• Frank's Lesson's Contest

    We want to see your skills! Post a video between now and November 1st showing what you've learned from Frank's lessons and 3 people will be selected to win a free shirt. Good luck everyone!

    Create a channel Learn more
  • Having trouble using the site?

    Contact support

New Rifle - Won't Group: Suggestions?

CDSaints

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 20, 2013
18
0
Lafayette, LA
As the title says, I have recently purchased a Remington 700 sendero in .300 win mag. Sitting on top is a U.S. Optics LR-17, mounted in US Optics medium height rings on a LaRue Tactical 20 MOA picatinny rail.

I am having severe trouble sighting it in. First outing was having trouble with the bolt sticking closed after rounds fired...specifically the first round took some "convincing" to get out. It got better with a little oil, but was still sort of sticky the whole day. Also, we couldn't get the rifle to group less than 10" or so at 200 yards. In the middle of troubleshooting, we ran out of ammo. Took it home, cleaned and lubed, and came back out yesterday. Sticking problem is gone, but still can't get the damn thing to group at 200 yards....


The target below is at 100 yards.

After 1st shot adjusted windage and elevation.
After 2nd shot adjusted 1 click windage
After 3rd shot adjusted 1 more click windage
The one in the 1 ring I believe was the 5th shot.

97bd7663-94c6-44bc-ae3f-5c1ff4282c89.jpg


Looking OKish so far, so we moved to 200 because that's where the zero needs to be anyway...

I shot this "group":

24ff7890-b7e8-4cf6-ae3d-e87bc9e54e20.jpg


Dad shot this one:

48eb538a-04ee-4fc0-8db7-8277adfb1d58.jpg


We decided to stop wasting ammo and start troubleshooting, but being hardheaded I finished the box and shot this :

20130619_193342.jpg



What say Snipershide? I don't have a lot of experience with bolt action rifles, so I'm not sure where to start troubleshooting. I figure it can be one of a few things:

1) Scope has a loose track or is otherwise sensitive to recoil for some reason.

2) Scope mounting is loose (triple checked this, don't think it's the case)

3) Something is up with the rifle. A google search netted me something about the action screws, but this gun is brand new. Should all be factory torqued.

4) Marksmanship, although I don't think this is the issue. My Dad and I are both decent shots and we're shooting from a bench rest. For reference, I can group less than 2 inches at 200 yards with my Winchester M70 7mm Mag.

Any suggestions would be welcome. Oh...and...obligatory gun pr0n:

20130607_213053.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 97bd7663-94c6-44bc-ae3f-5c1ff4282c89.jpg
    97bd7663-94c6-44bc-ae3f-5c1ff4282c89.jpg
    83.6 KB · Views: 78
well, as far as the sticky chamber, the last 700 i bought a month or so ago did the same thing. it fixed itself after about 20 rounds. accuracy wise, that sucks. i would consider calling remington and seeing about sending it in. something definitely not right
 
Try another:

Scope
Ammo
Marksman

When mounting the second scope, recheck ALL mounting fasteners.

If it doesn't group with scope 2, ammo 2, and marksman 2, send it in.

That thing looks obnoxiously bad - doesn't even show a glimmer of hope.

Don't waste too much time/ammo on a bad rifle. Give it a fair shake, but if it won't perform, send it in.
 
First let me say I am not busting your balls, just telling you like it is. I have owned a 300WM Sendero, and that is what I started with in 1000yd BR. Not very competitive but fun none the less. The best I ever done in competition was a hair over 11" at 1000, not bad for a factory rifle. That was only after a proper bedding job and some good reloads. Yours should be capable of 1MOA pretty easily, 1MOA is nothing to sneeze at out of a factory rifle. Nothing you do to a factory rifle beyond a complete rebuild is gonna make it a BR gun.

