


It is in a B&C Medalist that is not bedded.

 

[JD338]

Heath,

Check for pressure points on the barrel.
Are the action screws torqued down to the proper spec?

JD338

 

[HeathSexton]

No high spots in the channel. Screws have been torqued - 50/50, 65/65, and 65/50. That's the info I have found for the Medalist.


Cleaned with Hoppes #9, dry patched, then Montana Xtreme and dry patched. 3 foulers and then tried for groups.

 

[gerry]

There are some good suggestions mentioned already, another possibility is maybe your bore needs a really good scrubbing with JB bore paste, it happened to me before even though the gun was cleaned on a regular basis the stuff I was using didn't get all the fouling out.

 

[CAhunter]

What scope are you running? I had a buddy have a scope go bad. Would shift poi everytime he stored it facing up.

 

[HeathSexton]

VX2 3-9x40 with the LRD

 

[HeathSexton]

Pulled it apart, the stock was new and probably shot good while the tang held up. I guess I have thrown enough rounds down the pipe to eat it up some.

 

[SJB358]

Man, that is pretty rough looking. You going to glass it in Heath? I might have to look at doing a little glass work on my Model 70 7RM before I set it all up. Surprised it got that chewed up.

 

[HeathSexton]

I was surprised it got chewed like that too. It's done that in around 100 rounds down the pipe too. I am going to glass it today, got the dremel all ready to rumble and some compound on the bench.


I just got finished bedding my .358 Hawkeye and almost tore straight into this one, I guess I should have done it.

 

[SJB358]

Heath, is your 358 a synthetic or wood? I gotta bed the wifes 308 with the plastic stock, wondering if it is even worth the trouble..

 

[HeathSexton]

I do believe it helps and mine is synthetic. I have a 77MKII 30/06 I threw a good bit of money in trying to get it to shoot. I set the original boat paddle stock aside and restocked with a synthetic Hawkeye, and it still shot like crap. This is after, recrown, full length bedding the barrel, free floating in both stocks, lapping the lugs, lapping the rings, 3 scopes, 150/165/180/190gr bullets and about 6 different powders. Finally I decided to bed it and see if it improves, a simple bedding job took that rifle from 2"ish grouper to sub MOA with the same loads.


My little .358 Hawkeye shot 5 into 1.5" @ 120yds yesterday. Now while that isn't great, I had already threw about 30 rounds down range and was more than mad at my 7wsm, add in it was near 90 degrees and I'll take 5 in 1.5" with the stubby little 200gr Hornady.

 

[HeathSexton]

Got'er all bedded up.


Winchester 70 7WSM - B&C Medalist
WW Brass
CCI 250
H4831 - 64.0grs
162 Hornady Amax
2.860"

1st 3 shots went into .35", I got excited and yanked the next one low and the 5th round slide just right for the 1st 3. 3 shot group of .35" and all 5 shots total went .98" @ 110yds. I allowed around 30secs to 1 minute between rounds, so very little cool down time.


I do believe bedding this one helped.

 

[DrMike]

Great report, Heath. That sounds great.

 

[SJB358]

Great report Heath.. Can you show us a picture of your bedding. I have to bed my Medalist for my 7RM and would like to see what yours looks like.

Sounds like it is back to the way it should be! That is a shooting son of a gun!

 

[HeathSexton]

I went back in and redid the tang after these pics were taken. The tang did not take good in one spot so I roughed it up more and it took great the 2nd time.


I used 2 layers of blue tape on the bottom and front of the lug:

I redid the tang after these, I had to use more compound the tang was so beat up, you can see that some of the compound did not even get touched, it looks much better now. I did not use enough compound:

I did not take any pics after I finished, I should have but I did not. The tang was the worst part because it was pretty jacked up.

This pic shows 2 things, 1st my great artistic skills, evident by the stunning red lines and X's. 2nd it shows everywhere I used lots of compound on the tang area.

 

[SJB358]

Thank you for the pictures Heath. They are very helpful.. I will be accessing them again shortly!

 

[Greg Nolan]

Glad you found the problem quickly and it sure sounds like you cured it. It's a curve ball when something quits suddenly. I've wasted a lot of time looking for broken or loose parts only to find something that I thought would have shown up more gradually. That's a good shooting rifle.
Greg