What Should I Do??

[OldMan]

Normo; It's .333 +- on the freebore and I don't shoot factory loads so it really shouldn't matter if it's to weatherby specs. It is a Winchester factory barrel so I suppose it is to SAAMI standards. I had the bore scoped and the throat looks good, same with the crown. I have had this shoot some great groups and I would think everything was great, then the next group would be terrible with the same load. I thought it was the plastic stock until I changed it to laminated, guess what-- no change! It's at the gunsmith now for him to search it over. I thought maybe my eyes were screwed up so I took my 22-250 along just to see--- I can shoot tiny groups with it in the same setting. I wonder if a scope can jar the settings with heavy recoil? Maybe the scope will work on a lesser cartridge?

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Sounds to me like you have some kind of a gremlin....
If a different scope (maybe one with a gold ring) didn't help, I'd say it's time to print the action and rebarrel.

 

[DrMike]

It certainly sounds as if you have eliminated the common problems. The fact that you can occasionally get good groups is a puzzle. Nevertheless, it suggests scope and/or rings and bases as a source of the variable. Recoil on a 300 Wby is stout, but not punishing for modern scopes of good quality. I believe AS is right, it is time to blueprint and rebarrel. It'll be cheaper in the long run, and whole lot less aggravating.

 

[OldMan]

thanks guys, the re-barrel and blueprint the action was what I figured would need to happen. Wouldn't it be great if it still didn't shoot!

 

[Guest]

I'd sure try a different scope before I threw out the coin to rebarrel it. If it's optics, you're just burning money with a rebarrel. But, alas, it is your money to burn... :wink:

 

[OldMan]

Duby; " I'd sure try a different scope before I threw out the coin to rebarrel it."

Yes, You are correct, I just didn't think that brand new scope would have gone away that quick. Since I still have another Leupold and a brand new 4200 I'll give the scope a shot! I really can't think of another caliber I'd rather have that gun in anyway as my other 300 wby did me well for many bull hunts.

 

[Guest]

I hear you, Oldman. Since you have them laying around, swap one out and see what happens. While you have them off, double check the mounts and obviously you'll check the rings. In fact, I'd rip the whole scope mount setup off there, clean everything good, especially under the bases and the screw threads, and remount it with some blue loctite. It's a small hassle since you're already in there, and it may be that one of the screws has been loose this whole time and that's the problem. Scope mounts are screwy beasts sometimes. As are optics in general. Let us know how she shoots.

 

[OldMan]

Duby; Yea the mounts have been changed every time a new scope was installed, that's bases and all! These are brand new Leupold windage style which I'm really not that fond of. The old set was Burris that had to be shimmed .040 on the rear base, the new Leo's were dead on. Also this thing kicks enough that the old Burris rings were starting to pull metal at the rear windage "ball". Thinking of how this thing has gone down, it started out shooting 1 3/4 " groups with 2 almost touching and 1 flier. This was with the 2 Leo's and it was always mostly horizonal groups. After installing a Sightron SII the groups were about the same for about 10 shots, then started going everywhere more than any where else! I send that scope down the trail and put on this handy dandy Burris Signature Select. Come to think of it this has only shot a couple fair groups since! I need to call the smith and let him know as he has the gun now, It was either let him look at it or I wrap it around a tree and leave it!

 

[OldMan]

An update on this project: My gunsmith found the problem! He tried his own "accuracy load" and found it didn't shoot for dog shyt, so he turned to the scope and found it to have real bad parallax problems adjusted the way I had it adjusted on the eyepiece. With the eyepiece set so I could see the reticle the best caused this situation. When it is set down so I can see clearly without glasses it shot less than an inch with my loads that went 3 inches before! I put another scope on with no parallax problems at all. I don't know why I never thought of the scope being the problem, and actually the scope is fine for the right eyes. It's not good to get old-- but then what is the alternative?

 

[DrMike]

Well, you're not hunting by braille yet... are you?

Glad you worked out the problem. It is always good to know the source of a problem and work through it to a resolution.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

I guess it's time for an adjustable objective.
I'm sure Parallax has driven all of us here nutty at least once!! :evil:

 

[Guest]

This is why I like to pick up an extra scope now and then when I find a deal - so I can easily check something like this. Of course, having a scope laying around just begs for a rifle underneath it...and thus the sickness continues. My wife doesn't understand it at all.

Seriously, glad you got it nailed. I figured it was maybe optics or fouling. Optics are an easy fix. Go hunt like the devil with it!

 

[cloverleaf]

Sniper said it!! Glad you got her figured out Duby. CL

 

[OldMan]

Just an update on this rifle (model 70 300 wby). I had a plastic stock at the start and it shot a good group once in a while. When you figured you had it all figured out it wouldn't group anymore, this went on and on so the rifle was set aside for 3 different seasons. I'd finally figured I needed to fix it or sell it and put on a Boyd's laminate with the action bedded and the barrel floated. It still sucked! I took it to a gunsmith/target shooter and he told me the scope had too much parallax. I changed scopes and took it out, and it still sucked. I tried every load I could imagine that has worked in my other 300's, still sucked! The very last thing I tried was the full barrel bed and this made the gun shoot, every time, with many different loads. So with a new scope for a fair bit of money, a couple trips to the gunsmith, more money, many different bullets, powder, primers and lots of cussing, the full bed is what it took. Everyone including the gunsmith said float that barrel, but in this instance that didn't work. I hope with the laminated stock this thing will not warp and need rebedded for a long time. I did this very thing with a model 70 featherweight several years ago and it's never changed, I hope this is the same! Thanks for the suggestions on this problem.

p.s. In case anyone thinks a piece of flubber hanging on the barrel somewhere will tranform a sows ear into a silk purse I will give you one as it didn't do squat for mine!