You say you don't have a lot of experience with bolt action rifles. A 300 Win Mag is a MAN. It is not a very good rifle for a beginner. Oh I understand you may have shot a lot of 22rimfire, and various small centerfires, don't take it personal and get defensive. I have seen a lot of folks that didn't shoot a magnum well, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Your groups look more like a shooter problem than a rifle problem. If you are using factory ammo then expect what you are getting. To really tune it up you will likely need some good handloads.
The HS stock it comes with is nice, but the aluminum bedding block is highly overrated. It will not beat a proper full contact bedding job, it is drop in, and that means it may not fit your particular action with full contact without placing stress in the action. Very few factory actions are completely round and true, and that bedding block has been made to fit them all. Get a proper bedding job, it is worth it. You can torque it till the cows come home, but if there is stress from poor contact points all the wrenches in the world won't fix your problem.

Besides these two things your gun should shoot providing you have all your scope mounting dead nuts tight. If you get into handloading for it know this. I had one hell of a time with neck sizing the 300WM. I had to beat the bolt open a couple times when I was neck sizing. Best to FL size with a minimum shoulder bump, your extraction will be problem free with safe loads.
Hope this helps.
 
1:10 twist? What ammo are you shooting?

I've got a Browning in 300WM that shot like that w/ 150 grain Remington Coreloks and Hornady Customs, got another box of 165 Hornady Customs and it turned in one ragged hole. I'd also check the action screws, with manufacturers cranking out every thing they can as fast as they can, it wouldn't be much of a surprise that something wasn't right from the factory. Remove and remount the scope following Divers instructions above as well.
 
Make sure your base screw isn't contacting barrel tenon , to Long of a screw ?
Also when you loosen action screws is there binding ? Look at the stock with barreled action out and look for rub marks inside stock , tighten action screws 55 lb torque
Dustin
 
My vote goes to ammo. Are you using match grade? Hunting quality ammo will hardly ever shoot respectable groups. And yes, you need to check your action screws. I've seen Remington's come out of box with the action screws little more than hand tight.
 
Make sure your base screw isn't contacting barrel tenon , to Long of a screw ?
Also when you loosen action screws is there binding ? Look at the stock with barreled action out and look for rub marks inside stock , tighten action screws 55 lb torque
Dustin

55 lb torque? A bit too vague there. INCH pounds. You better not try to go 55ft/lbs.
 
Well action screws are not going to let u shoot a 1 in group at 100 and make it open to 5 in at 200 I keep mine at 65 in pounds it shoots 1/2 moa took them to 15 in pounds and my group only opend up to a lil more than 1moa has for bace screws very lil is needed
 
1:10 twist? What ammo are you shooting?

First off, thanks to everyone who has replied. Valuable input all around.

Second:

Yes 1:10 twist, 26" barrel. So far I've shot 3 different types of ammo: Hornady GMX, Hornady Interlock BTSP, and Federal Nosler Partitions. All 165 grain.

I realize a couple of those are hunting rounds...it's just what the LGS had in stock...but I don't think it's unreasonable to say it should do better.


Update: Went back this afternoon with a Nikon Monarch from my Dad's .30-06 mounted on the sendero. After getting it on paper, I shot the following at 100 yards

20130620_194357.jpg


Dad shot this one

72ce486b-19e7-443d-9a3e-ef59a78e2a47.jpg


...so we removed the Monarch and carefully put the USO back on. Triple checked everything.

Afterwards I shot this:

1b6e6f2a-86fa-430d-aefb-ce9cc13bec94.jpg


and Dad shot a slightly wider group, although I don't think I have a picture of it.


I feel comfortable that I've eliminated the scope or mounting as an issue.

What I've noticed is that the groups start to open up the more I shoot the gun, specifically towards the right.... Is it me flinching? I would lean heavily this way however we've got two people shooting the rifle with similar results.

Could it be improperly affixed to the stock, which is causing the barrel to contact the stock during recoil as it heats up?

Could it be the ammo is too heavy for the twist rate?

I suppose I'm better off today than I was yesterday but not by a lot.

Really wish I knew a highly experienced marksman close by (anyone in the Lafayette LA area?) to take a couple shots, because although I feel like shooting from a bench at 100 yards should be a no brainer to someone who shoots semi frequently as I do (mostly AR's and such), I'm not confident that I can eliminate myself as the culprit. At least not yet.

