PDA

View Full Version : springfield in 260



x101airborne
02-02-2011, 10:01 PM
This is my last attempt to salvage this rifle. I had a BEAUTIFUL springfield action rebarreled to 260 rem with a stainless (Shilen, I believe) semi-heavy barrel and put in a custom walnut stock. The barrel is 24 inches long and has a 1 in 8.5 to 9 twist by rod measure method. Problem is, I CANNOT make it shoot. I have tried all forms of brass, primers, powder, weight of bullet, OAL, headspace, seating into the lands, off the lands, bolt tension, lack of, neck turning, free floating the barrel, putting pressure on different points of the barrel, glass bedding the action, re-setting the scope, even tried jamming a pen cap between the side of the bolt and the reciever (worked on my Ruger so what the hey?). For the money I should have an excellent shooter. In reality, the rifle will not stay inside 2 inches at 100 yards with anything I feed it. Scope is a Leupold 4.5-14x40 AO Varmint. I thought about fire lapping the barrel as a last chance effort. Anyone have any ideas? Anyone want the challenge of sorting this out? I have owned around 50 bolt guns and have never had one this arnery. Scientific term, ya know. The 260 should be one of the most accurate loads available, but I just cant figure this out. Its gonna make me take up drinking. More.

old turtle
02-02-2011, 10:29 PM
Change scopes. I had a Springfield in 280 which would not shoot. Tried another scope and problem solved. Also check scope bases and mounts.

c3d4b2
02-03-2011, 08:20 AM
If you have a Shilen barrel it should not need fire lapped. You may have done this but just in case, have you checked the barrel crown?

old turtle
02-04-2011, 12:36 PM
The latest Rifle (#255) has an excellent article on accuracy problems. You might pick up a copy. The article has a large number of problems I have not thought about. But then I don't think much these days.

rockrat
02-04-2011, 12:56 PM
Send it to me. I will work on it and send it back in say ten years or so!!! NO CHARGE either:)

S.R.Custom
02-04-2011, 01:05 PM
It's virtually impossible to dope accuracy problems on an internet chat forum... I sent you a PM.

swheeler
02-04-2011, 01:43 PM
I would look at the crown first, recrown with a brass lap if needed. If that was not the problem I would do a muzzle slug and a breech end slug, making sure the muzzle end of the barrel wasn't larger groove dia than the breech end groove dia it happens.

x101airborne
02-04-2011, 03:26 PM
Thanks, guys. I responded to the PM, and I will try the scope / mount thing again. I know it would be difficult for anyone on the internet to diagnose a rifle, but I was really fishing for a Hail Mary. I will do the slugging of the ends. That is something I have not tried. Thanks again, guys.

David2011
02-04-2011, 05:30 PM
+1 on the crown, trying to diagnose without looking. How is your headspace? If you have gages, it should just engage the lugs with a no-go and go no further. Try neck sizing only your fired cases by backing the full length sizing die off. You can easily see how much of the neck you're sizing. Are you using premium bullets or bargain bulk bullets? What brand, style and weight? What kind of powder? H4895 works very well for me. I bought a box of 500 120 grain PSPs when I built my 6.5. I've learned that if everything is perfect the bulk bullets will shoot extremely well. Full length sized cases with premium bullets are slightly less accurate and very consistent but full length sizing and the bulk bullets are much less accurate. Perfect= fired and neck sized cases, just below max powder charge, good trigger, had to recrown the barrel from the factory crown on the new barrel. Someone who knew a great deal about long range shooting told me that the manufacturer of my barrel crowned them on the OD instead of the centerline of the bore and that it was probably off center. I put a 90 degree target crown on it and that made the difference. It went from 1-1/4" to 2"groups down to a best of .324". With full length sized cases (RCBS X-die) it is not quite as accurate but it still shoots 1/2 to 5/8". It's also free floated, minimum headspaced, pillar and glass bedded. When I headspaced I stopped cutting when the bolt would just close on the go gage without resistance. Chambering factory ammo proved that to be too tight so I cut it just a hair deeper so I felt a slight crush on factory ammo. I adjusted my stanadard dies to give the same feel on reloads. X-dies by nature will always create more headspace than that so to be perfect I should set teh barrel back and rechamber just for the X-Dies to achieve the ultimate accuracy. It's a hunting rifle; not a benchrest rifle so ~.5 MOA is more accuracy than required. Like you, I would not be happy with 2 MOA from a 6.5/.264.

David