Looking for gunsmith

[srfdude]

I have a new, Turnbull kissed Miroku 45-70. It doesn't shoot worth a ****, got advice that the throat is typically undersized in these. So would like advice on a good smithy in San Diego area who can take care of this problem???
Mike

[Tatume]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the forum.

SAAMI specification for the 45-70 calls for a very short throat, or lead. Many people object that this doesn't allow for seating bullets out as long as they would like. The cure for this is to alter the chamber with a "throating reamer."

That said, all of my rifles with standard SAAMI chambers are very accurate. For almost all uses to which the 45-70 will be put, the standard SAAMI chamber is more than adequate. It is highly unlikely that altering the chamber of your Miroku 45-70 rifle will improve accuracy.

You should provide your loading data and particulars, and perhaps we can help you improve your ammunition. What kind of sights are you using? How is the rifle being supported when test firing? Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a box of factory ammunition from a reputable maker (I suggest Federal) and compare the accuracy to your handloads.

[GoodOlBoy]

I agree with Tatume. Before you spend money at a gunsmith; who is likely going to sell you a fix whether you need one or not; perhaps we should look at what and how you are shooting, what is your setup, etc. Also you said it is a new rifle. Many new rifles have a break in period and they can shoot erratically during it.

Some ideas to look at and think about.

Poor performance. What is your definition of poor performance? If you pulled a new rifle out of a box, slapped a scope on it (or not) and started banging away at 200-1000 yards you would most likely be disappointed no matter what the firearm is. Is it not grouping? Is it keyholing? Did you shoot at a target in front of you and behind you a bald eagle fell from the sky and took out a whale?

Range. What range are you shooting at? It might be time to bring it closer until a fix is figured out.

Sights. Are you using a scope? If so is it mounted securely with proper rings and bases, is it a scope rated for a 45-70?

Ammunition. A brand new gun is not always the time to handload, or not (you didn't specify if you were using handloads). Also when my 45-70 was new it absolutely hated Hornady lever-evolution loads (still doesn't like them and neither do I) I've also seen folks start with Buffalo Bore heavy loads etc. Might be time to consider a different ammo until the problem is solved.

How are you shooting? Is it braced, un-braced, offhand, sand bags, lead sled?

I don't have gunsmith info for that area, but like many others here would be happy to talk you through some simple fixes and ideas to see if any of it helps. Take a deep breath, and let's see what we can figure out.

God Bless, and One Love.

GoodOlBoy

[srfdude]

Most of my shooting is done with missouri lead boolits, 405 gr., don't have the OAL at my fingertips but I size them to published. Brass is new/or resized Starline, Unique 12 gr. powder. The bullets are ever so slightly sticky going in; I have inserted a blank with a fairly loose bullet and it does shove it in a little deeper. I suppose I could use 350 gr. bullets, but have many loads already built up and would rather deal with the throat.
GoodOlBoy answered just as I was posting this, and I appreciate the sentiment, but I know from experience that a tight throat can be accurate, but usually with one very specific load. I'm not really interested in that finding that load; I also know that a throat with a little room may not ultimately be as accurate, but as I am using a red dot sight and won't be shooting over 100 yards, that will be ok. Initial targeting shots were at 25 yards, 3-4 in. groups resulted.
PS Turnbull said they have rethroated a couple of these, as much as 1/4 inch longer. According to them results were excellent. BUt I don't want to ship it back there; I should have done it first but now will look locally.

[40-82 hiker]

Wow! Is it possible a simple throat issue can be the sole problem resulting in a 12 to 16 minute of angle load? I would highly recommend you cast the chamber/throat, and get the barrel dimensions before you go any further with your project. Your boolits could be to blame, or any number of other issues. While cutting a longer throat can help, I'd find out what is wrong with what you are doing first.

Is your MOA linear or not as you increase distance?

When tackling a new firearm, we all work on developing new loads to find out what works and what does not. I think if you KNEW what your chamber/throat and barrel actually measure so you can use properly sized boolits you could substantially reduce the group size, which BTW, is very indicative of boolit and/or load issues. Only then would I look at getting the throat reamed. It is VERY likely, that given red-dot scope use, you may not even see the benefit of modifying the throat.

JMHO and YMMV

[KCSO]

Does it have the half cock conversion? Most of these we see that won't shoot have poor ignition due to the rebounding hammer.

[GoodOlBoy]

GoodOlBoy answered just as I was posting this, and I appreciate the sentiment, but I know from experience that a tight throat can be accurate, but usually with one very specific load. I'm not really interested in that finding that load;

Actually I wasn't as concerned about finding a load as I was with the idea that you might have been having issues with factory loads. I know of a couple cases where Hornady Lever-evolution rounds wouldn't group for beans, but something like a standard Remington green and yellow box 405gr worked like a charm. 25 yards 3-4 inches on a brand new rifle is odd. I do find it a little confusing that you mentioned reloads using Missouri Bullets (good company), then said you weren't interested in finding a load. That's odd because it certainly sounds like either the load or the red dot could be off. Me. I would buy a couple boxes of Remington Green and Yellow box factory load, or even just one box. Sandbag it and fire five or ten rounds at a piece of paper. See what it does. If it does the same thing, I would try it with iron sights. If it still does the same then I'm sure there's a gunsmith more than willing to work on it somewhere. I didn't have a clue your chamber or throat was tight or not tight is why I was asking for more information than "It shoots like..."

Since it seems you are pretty well dead set on using a specific load with no changes or tweaking whatsoever, and dead set on having somebody work on it and cut metal, I wish you all the best.

God Bless, and One Love.

GoodOlBoy