I'll update after my next outing with the rifle, and again many thanks for all of the input.
 
stated that it made it a lil better not that it took care of the problem I thank this is a problem from rem


Correct. Issue came back today and got progressively worse as we shot (as the oil dried out). In fact the last round took a little bit of tapping on the bolt to get out.

Something is up with the rifle, even if not from an accuracy standpoint, it should still eject the round without being soaked with lube.

Edit: I am at 90-ish rounds through the gun at this point.
 
Last edited:
OK I removed both action bolts, looked down the channel for rubbing or signs of contact. Nothing. Looked at the top of the forward action bolt and bottom of the bolt. Nothing.

I suppose I should clarify what I meant when I said the bolt sticks: The bolt will lift just fine, but I cannot pull it back. It is stuck forward. Could this be indicative of a loose chamber? Tolerances too loose causing the round to bind when it's rotated prior to extraction?
 
OK I removed both action bolts, looked down the channel for rubbing or signs of contact. Nothing. Looked at the top of the forward action bolt and bottom of the bolt. Nothing.

I suppose I should clarify what I meant when I said the bolt sticks: The bolt will lift just fine, but I cannot pull it back. It is stuck forward. Could this be indicative of a loose chamber? Tolerances too loose causing the round to bind when it's rotated prior to extraction?

That sounds like your forward action screw is too long, if I remember correctly from my own Remingtons the forward screw should be shorter than the rear screw, but cant be positive w/o taking one of them apart at 3AM. Loosen up the forward screw and see if it makes the bolt work better, or does it only do it when you're shooting the rifle? As far as torquing the screws, I torque my action screws to 45 in lbs whether its my SPSS(which wears an H-S precision stock) or my Longrifles Inc rifle, 45 in lbs. is plenty. You never did mention what kinda ammo you were using, so fess up, what are you using for ammo already?? If you can get your hands on some Hornady 180 Custom factory ammo that would be a good place to start, those 180s shoot so good in my 06, it's not funny. if you're using factory remington fodder, there's your problem right there. Especially if its 150 grainers.
 
90 rounds is a lot of money for a rifle that seems to keep doing the same thing. I think it needs to go back to Remington to see if they can fix the problem. Or at the very least, call them and tell them the problem and let them determine what should be done.
 
What does the fired brass look like? Any signs of scarring on the case?

My brothers Ruger Varmiter was doing what you describe with the bolt <told 'em not to buy a Ruger unless it was a BlackHawk or a #1> and it was leaving drag marks on the case. It was still shooting sub moa though. He took it to a local smith with some fired brass and was told the action needed to be trued as the bolt/chamber wasn't cocentric. He sent it to Ruger just to be told it was in specs. Fook Ruger.

Any warm handloads would nearly lock the gun down, bolt lift took a small hammer and wood dowel. FWIW.
 
Here is my two cents..... put another scope on to eliminate that. Next try some more ammo or hand loads with bullets that match your twist rate. Next look at your bolt lugs and the face of the bolt. Are there any rub marks on the sides or front of the lugs or bolt cone? if there are the gun will never shoot. Bedding it wont take it from a 5" gun to a 1" but it will help. I also like the David Tubb abrasive bullets for factory rifles. I believe they really work. Next clean the hell out of it. A good copper solvent and no brushes. I like wipeout. If none of the above helps, take it back and buy another one.
 
90 rounds is a lot of money for a rifle that seems to keep doing the same thing.

Tell me about it!

I will be calling Remington today.

I made a much more detailed post last night about some more shooting we (my Father and I) did yesterday....still waiting on moderator approval however.

Cliff Notes is that I swapped scopes, it shot about the same. Switched back to USO. Shot a bit more, no luck.

Bolt stick came back full force. On the last round the bolt would lift but wouldn't pull back. Had to tap the round out of it with a cleaning rod from the front.
 
How about this.

1. Fill out your profile. There are plenty of people on here that probably live close to you that would be willing to help.
2. Start posting pics. (Bolt Body, Bolt Face, rear of Lugs, Front of Lugs, Fired Brass, New round chambered then ejected but not fired, close up of rings on scope, pull the action screws lay them side by side and photo them.
3. List the type and post pics of your ammo

Too much talky talky.. start posting the pics so we an see whats going on and try to help. You say you dont have much experience with bolt guns so its probably easier for us to see whats happening vs trying to figure it out from what your saying which may or may not be as helpful.
 
