7mm MAG all over the place

[NightHunter559]

Hi guys. New here. I tried the search but couldn’t find anything related, however I will admit that I didn’t go looking through all 140 pages of search results.

So here is my problem...
I have a stock Remington 700 BDL chambered in 7mm REM MAG and I cant hit the broad side of a barn.

A little history...
I got this rifle from an NRA dinner about 4 years ago. Once I got it home, it went in the safe and sat for about a year. I finally bought a scope and mounted it and then put it back in the safe for a few months until I decided that I wanted to take it bear hunting. So I went and sighted it in until it was “good enough” and went on my hunt. No bear. Gun goes back I safe. I have taken it hunting unsuccessfully a few times and haven’t shot it at all. Now that I am going out of state to hunt, I wanted to make sure it was still on-target and dial it in a little better, so I took it out to the range. My groups are +/- 6” at 100 yards.

Before we jump to human error, here is what I have done to combat the issue.

1. I am shooting off of a Caldwell lead sled
2. I have had 2 of my friends shoot it to make sure it wasn’t me.
3. I tried 3 different rounds
4. I cleaned the gun
5. I took the scope off and mounted it again, torquing everything down to specs.

I also concede that it is a factory gun and it is shooting factory ammo. But it shouldn’t be this bad!

First two pictures are at 100 yards. Third picture is at 50 yards.

Keep in mind, I am not making any adjustments to my scope at this point. Just trying to make a group.

Any suggestions what could be wrong or how I could fix it?

 

[BuddyT]

Check bedding screws need to be tight around 35 inch-pounds. Check barrel and see if it is free floated. take a dollar bill or two and see if you can slide them under the barrel all the way to the action. Clean barrel to spotless. Some new barrels will copper foul really quick. Remove action from stock and see if action is binding anywhere. Look in recoil lug recess to see if anything is stopping recoil lug from matching up to recoil lug recess, should not be touching anywhere except the backside. Check action screws should not be binding going into stock holes. If can't find anything after these checks, rifle sounds like it needs to be glass bedded. Plenty articles on the web own how to do it, just take your time and get everything coated in some type of release agent. Very good article under stocks on home page.
But you might want to talked to Remington before class bedding the rifle. Most companies will not warranty a rifle if it's been modified, and glass bedding is consider a mod.

 

[300_whisper]

What kind of stock? If it’s one of those crappy Remington stocks that’s just molded plastic, that would be culprit number one. I would also clean the barrel thoroughly. Clean it until the patches are white.

 

[KMart]

The first thing I would change is to get it off the Lead Sled and shoot off a front rest and rear bag. If the rifle can't recoil properly, it won't shoot well. If you are strapping the rifle down to the sled, you are putting the whole rifle in stress and it can't perform like it should.
I am not familiar with the target you are shooting as to distance between rings. In photo #2, what is the spread, in inches, across each group? If it is about 1.5 inches, you may be at the capabilities of the rifle in its present configuration. Your target shows a very good indication that all ammo does not shot to the same point of aim and point of impact.
There are good suggestions in the other posts, but try the rifle without the sled first.

 

[300_whisper]

There are good suggestions in the other posts, but try the rifle without the sled first.

Yes, this first. There are videos of lead sleds breaking stocks and the barrels whipping around.

 

[sbhooper]

I would check to see if the barrel is free-floating first and make sure that the screws are tight. I have used a lead sled for years without issue. That being said, it does have a learning curve and you possibly could shoot better off bags. If you are going to use it, do not put much weight on it. I have recently gone back to bags, as I do most of my shooting with light-recoil guns now, anyway. I doubt that the quality of the stock is an issue. My 7 mag sps shot fantastically with the "flimsy" factory stock. I have since replaced it, but not for lack of accuracy.

Do you have another scope to try? It is always a possibility, that the scope is moving zero. If you have access to someone with a bore scope, you might have them take a look. Remington is notorious for screwing up some barrels. A buddy of mine sent back two top-line tac rifles, before getting one that would shoot right. One had a screwed-up crown and the other had a problem with the action/barrel fit.

 

[NightHunter559]

What kind of stock? If it’s one of those crappy Remington stocks that’s just molded plastic, that would be culprit number one. I would also clean the barrel throughly. Clean it until the patches are white.

 

[NightHunter559]

Check bedding screws need to be tight around 35 inch-pounds. Check barrel and see if it is free floated. take a dollar bill or two and see if you can slide them under the barrel all the way to the action. Clean barrel to spotless. Some new barrels will copper foul really quick. Remove action from stock and see if action is binding anywhere. Look in recoil lug recess to see if anything is stopping recoil lug from matching up to recoil lug recess, should not be touching anywhere except the backside. Check action screws should not be binding going into stock holes. If can't find anything after these checks, rifle sounds like it needs to be glass bedded. Plenty articles on the web own how to do it, just take your time and get everything coated in some type of release agent. Very good article under stocks on home page.
But you might want to talked to Remington before class bedding the rifle. Most companies will not warranty a rifle if it's been modified, and glass bedding is consider a mod.

Thanks! I’ll start checking off these suggestions.

 

[NightHunter559]

The first thing I would change is to get it off the Lead Sled and shoot off a front rest and rear bag. If the rifle can't recoil properly, it won't shoot well. If you are strapping the rifle down to the sled, you are putting the whole rifle in stress and it can't perform like it should.
I am not familiar with the target you are shooting as to distance between rings. In photo #2, what is the spread, in inches, across each group? If it is about 1.5 inches, you may be at the capabilities of the rifle in its present configuration. Your target shows a very good indication that all ammo does not shot to the same point of aim and point of impact.
There are good suggestions in the other posts, but try the rifle without the sled first.

