7mm rem mag

[Ethanb]

I have a Remington 700 7mm rem mag that i have not been able to get sighted in. At 300yds i can make 2 shots and cover with a quarter the 3rd shot is always a floater. Im leaning more towards a scope issue than a gun issue or bullet issue. Any thoughts for a good scope?

 

[Deleted member 38069]

I have a Remington 700 7mm rem mag that i have not been able to get sighted in. At 300yds i can make 2 shots and cover with a quarter the 3rd shot is always a floater. Im leaning more towards a scope issue than a gun issue or bullet issue. Any thoughts for a good scope?

We are going to need a little more info, bud! Ammo? Shooting position? New or older rifle? Range or field shooting? Type of scope? Rings and mounts?

In my experience, Remingtons are usually good for MOA. The scope would be a usual suspect but you never know.

P.s. welcome aboard.

 

[Ethanb]

I reload my own bullets..thought that that might be the problem so i bought factory ammo and still the same thing just not as accurate..shooting off lead sled.. newer model gun 2017..scope is a cheap one (osprey)..weaver mounts

 

[Dsnow9]

Get rid of the lead sled and try off of sand bags. Also let the rifle cool between shots. I haven’t seen a ton of change with the cooling but the lead sled tormented me for a while. Went to bags and my 6” group turned into sub 1”

 

[Deleted member 38069]

There are a lot of HTers that are far smarter than I, but I'd start by shooting without the sled. A quick search should help you out tremendously.

 

[Cowbell]

How much of a difference on third shot? Likely due to barrel temp.
I have the same caliber rifle for my all around go to gun and the Hornady Precision Hunter Eld-X bullets are impressive out of my gun. I have seen these factory loads fix issues for other friends as well.

 

[Mudder]

DSnow9 and Cowbell hit on the most likely cause, barrel temp. Let it cool for a few minutes with the bolt open after the first couple of shots. Metal heats and it is going to move. sometimes it is minor, sometimes more of a factor, mostly luck in manufacturing.

For a hunter, the first shot is the one that counts anyway. My best rifle will reliably shoot half MOA first shot. If I let it heat up and keep shooting the hits will slightly raise towards the one O'clock position on the paper. It is predictable. I got lucky and bought a Modle 70 XLR makes no difference how hot I shoot it, always MOA, sometimes you get lucky. My model 70 is really surprising in that it has one of the narrowest barrels I've ever seen which IMO kind of debunks the bull barrel theory, bigger is better train of thought.

 

[Cheese Curd]

Is the third shot really a floater or flier?

What does a 10-shot group look like or what kind of group do you get by overlaying multiple 3-shot groups?

 

[Addicting]

Is the rifle bedded?

 

[D4570]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ yup that's the direction I would look too.
Especially a 700, is the stock factory wood? The heavy recoil rounds seam more pron, to move with a wood stock in my mind.

 

[sbhooper]

While I have been a fan of the Lead Sled, it can make a difference in your shooting, if you do not do everything exactly the same every time. I have gone back to sand bags. Make sure that your barrel is free-floated. If not, the barrel can bump the stock when you lay the fore end on the rest. Make sure that all of your stock screws and mount screws are tight.

If you are always getting the same first two shots, then the rifle and scope are probably OK. As was asked before, how much of a flyer are you talking about? I have some very accurate rifles and at 300 yards, I have plenty of "floaters" mainly caused by me. As thin barrels heat up, there can be a bit of variation, but you will never notice it while hunting.
Another option, is the Limb Saver barrel stabilizer that slips over the barrel. I have had one on one of my 7 mags since day one. They can make a difference on thin barrels-not so much on thicker ones.

 

[AmericanLongrifle]

Rifle manufacturer?
Barrel length?
Barrel contour?
Twist rate?
Bullet weight?

Where does the "flier" bullet impact in relation to the first two rounds?

 

[JohnCushman]

I would shoot a larger group and look at the average.

 

[Southern Elk]

Sell the Remington and buy a Browning. Problem solved!

 

[338 win mag]

You said groups were at 300 yards, how far off is the third shot. Even it was 3 inches off the first two, you're still MOA

 

[Empire State]

A quarter is (roughly) an inch in diameter, so two shots into a quarter is pretty tight at 300yds, very unlikely to have 3 shots that tight. Are you looking to troubleshoot, or actually have decided to go with a new scope and looking for recommendations? Do you have a buddy or a spare scope to temporarily swap out and see if the pattern persists? The suggestions above from the others good too.

 

[6mm Remington]

DSnow9 and Cowbell hit on the most likely cause, barrel temp. Let it cool for a few minutes with the bolt open after the first couple of shots. Metal heats and it is going to move. sometimes it is minor, sometimes more of a factor, mostly luck in manufacturing.

For a hunter, the first shot is the one that counts anyway. My best rifle will reliably shoot half MOA first shot. If I let it heat up and keep shooting the hits will slightly raise towards the one O'clock position on the paper. It is predictable. I got lucky and bought a Modle 70 XLR makes no difference how hot I shoot it, always MOA, sometimes you get lucky. My model 70 is really surprising in that it has one of the narrowest barrels I've ever seen which IMO kind of debunks the bull barrel theory, bigger is better train of thought.

Ditch the lead sled, take 3 minutes between shots, use sand bags or maybe a Harris bipod on the front with a small sandbag for the rear. It might improve if you have the rifle glass bedded and the barrel floated if it's a wood stock. Even a synthetic with the aluminum bedding block can be "skim" bedded to improve action to barrel fit. In my opinion glass bedding & maybe pillar bedding at the same time helps to get the rifle to shoot the best that it can most of the time, and it certainly helps make them more consistent from season to season or month to month.

 

[6mm Remington]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ yup that's the direction I would look too.
Especially a 700, is the stock factory wood? The heavy recoil rounds seam more pron, to move with a wood stock in my mind.

Pillar & glass bed the action and have the barrel floated. Maybe have a gunsmith adjust the trigger also or have a new one put in. A nice crisp 2.5 - 3 pounds one the trigger is just about right for me on all my hunting rifles. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[HandgunHunter]

Lead sleds wreck stocks....

if this is a light tapered barrel you need to let it cool between shots.

if the first two go where they should and the 3 wanders off it’s generally a barrel heating/bedding issue.

 

[6mm Remington]

You said groups were at 300 yards, how far off is the third shot. Even it was 3 inches off the first two, you're still MOA

I didn't catch the distance as being 300 yards. That isn't bad at all if it's as described above. Still bedding and a trigger job sure can help a lot.