How about this.

1. Fill out your profile. There are plenty of people on here that probably live close to you that would be willing to help.
2. Start posting pics. (Bolt Body, Bolt Face, rear of Lugs, Front of Lugs, Fired Brass, New round chambered then ejected but not fired, close up of rings on scope, pull the action screws lay them side by side and photo them.
3. List the type and post pics of your ammo

Roger that.

I'll snap some pics of the bolt and spent casings when I get back to the house this afternoon.

Also, I thought I mentioned it already but the ammo I'm using is Hornady Interlock, Hornady GMX, and Federal Nosler Partition. All 165 grain.
 
How about this.

1. Fill out your profile. There are plenty of people on here that probably live close to you that would be willing to help.
2. Start posting pics. (Bolt Body, Bolt Face, rear of Lugs, Front of Lugs, Fired Brass, New round chambered then ejected but not fired, close up of rings on scope, pull the action screws lay them side by side and photo them.
3. List the type and post pics of your ammo

Too much talky talky.. start posting the pics so we an see whats going on and try to help. You say you dont have much experience with bolt guns so its probably easier for us to see whats happening vs trying to figure it out from what your saying which may or may not be as helpful.

Fired brass next to loaded brass picture as well.
 
Plug screws. Bingo. There should be a base screw hole that lines up with the receiver's locking lug recesses. The base mounting screw in this hole is supposed to be shorter so it doesn't intrude into the recess and bind up with the bolt lugs. A giveaway would be scratches in the side surfaces of one bolt lug. If this is the issue, its a safe bet the base mounting is not properly secure.

Remove the two front base screws and be sure they are reinstalled in the right holes. If they are both the same length, chances are the short one is in one of the two rear holes. Remount the optic and see if the grouping tightens up. Take care not to overtorque these base screws. Use Loctite Blue (temporary/removable) on these screws.

Bullet weights, if too heavy, and elongated bullet holes could also indicate an ammo selection issue.

Greg
 
Last edited:
Filler screws. Bingo. There should be a base screw hole that lines up with the receiver's locking lug recesses. The screw in this hole is supposed to be shorter so it doesn't intrude into the recess and bind up with the bolt lugs. A giveaway would be scratches in the side surfaces of one bolt lug. If this is the issue, its a safe bet the base mounting is not properly secure.

Remove the two front base screws and be sure they are reinstalled in the right holes. Remount the optic and see if the grouping tightens up.

Greg

Yup, Missed this one.. Pull the base screws and lay them out in the same pattern they were installed and take a pic so we can see if they are right.
 
Filler screws. Bingo. There should be a base screw hole that lines up with the receiver's locking lug recesses. The screw in this hole is supposed to be shorter so it doesn't intrude into the recess and bind up with the bolt lugs. A giveaway would be scratches in the side surfaces of one bolt lug. If this is the issue, its a safe bet the base mounting is not properly secure.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, that damn base did come with two sets of four screws. I used the longer set for all four holes :eek:

I don't want to jump the gun here (no pun intended) but I think you might be onto something.

Dammit. Now I'm stuck at work with this on my mind all day! :mad:
 
I edited the post to clarify, so reread it. This is a fairly common issue/fix with 700. Make sure the other (longer) screws aren't bottoming in the screw holes, either. That might result in a loose base.

Greg
 
As the title says, I have recently purchased a Remington 700 sendero in .300 win mag. Sitting on top is a U.S. Optics LR-17, mounted in US Optics medium height rings on a LaRue Tactical 20 MOA picatinny rail.

1. What ammo are you shooting, be specific with us, so we can be specific back.

I am having severe trouble sighting it in. First outing was having trouble with the bolt sticking closed after rounds fired...specifically the first round took some "convincing" to get out. It got better with a little oil, but was still sort of sticky the whole day. Also, we couldn't get the rifle to group less than 10" or so at 200 yards. In the middle of troubleshooting, we ran out of ammo. Took it home, cleaned and lubed, and came back out yesterday. Sticking problem is gone, but still can't get the damn thing to group at 200 yards....


