Warm barrel and accuracy

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Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by barrafishing0 » 25 Aug 2014, 7:33 am

Hi guys,

Just received my streyr scout 308 and set about to zero it in.

After 4 or. 5 chamber, aim, fire it tendered to throw one out of any sort of group.

How many shots should I take before cooling barrel when going through the working up a load and zeroing in scope.

It shots best with 3 shots wait till barrel was less than hot on inside wrist then shooting again. For a scout with light fluted barrel would this be normal?

I was using factory loads to get some brass sorted.

Packet lapua shot better than rem pills at any stage.
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Re: warm barrel

Post by bm777 » 26 Aug 2014, 3:51 pm

Hey Barra,,,,did you run the barrel in first of all??? just off-topic but relevant nonetheless..What's the barrel length and what weight bullets are you shooting? From what you say it's a fluted barrel so it should be pretty thick??

I had the same issue with my 308 with a standard barrel, throwing shots after say 4-5 rounds...the rifles being new might also be it. When you say warm, can you touch it and keep your hand on it??

let us know..thanks
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Re: warm barrel

Post by GPostal » 26 Aug 2014, 11:06 pm

I had the same prob recently with a 2nd hand Omark .223 with a Madco barrel. Apparently the previous owner never ran in the barrel.
The first time I shot the rifle I was getting 1 inch groups at 200m with an origional Omark stock with factory Remmington ammo.
I got a Ken Noyle custom stock which was professionally bedded to my action and started shooting 3-4 inch groups at 50m.
It was so badly fouled it took 7 cleans with ferocious scrubbing with nylon brushes and once I ran it in properly it went back to small groups after about 250 rounds.
I shot about 5 rounds at a time then let the rifle cool down - not that it was getting really hot.
Rough barrel basically. Usually new barrels don't take that long to settle down.

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Re: warm barrel

Post by barrafishing0 » 27 Aug 2014, 10:14 am

20 inch barrel and is second hand. Had about 700 shots through it. Gun dealer looked at it when it was delivered from interstate and said it was well looked after and had no sign of fouling. The barrel on steyr scouts are extremely thin to reduce weight and fluted. I was using 150 rem and lapua to get it in some sort of sighting before settling down to reload and work through the load/group process
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Re: warm barrel

Post by bm777 » 27 Aug 2014, 1:34 pm

Thin barrels will string shots when heating up. My Ruger 243 was exactly the same...the first 4-5 shots..all good..after that, well....might as well have used a shotgun...

However, if you have a bore scope you can see the state of the barrel, and it doesn't hurt re-doing the running-in procedure..I usually follow this routine:

1) Fire 5 rounds, clean the barrel until the patches come out white. Do this after each round. So 1 shot 1 clean x 5 = 5 rounds needed

2) Fire 3 shot groups and clean after each group, repeat this 5 times = 15 rounds needed

3) Fire 5 shot groups and clean after each group, repeat 3 times = 15 rounds needed.

4) In total you'll need 35 rounds.

I know that this is tedious and a pain in the rectum, but it works. I usually load crappy proggies, seconds or cheap stuff, you can use mild loads as well, just to get the routine done.. 223 ammo is cheap so say $35/40 for the ammo if you buy it, worth the effort. Also by doing the above any rifle will be easier to clean in the future..

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Re: warm barrel

Post by Jessie » 27 Aug 2014, 3:25 pm

If it's just randomly throwing one wide every 4-5 shots I'd say that flyers which is an issue with your ammo. Not your barrel temp.

If it's heat you'll normally find your groups steadily expands or strings out as you keep shooting instead.

Tried any different ammo at all yet?
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by tactice » 27 Aug 2014, 3:30 pm

barrafishing0 wrote:How many shots should I take before cooling barrel when going through the working up a load and zeroing in scope.


I found it's best to shoot with small breaks between each shot, instead of just shooting until it's hot and having a longer break.

A consistent lower temperature does better than spiking hot then cool.

If I'm shooting for a while and trying for the best accuracy I can get, I do a 45 seconds wait between each shot. Then I can keep shooting instead of having long breaks of doing nothing.
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Re: warm barrel

Post by bm777 » 27 Aug 2014, 4:26 pm

Jessie wrote:If it's just randomly throwing one wide every 4-5 shots I'd say that flyers which is an issue with your ammo. Not your barrel temp.


My goodness....what ammo are you using then? IF that's the cause I'd take it back to the GS, however, that might be improbable...
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by barrafishing0 » 27 Aug 2014, 7:35 pm

Only got about 40 rounds through so far. Tried rem loc core? 150 gn software point (cheep)and right at the end, run som lapua soft point 150gn. These shot better but at the end of the session when I could hardly touch the barrel and had a flyer or to then. Seems I need to shoot slower and get some reloads sorted.
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by bm777 » 27 Aug 2014, 8:06 pm

Reloading would be the way to go. I have mixed brass which was given to me, I usually shoot 150gr soft nose with 44gr of 2208...But never had that problem..

I was also thinking about your stock and clearances around the barrel....make sure that the action is properly fastened...I have removed stock material from the barrel channel on all of my rifles, wood and synthetic..something to keep in mind also...
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Re: warm barrel

Post by Jessie » 30 Aug 2014, 11:53 am

bm777 wrote:
Jessie wrote:If it's just randomly throwing one wide every 4-5 shots I'd say that flyers which is an issue with your ammo. Not your barrel temp.


My goodness....what ammo are you using then? IF that's the cause I'd take it back to the GS, however, that might be improbable...


Hmm? You're asking me or Barra?

Think we've got a wire crossed here. I'm not getting that, I'm saying if Barra is having 4 tight shots then 1 goes wild that doesn't say barrel temp to me.

Maybe I'm missing something.. If no one else is confused ignore me and carry on :lol:
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by RDobber » 30 Aug 2014, 12:04 pm

bm777 wrote:I have removed stock material from the barrel channel on all of my rifles, wood and synthetic..something to keep in mind also...


Yeah, they're never floated properly out of the box (regardless of what they say they are).

The barrel channels always need work.
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by south » 30 Aug 2014, 12:04 pm

RDobber wrote:The barrel channels always need work.


What do you guys say is best to open up the channels to properly float the barrel?
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by Lorgar » 30 Aug 2014, 12:10 pm

IMO.

Get a timber dowel rod about 2-3 mm thicker than your barrel, bit of sand paper between the rod and the stock and work it back and forth the length of the channel until you get to the bottom to clear a mm beneath the stock as well.
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by barrafishing0 » 31 Aug 2014, 8:25 pm

Guys it seems I have sorted my problem. Boxed bullets is most of it. Reloaded 4 sets of pills with 165 gn sbt seirra's at 43.5 gn of 2208 at 4 different coal and shot with good time between sets. Reduced groups from 4 inch at 100 with a flyer to 1 1/2 inch groups today with a coal of 70.0 mm. Yea ha. Thanks for your input everybody. Still got to work on my powder to find sweet stop
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Re: Warm barrel and accuracy

Post by Jessie » 02 Sep 2014, 7:18 pm

Good stuff Barra.

Hand loads are always the way ;)
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