Old trusty wont hold a group?

[BassHunter25]

I have a Vari-X II that I sent back recently bc the power ring was extremely difficult to twist. It was back in a couple of weeks with a comprehensive printout of the testing. The power ring was repaired but the report stated no problems were found...no cost other than what USPS charged to get it there.

That’s one reason I was thinking if changing anyway. The power adjustment has always been tight. It was never a big deal but I always had to be ready for a quick adjustment. I always thought it would loosen up the more I used it. It never has.

Thanks for all the responses. I have an old tasco I’m going to try and see if it’s the gun or the scope.

 

[killerv]

maybe ol trusty's owner is a little rusty

 

[BeerThirty]

First thing I would do is check the scope. If you have another functional scope at your dispose, put it on the rifle you're having issues with to serve as a control to see if it's the Leupold or the gun.

I seriously highly doubt it's the ammo.

Another thing with the gun is make sure you are not resting the actual barrel of the gun on the rest when you are sighting in. Instead, it should be your stock. I did not know this until recently but there are several videos online that really opened up my eyes about how much this really can impact accuracy.

Lastly, check where your barrel meets the receiver. My dad had an old Remington semi-auto odd-six that actually cracked right there. He was having the exact same problems as you until he literally inspected it with a magnifying glass. It was a hairline crack but sure enough with a little pressure it actually caused the barrel to bend.

 

[BassHunter25]

maybe ol trusty's owner is a little rusty

That’s probably true but I am testing on a led sled to take away most human error.

 

[Big7]

My first thought is check the scope.

Rugers may not be bench rest guns, but my 77 in 270 has stayed consistent since I adopted it in 1994.

I digress. I have 2 Ruger long arms left. I did sell a beautiful, walnut .338 Win Mag about 3 years ago (and I regret that to this day) they ALL shoot MOA.

I'd be checking rings and scope. Ruger mounts are BY FAR THE BEST THERE IS but they will only fit Ruger.

Then, I would look at a thoroughly cleaning the barrel for copper fouling and any other fouling.

Then I'd check the crown.

All severely bottle neck, sometimes called over bore - rifle barrels are subject to throat burn.
ESPECIALLY large caliber rounds that burn a LOT of a slower powder. 7MM Rem. Mag. Fits that category.

Then I'd check the THROAT
if it's been shot a lot, it is very possible the throat is shot out. If it is, free bore in 1/8 inch increments up to three times.

If that don't fix it you need a new barrel. Assuming the scope and rings are ruled out.

I'm a Rugerholic. I can honestly say I know a LOT about Ruger rifles and sidearms. That ain't bragging- it's the truth.

 

[nmurph]

60 rounds means the barrel isn't shot out.

OP says screws were tightened...if they were CORRECTLY TORQUED, then we can eliminate that.

It could be a carbon ring, but with only 60 rounds I don't think so.

I'm back to checking that the stock isn't putting pressure on the stock or that the scope is the problem.

 

[rattlesnake1]

something is loose , or binding

 

[KyDawg]

I might be too simple here, but I would take the scope off and shoot the target with the iron sights. If it is still moving around, it is not the scope.

 

[BassHunter25]

I digress. I have 2 Ruger long arms left. I did sell a beautiful, walnut .338 Win Mag about 3 years ago (and I regret that to this day) they ALL shoot MOA.

I'd be checking rings and scope. Ruger mounts are BY FAR THE BEST THERE IS but they will only fit Ruger.

Then, I would look at a thoroughly cleaning the barrel for copper fouling and any other fouling.

Then I'd check the crown.

All severely bottle neck, sometimes called over bore - rifle barrels are subject to throat burn.
ESPECIALLY large caliber rounds that burn a LOT of a slower powder. 7MM Rem. Mag. Fits that category.

Then I'd check the THROAT
if it's been shot a lot, it is very possible the throat is shot out. If it is, free bore in 1/8 inch increments up to three times.

If that don't fix it you need a new barrel. Assuming the scope and rings are ruled out.

I'm a Rugerholic. I can honestly say I know a LOT about Ruger rifles and sidearms. That ain't bragging- it's the truth.

You lost me on a lot of this. But the gun was used when I got it. I really don’t know how much it was shot before I put 60-80 rounds through.

What’s the best thing for cooper fouling. I’m gonna try the scooe
Thing first. I have leupold rings and bases. And they aren’t loose.

I did notice a good scratch on the scope
That I don’t where it came from. Hopefully something happened to the scope. But I don’t know how to check all the other stuff you talked about.

 

[Big7]

You lost me on a lot of this. But the gun was used when I got it. I really don’t know how much it was shot before I put 60-80 rounds through.

What’s the best thing for cooper fouling. I’m gonna try the scooe
Thing first. I have leupold rings and bases. And they aren’t loose.

I did notice a good scratch on the scope
That I don’t where it came from. Hopefully something happened to the scope. But I don’t know how to check all the other stuff you talked about.