The target below is at 100 yards.

After 1st shot adjusted windage and elevation.
After 2nd shot adjusted 1 click windage
After 3rd shot adjusted 1 more click windage
The one in the 1 ring I believe was the 5th shot.


What say Snipershide? I don't have a lot of experience with bolt action rifles, so I'm not sure where to start troubleshooting. I figure it can be one of a few things:

1) Scope has a loose track or is otherwise sensitive to recoil for some reason. (I doubt a USO is going to be sensitive to a 300WM considering they are rated for 50BMG. They are also one of the toughest scopes on the market.)

2) Scope mounting is loose (triple checked this, don't think it's the case)

3) Something is up with the rifle. A google search netted me something about the action screws, but this gun is brand new. Should all be factory torqued. You are going to trust the factory workers at Remington? Just to be sure, check them....

4) Marksmanship, although I don't think this is the issue. My Dad and I are both decent shots and we're shooting from a bench rest. For reference, I can group less than 2 inches at 200 yards with my Winchester M70 7mm Mag. Not to sound like I am bashing you but get prone and shoot this rifle, put all your weight behind it. Will help soak up more recoil and if you are shooting from a bench you are most likely rocking back and forth. Eliminate every factor that you can. Have you switched to a different ammo?

Barrel Twist?


Any suggestions would be welcome. Oh...and...obligatory gun pr0n:

I added some commentary to your original text, in blue.... Read thru those and give us more info.
 
Plug screws. Bingo. There should be a base screw hole that lines up with the receiver's locking lug recesses. The base mounting screw in this hole is supposed to be shorter so it doesn't intrude into the recess and bind up with the bolt lugs. A giveaway would be scratches in the side surfaces of one bolt lug. If this is the issue, its a safe bet the base mounting is not properly secure.

Remove the two front base screws and be sure they are reinstalled in the right holes. If they are both the same length, chances are the short one is in one of the two rear holes. Remount the optic and see if the grouping tightens up. Take care not to overtorque these base screws. Use Loctite Blue (temporary/removable) on these screws.

Bullet weights, if too heavy, and elongated bullet holes could also indicate an ammo selection issue.

Greg

Greg, you took the words right out of my mouth.
 
Try another:

Scope
Ammo
Marksman

When mounting the second scope, recheck ALL mounting fasteners.

If it doesn't group with scope 2, ammo 2, and marksman 2, send it in.

That thing looks obnoxiously bad - doesn't even show a glimmer of hope.

Don't waste too much time/ammo on a bad rifle. Give it a fair shake, but if it won't perform, send it in.

Systematic

Torque wrench through the entire rifle.

Is the barrel floated?

Scope?

Ammo?

and hate to say this.....Marksman?
 
aside from the ejection problem you are having, I shoot a 300wm with a 1/10 26in barrel, I was shooting factory ammo when I started and tried everything from 150gr to 180gr factory stuff. ALL of it shot similar to what you are showing on paper. the best group I could get at 200 was around 3.5in. since then I started reloading and now run the 190SMK and WOW the rifle really shoots now. shoots sub half minute at 100 and half minute at 200 if I do my part. the 165s you are shooting seem pretty lite for this twist rate. I had a hard time shooing 180sst out of mine. even got some key holes at 100 with them. it wasn't until I went heavier and to a quality match bullet that I saw what the rifle was capable of.

sorry to hear about this issue. good luck
 
aside from the ejection problem you are having, I shoot a 300wm with a 1/10 26in barrel, I was shooting factory ammo when I started and tried everything from 150gr to 180gr factory stuff. ALL of it shot similar to what you are showing on paper. the best group I could get at 200 was around 3.5in.

Damn. Well good thing I saved all of my brass.

I've got a friend with reloading equipment, so I'll see if I can find some 190ish grain SMKs and load up a dozen or so and see if that helps.
 
You can let go of the twist rate concern, that 1 in 10 should fling everything stabilized up thru a 220 or 240 grain. If you are concerned about it, just check it with a cleaning rod.

