Fire cracking, what to do?

[ckaberna]

As others have said, just shoot it. If your rifle shot in, say, the .2's and now it's in the .4's, you might consider one of the options listed earlier - setting it back (if you can) or getting a new barrel.
I have a pair of 25-06 hunting rifles, one has more than 3000 rounds and still puts 5 inside of .75". Good enough for hunting. I've looked at it with a borescope and it's an ugly beast, for certain. But until I can't keep 5 shots under an inch, I'm just going to keep shooting it.

How can a person get 3000 rounds on a hunting rifle? How many tons of meat has that thing delivered? Just kidding around but once I entered the custom action game my hunting rifles are just that, hunting only.

 

[Bbear]

How can a person get 3000 rounds on a hunting rifle? How many tons of meat has that thing delivered? Just kidding around but once I entered the custom action game my hunting rifles are just that, hunting only.

The rifle began as a salesman's sample in 1970 or so, when Remington brought out the 25-06. The first 1000 or so rounds was almost all with 120 gr Remington Core-lokt bullets. When I got it in 1974, I was 15 and it was my ONLY rifle at the time. It came with 500 rounds of the aforementioned core-lokt ammo. All of which I shot like you'd shoot a 22 lr. I started reloading for it when I was 20 after getting tired of buying box after box of ammo. I'm now 60 and it still goes to the range most of the times I go. It was also the rifle used in a doe culling operation from the time I was 15 until I was 19. Taking 30-40 whitetail doe every year.
Burning 50-100 rounds in a days shooting on this rifle isn't too hard to do. Light recoil and accuracy, what's not to like?

 

[jonkeil243]

My dad bought a used varmint custom military 03-A3 with a factory 243 win barrel varmint barrel profile That gun would shoot. Then suddenly went south. He had a local smith set it back and re-chamber and it would shoot again. He shot it about another 3-400 rnds. Then it would not hit a barn. He got the idea he wanted to re-barrel it in 6-06 AI so he did a trial on the used barrel. He cut it back another turn then used the new reamer that was much longer. When complete it again shot well but only lasted 100 rnds fire forming cases. The barrel was toast. He ended up with a new Kreiger 1-7 twist and shoots exclusively the 115 and a few 120 weight bullets. again it is a shooter. He has said a number of times he should have just replaced it a long time ago when the trouble started. He wasted a lot of money but did learn a lot. So I guess education costs something.

 

[X-Caveman]

I buy the factory rounds in big lots. I've shot groups with it and an average group at 1000 yards has been around 4.8" that's not terrible considering the range that I'm shooting at is a known very difficult range. Once I went to hand loads, I've shot several at 3" or less. The best is a 2" group on a good day. I did a latter test with a different bullet, starting on the low charge weight and moving up.
A current group is 8" plus

8” at 1k is damn good for a factory rifle at 1K. The 4.8” to 2” previously are simply out of this world. That would win lots of matches.