Barrel Heating Conundrum

[watercam]

How should a person bed in front of lug as a rule?

Generally? Don't. The Benchrest crowd stopped bedding beyond the rear of the recoil lug years ago unless there was some mechanical reason to. In my case, one of my rifles uses a very small action that is attached to a 30" barrel. I bedded 1.5" of barrel shank just in front of the receiver to help support the weight of the barrel. Full size actions do not require the help in my experience with multiple match rifles.

 

[motivationteam]

Since I have had this rifle so long I have tried different scopes checked screws and such.
As for the human error, I usually take 3 or 4 rifles to the range. I can attest that I shoot other guns and maintain accuracy, but after letting the Savage cool it starts shooting 2 inches again.

I have invested a crap ton of time on this thing. I think I might bed the action again and remove the first inch of barrel bedding and see what happens.

 

[BenPerfected]

My experience is barrel temperature has an impact on group consistency. Compare your barrel temp @ 110-120 degrees vs. 140 degrees. You will likely see a change in the point of impact. Easy to track with stick on temperature strips.
Ben

 

[muleman69]

Personally
I find no need to bed in front of a lug, only the action ( when bedding at all)
Experts may disagree and that’s fine also
J

Okay good to no as we have beded out an inch or so thinking about action support. So from what I'm getting is barrel should be free floated to lug for best accuracy? Should I Dremel out everything in front of lug ? Good info, thanks

 

[JFrank]

If it shoots good l would leave it be

 

[JFrank]

Since I have had this rifle so long I have tried different scopes checked screws and such.
As for the human error, I usually take 3 or 4 rifles to the range. I can attest that I shoot other guns and maintain accuracy, but after letting the Savage cool it starts shooting 2 inches again.

I have invested a crap ton of time on this thing. I think I might bed the action again and remove the first inch of barrel bedding and see what happens.

You could order up a Criterion 6br Barrel 26inch 1-8 twist and have a lot more fun
They really shoot good

 

[muleman69]

If it shoots good l would leave it be

I'm still working on a load,criterion .308 build on 700 action 1-10 twist. It is not wadding them up as yet.

 

[JFrank]

Interesting
We’ should chat PM and not derail this thread

 

[jlmurphy]

It's the barrel. Some factory barrels shoot, most don't. The barrel is changing when heated, whether it is unrelieved stress, inconsistent bore dimensions, or some dynamic you'll never identify, you can't fix it, there is a reason good barrels cost twice as much as factory barrels. Bite the bullet and put on a premium barrel and never look back. In the long run a barrel is a consumable, just like bullets, brass and powder. Your time and peace of mind are worth something, I have done all the things you are considering. This advice is worth what you paid for it, but it's true.

 

[Ggmac]

By now it's probably worn out . A 22-250 is at its beat under a thousand rounds thr the tube . After that its anybody's guess. What could be happening is carbon is building up in such a way as to help your bullet from case to eroded bore .

 

[motivationteam]

You could order up a Criterion 6br Barrel 26inch 1-8 twist and have a lot more fun
They really shoot good

That is a really good idea. That is probably what I will end up doing.

 

[motivationteam]

It's the barrel. Some factory barrels shoot, most don't. The barrel is changing when heated, whether it is unrelieved stress, inconsistent bore dimensions, or some dynamic you'll never identify, you can't fix it, there is a reason good barrels cost twice as much as factory barrels. Bite the bullet and put on a premium barrel and never look back. In the long run a barrel is a consumable, just like bullets, brass and powder. Your time and peace of mind are worth something, I have done all the things you are considering. This advice is worth what you paid for it, but it's true.

 

[motivationteam]

That is what I am starting to think. Every stinkin time I go through this I swear with all my heart I am done with this thing going to rebarrel it. What I think screws me up is my friend ordered the same exact gun at the same time and his shoots amazing. I literally have questioned my sanity with this thing. I think I will just buck up and get a good barrel and stop my endless quest to get a turd to smell good!!!!!

 

[gambleone]

That is what I am starting to think. Every stinkin time I go through this I swear with all my heart I am done with this thing going to rebarrel it. What I think screws me up is my friend ordered the same exact gun at the same time and his shoots amazing. I literally have questioned my sanity with this thing. I think I will just buck up and get a good barrel and stop my endless quest to get a turd to smell good!!!!!

Sounds like your on the right track. What barrel & twist are you thinking?

 

[varget204]

If you bedded the first 1" of the barrel,you probably have pressure on the barrel nut,I had a Savage with similar problems,ground off bedding in front of recoil lug,so entire barrel was free,make sure front and rear action screws are tight ,most recommend 40" pounds,tighten Front action screw last.when i floated entire barrel groups went fromunder an inch to under 3/8 "

 

[Flatshooter]

I have searched and can't seem to find any info.
Here is the deal-
I have a Savage BVFS in 22-250. I have have had it for several years. My problem is that I work up loads and invariably it shoots pretty good on the final groups.
So then I think I have a good load. Then when I shoot it again later the groups open up.
This has confused me for a long time. What I have learned is the it only shoots good when the barrel is hot. When the barrel is hot it will shoot 1/2 inch. When the barrel is cool it shoots 2 inches.
Thinking it was a bedding problem I bedded the action, I did it myself so maybe I did not do a good job but it still only shoots good when the barrel is heated. I have tried every combination I can think of when it comes to bullet and powder combinations and seating variations.
So now I am thinking 2 things-
1. Re-bed the action and see if that fixes it.
2. Put a new barrel on it.

Can anyone shed some light on this conundrum?

Your barrel is flexing differently at different temp, it needs to be stabilized. Check out my thread "barrel shroud".

 

[JEFFPPC]

How should a person bed in front of lug as a rule?

I never bed in front of or on the front of the lug or bottmof the lug. I am not saying that is the only way to go but it has worked for close 60 yrs for me. Of course if it's several years old and you do any amount of shooting a new Bartline or Kriger will be a great improvement.

 

[MGYSGT]

I have a couple of barrels from the big name makers in target shooting, that require 3 to 5 rounds to warm up and shoot well. First round is way out and then they walk into the center. I am guessing it is some sort of stress inside the metal.

tom

 

[ridgeway]

What is the speed look like on it when hot? Maybe try adjusting your load to compensate when it's cool.