+1 on checking the action screws and scope base screws. If you noticed the bolt lift got harder after swapping out the scope, it's likely to be part of the issue. The bolt lift issue will be there on unfired as well as fired brass if that is the problem. I have seen one 7mm Sendero that got the action screws tightened, that the bolt would not close on that rifle. A little grinding, followed by thread file and wire brush fixed it.

FWIW, I have shot a lot of these 300 Senderos, they do seem to like heavier bullets, 190's and up. The GMX is notorious for not grouping well, which reminds, how easy was the barrel to clean? If you have some 190 Gold Medal Match, that would be your test, eliminating ammo, seems to shoot well in most rifles.

And if you are not used to 300WM, you might have a bit of shooter induced error. Test that too - play the " I'm an ass****" game. Have your dad load the rifle, operate the bolt etc, you just run the trigger. At some point he slips in an empty chamber, if you shoot and flinch on the empty, well, that needs work too.

Had an A-bolt that was very sensitive to ammo - it was also 300 WM. 3-4" at 100 with anything other than Fed Premium, sub 1" with that. Very frustrating to troubleshoot.
 
Damn. Well good thing I saved all of my brass.

I've got a friend with reloading equipment, so I'll see if I can find some 190ish grain SMKs and load up a dozen or so and see if that helps.

watch your seating depth. I run my bullets touching the lands with 75.5gr of h1000 on only neck sized brass for around 3-4 firings then FL resize them. do some research online for some loads. im sure there are a few guys in this thread loading or have loaded for a sendero.
 
I could almost copy & paste this issue with a recent purchase of a new Rem 700P in .338 Lapua with a nightforce scope & badger Max 50 rings. Horrible grouping at 100 yards 2-3 inches. Very long story short, I sent the scope back to Nightforce and eventually the rifle back to Remington. Both companies basically said the same..."We find no issue with our product". So good luck with getting this issue resolved... I've been dealing with this for almost a year now. Also, I noted that Remington only has a two year warranty on this rifle. By the way, it's not fun shooting over $700 worth of Lapua ammo trying to get a decent group. :) Anyway, I thought it was worth noting that you're not the only one having Remington issues. Great thread though...
 
Update: Bolt and Brass Pics

OK so got home, took it apart (again) and snapped some pics. Frame of reference for directions given are from the shooters position, bolt closed.

Lower bolt lug face:

20130621_133921_1.jpg


Left side:

20130621_133935.jpg


Upper bolt lug face:

20130621_133900.jpg


Right side:

right.jpg


Front:

20130621_134031.jpg


20130621_134017.jpg


Brass, Hornady on the left Federal on the right. Notice scoring towards bottom. Is this normal? Another note, I can cycle the federal through the action no problem. The Hornady sticks bad. Same sort of symptoms: Bolt lift is unimpeded, but extraction requires extra effort (with the Hornady only). Federal is no problem.

20130621_142111.jpg


These are the bolts holding the rail on. None seem to be taller or shorter than the others, and there are no marks on the tips of any of them. From left to right is how they were installed in the rifle from muzzle to buttstock.

20130621_140127.jpg
 
I could almost copy & paste this issue with a recent purchase of a new Rem 700P in .338 Lapua with a nightforce scope & badger Max 50 rings. Horrible grouping at 100 yards 2-3 inches. Very long story short, I sent the scope back to Nightforce and eventually the rifle back to Remington. Both companies basically said the same..."We find no issue with our product". So good luck with getting this issue resolved... I've been dealing with this for almost a year now. Also, I noted that Remington only has a two year warranty on this rifle. By the way, it's not fun shooting over $700 worth of Lapua ammo trying to get a decent group. :) Anyway, I thought it was worth noting that you're not the only one having Remington issues. Great thread though...

Sorry to hear that, but thanks for letting me know. I just got off the phone with Remington customer service and they're sending me shipping instructions and a pre paid shipping label.

I pretty much expect them to come back and say the thing is a tack driver and it's all my fault, but I'll be very interested to see what they say about the sticking rounds.