Thanks! I’ll try it without the sled and see what happens.

 

[NightHunter559]

I would check to see if the barrel is free-floating first and make sure that the screws are tight. I have used a lead sled for years without issue. That being said, it does have a learning curve and you possibly could shoot better off bags. If you are going to use it, do not put much weight on it. I have recently gone back to bags, as I do most of my shooting with light-recoil guns now, anyway. I doubt that the quality of the stock is an issue. My 7 mag sps shot fantastically with the "flimsy" factory stock. I have since replaced it, but not for lack of accuracy.

Do you have another scope to try? It is always a possibility, that the scope is moving zero. If you have access to someone with a bore scope, you might have them take a look. Remington is notorious for screwing up some barrels. A buddy of mine sent back two top-line tac rifles, before getting one that would shoot right. One had a screwed-up crown and the other had a problem with the action/barrel fit.

Replacing the scope was going to be the next thing I try, but a lot of these other suggestions seem easy enough to try first.

 

[cjames]

If it was mine, I would try a differant scope. And with my 7 mag I go somewhat old school. I usually start with a Nosler Ballistic Tip 140 or 150 grain and IMR 4831 to see if its going to shoot desent. I personally have had good luck with that combo. Now, I hunt with a Barnes 150 TTSX and IMR 4831. But, Like the old saying goes. You cant make a bad barrel shoot good. And I have had first hand experiance with a bad 700 action not letting a good barrel shoot good, until it was trued.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

7mm Mag is a lot of recoil and the Nikon Prostaff you have on it is known for failures under heavy recoil. The rings you have holding the scope are also very cheaply made.

Get a good scope and some heavy duty rings with at least 4 screws each. If you like Nikon glass, the Nikon Monarch line of scopes are very robust. Never had one fail and have had Monarchs on rifles that recoil a lot harder than a 7 Mag. Lap the scope rings before mounting the scope and make sure they are torqued down properly. Then give the barrel a good hard scrubbing.

Not sure what ammo you are using... I always tell people that if they want to see if a rifle will shoot with factory ammo, get a box of Federal Premium. Even the Federal blue box ammo usually shoots quite well. Every single person who listened came back reporting their rifle shot Federal ammo with good hunting accuracy. Some rifles even achieved sub 1/2 MOA accuracy.

A good trigger upgrade on a Rem 700 will make a world of difference as well. I prefer Jewell. Excellent triggers and worth every penny in my opinion.

 

[300_whisper]

7mm Mag is a lot of recoil and the Nikon Prostaff you have on it is known for failures under heavy recoil. The rings you have holding the scope are also very cheaply made.

Get a good scope and some heavy duty rings with at least 4 screws each. If you like Nikon glass, the Nikon Monarch line of scopes are very robust. Never had one fail and have had Monarchs on rifles that recoil a lot harder than a 7 Mag. Lap the scope rings before mounting the scope and make sure they are torqued down properly. Then give the barrel a good hard scrubbing.

Not sure what ammo you are using... I always tell people that if they want to see if a rifle will shoot with factory ammo, get a box of Federal Premium. Every single person who listened came back reporting their rifle shot Federal ammo with good hunting accuracy. Some rifles even achieved sub 1/2 MOA accuracy.

A good trigger upgrade on a Rem 700 will make a world of difference as well. I prefer Jewell. Excellent triggers and worth every penny in my opinion.

I agree with what you’re saying, but I’ve never had a prostaff fail. They are robust, little scopes. I agree with the rings. Get rings with more screws. Also, the lead sled is putting way more energy into the receiver, stock, and scope possibly effecting all three. The FGMM is excellent ammo to get a base line. I never had a rifle that would not shoot FGMM. Their Sierra game king line is pretty close to the same accuracy I get with their FGMM if you needed good ammo for hunting.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Yeah the new Prostaff scopes are definitely better than the Prostaff back in the day. I would still feel better with a Monarch or the new Black X1000 on a large magnum.

Also agree that the Lead Sled is junk. Whenever a person asks me if the Lead Sled is a good rest to buy, I tell them "Its a good choice if you are in need of a new boat anchor"

 

[okie]

not on topic-but whats that grey fence/barrier thing in background of rifle pic??

 

[Milo 2.0]

not on topic-but whats that grey fence/barrier thing in background of rifle pic??

I think that is what Trump wants to build "The Wall" with. ??

 

[okie]

lol--hope not!

 

[Uncle Ed]

I have had wooden stocked Remington 700 in the past that has a raised section pressure pad at the fore end tip. This was to be 3 to 9 pounds of up pressure on the barrel to control barrel vibrations. Meaning the up pressure is a form of barrel tuner to control accuracy.

Also the torque on your action bedding screws have a effect on barrel vibrations and accuracy, check your manual for the correct torque.

I would not remove the raised section at the fore end tip and free float the barrel. I would first try varying the amount of up pressure and see if you can "tune" the barrel.

In the military the rifles bedding is tuned to issued ammunition, meaning you should be able to adjust the up pressure at the fore end tip for your factory loaded ammunition. And Remington put the pressure pad at the fore end tip for a reason.

How To Adjust Forearm Tip Pressure
http://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/gunsmithing_0206/100373

 

[NightHunter559]

not on topic-but whats that grey fence/barrier thing in background of rifle pic??

That is a shot screen. Our club hosts the California state trap shoot every year. We have 34 banks and that screen prevents the lead from entering other properties or the river

 

[Liven The Dream]

Well after you check what everyone has listed above ?
I had a custom 7 Rem Mag . I could hand load and test and test .
It would shoot Hornady Frontier 175 gr . Ammo as good as many Hand Loads .
You may want to try some .