Can Pillar Bedding Hurt Accuracy

[gv3rd]

I have a stock 30-06 Rem 700 BDL I’ve been playing around with. I loaded up a generic load to see how free floating the barrel and pillar bedding the stock would affect the group size. The groups from the factory setup decreased by .68” to roughly 1” just from removing the pad at the end of the stock and opening the barrel channel a little bit more than stock. Next I bedded the action and installed pillars at the same time. Shooting the same load the groups opened up to the same or worse than factory. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

 

[FatBoy]

yes. some of the older stocks had a little wooden pad up front that out upward pressure on the barrel. My 788 was like that and opened slightly after being pillared.

 

[gv3rd]

Mine got better after I removed that, and then got worse after pillar bedding and still no pad. I’m just wondering if everything being stiffer changed the harmonics and the load just doesn’t do well anymore and I need to find a new load.

 

[FatBoy]

could be. I didn't work up a new load either. Figured MOA was good enough but the rifle was a solid .6" shooter.