Gunsmithing help please!!!!!

[ghostinthewoods]

Ok so I buy this rifle from a guy about 6-8 months ago. Its a benchmark barrel on a rem action in a McMillan stock. I put a night force on it and worked up a load, It shot just under a minute. I Shot just enough to put together some dope info. Had probably only put 25 through it, took it out first time to 1000 dialed it and shot a 10 inch five shot group. I'm thinking great, right. All went well for about the next 30 rounds, then things went to shit. Started shooting high went to verify zero at 100 today and it shot about a two minute group and was two minutes high. Wtf so I started checking the usual stuff and found my action screws were loose, sweet I'm thinking easy fix, torqued them to 55 and headed back to the hill. Got all my shit set up went to chamber a round and can't even budge the bolt. After a little fit, headed back home and tore shit apart, as I just start to snug those screws the bolt starts to stick. What do I do????? Help me please. Don't know if it was bad when he sold it to me but it shot great for the first 60 rounds. It has been bedded doesn't look like the greatest job but what the hell happened for it to just go to shit practically overnight. Also shot it at about a 16-18 inch rock about 2 weeks ago at 1360 yards got a second round hit and then 3 consecutive hits. So something major has obviously happened.

 

[strike33]

shorten the action screw just a tad, then re torque to spec

 

[A10XRIFLE]

The front action screw is too long shorten it by a thread and retry OR The bedding is so out of whack, and has a very high spot in the middle that your actually bending the action when you torque it. this would put a bow in the raceway and cause your bolt to stick.

 

[19Scout77]

If you loosen the rear action screw and the bolt stays stuck, then the front screw is too long.

 

[ghostinthewoods]

OK guys I shortened the front screw, torqued, and wa'la bolt works again. Went back up the hill and got to shoot three shots before it started pissing down rain. I won't rush to judgement yet about accuracy the three I shot were about minute but, there was a significant poi change from original zero. 2.5 inches high and 1.5 left, they did group OK though. I'll try again when I have more time. If it doesn't shoot as good as before I guess I could mess with my loads since the harmonics have probably changed now huh. He must have had it torqued just enough for the bolt to work and not be effecting accuracy???? thanks so much for the help.

 

[Jeff in TX]

Sounds to me like your scope went belly up or one of the mounts is loose.

 

[nzgrip]

Check the bedding is stress free, is there any movement when you loosen one of the action screws? Maybe you should have someone do a better job of bedding it.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Check the bedding is stress free, is there any movement when you loosen one of the action screws? Maybe you should have someone do a better job of bedding it.

^this, had same problem.

 

[Elite_KG]

Action screw being long impaired the bolt and the bedding is liking making POI shift at different torques. I would re-bed since you said it doesn't look all that great.

 

[dinc]

What kind of bottom metal are you running? Everyone thinks 55 or 60 inch/pounds is the holy grail of torque settings. It frequently is, for a properly bedded stiff custom DBM or a steel floor plate. But for factory aluminum Remington bottom metal 25-35 is plenty. 55 or more has cracked plenty of them.

It sounds like you may have over-torqued, which ran your stock screws into the bolt. Shortening will give you some clearance. Hold the rifle vertically so the recoil lug is all the way back and go back and forth between the screws until you hit the torque target. A lot of Remingtons like the rear screw 5 in/lbs lighter.

Lifting a 15 pound rifle with your finger 2 inches down the allen wrench from the screw will give you 30 inch/pound of torque.

Shoot a lot.