Any of the Hoppe's line is good stuff as are most of the "name brand". If you really need some serious, aggressive solutions, try a STEEL brush as opposed to brass or nylon bristle brushes. They are fine for a good measure finishing routine. And, no matter what you may have heard, a 3 or 4 aggressive cleanings with a steel brush over the lifetime of the rifle won't hurt a dang thing. You may also find a jag useful. It's just a solid brass plug a few thousands of an inch larger than the bore. It takes some force to get it seated in to a particular land and groove. They are fluted to facilitate a little less force to seat vs a solid plug. First, go through your regular cleaning regiment, followed by what I've described above. Then go with the steel brush/jag. The gunpowder and lead will be the first to come out. Then get to the copper. Just follow the directions on the bottle. When the last few patches come back clean, you are done. If I can be of anymore help, post or PM me. Be glad to help as much as I can.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

CVA makes a gel called " Barrel blaster". It's made for muzzle loaders but I've had great luck by lubing the barrel real good and letting it sit for awhile before a good scrubbing. The gel works much better than the foam in my experience. It removes copper, carbon, rust and plastic fowling and gunpowder. A brass brush on a cleaning rod inserted in a dewalt drill will work wonders.

 

[Jester896]

You may also find a jag useful. It's just a solid brass plug a few thousands of an inch larger than the bore. It takes some force to get it seated in to a particular land and groove.

say what?

BassHunter25
I use Montana Extreme for copper removal and nylon brushes so you don't get false postives for copper like you do with bronze/brass brushes

 

[Big7]

say what?

BassHunter25
I use Montana Extreme for copper removal and nylon brushes so you don't get false postives for copper like you do with bronze/brass brushes

Maybe you didn't see all my post' in this thread and/or others. I clearly stated nylon bristle brushes were good for the final brushing. Right before you run patches until the patches come back clean.

 

[nmurph]

????

 

[Jester896]

You may also find a jag useful. It's just a solid brass plug a few thousands of an inch larger than the bore. It takes some force to get it seated in to a particular land and groove.

proper sized jags are not larger than the bore diameter...and you should not force an oversized jag down your barrel

 

[Bobby Linton]

I'm still learning, just have a general accuracy question for the experts. If a gun goes from shooting well to a shotgun pattern is a dirty barrel really going to do that? Accuracy is such a ambiguous term. To me, 2" groups at 100 yards is fine for the hunting I'm doing. To a bench rest shooter, 2" would be well past time to get a new barrel. So accurate for one man isn't the same as another and when we talk about groups opening up it may not mean the same thing. I would assume 99 percent of high power rifle owners NEVER shoot out a barrel from use. A dirty barrel will make your groups worse but not shotgun like, will it? If a decent gun starts to really wander, something has come loose, warped a pressure point, or damage to crown of muzzle. Even when we hear people say "my rifle didnt like "x" ammo" they are really saying that got a smaller group with another brand. In reality they may be saying they can only shoot 3" groups at 100 yards with "x" brand ammo. If you cant keep it on the target something more fundamental must be wrong.

 

[nmurph]

Every barrel is different but accuracy tends to degrade slowly with a barrel that is getting dirty.

The original post sounds like either something is loose with the action (OP says it is tightened down, but overtighten can be as bad as loose), a pressure point, or something is wrong with the scope.

 

[BassHunter25]

Every barrel is different but accuracy tends to degrade slowly with a barrel that is getting dirty.

The original post sounds like either something is loose with the action (OP says it is tightened down, but overtighten can be as bad as loose), a pressure point, or something is wrong with the scope.

When checking all the scope mounts they wouldn’t tighten at all with moderate force. And the gun has been a tac driver with same scope and mounts for over 15 years till recently.

I noticed a scratch on the scope along with the some scratches on the scope cover and the leupold embelem missing on the front of scope cover. Tells me something happened to the scope I don’t know about. It’s possible someone dropped my gun at hunting camp and didn’t tell me. Still waiting to get time to change scope and check it out.

 

[Big7]

proper sized jags are not larger than the bore diameter...and you should not force an oversized jag down your barrel

I think I either misstated or you misunderstood. I'm thinking you are talking about the jags with the pointed tip to be used with a patch. Right?

I should have made myself a little clearer.
I'm talking about the true jag and it's original intent. The old style were made to contact as much of the grooves and lands and forcefully "jag" the bore to scrape as opposed to being a carrier for a patch. I indeed have a drawer full of old-school jags that measure .002 inch over the bore diameter. They have a lot of thin flutes so they will go without much pressure. The run of the mill today are brass or plastic designed to carry a patch. I've not found any use for the type. Sorry about the confusion. I should have addressed this eariler in the thread.

 

[Jester896]

I think I either misstated or you misunderstood. I'm thinking you are talking about the jags with the pointed tip to be used with a patch. Right?

I should have made myself a little clearer.
I'm talking about the true jag and it's original intent. The old style were made to contact as much of the grooves and lands and forcefully "jag" the bore to scrape as opposed to being a carrier for a patch. I indeed have a drawer full of old-school jags that measure .002 inch over the bore diameter. They have a lot of thin flutes so they will go without much pressure. The run of the mill today are brass or plastic designed to carry a patch. I've not found any use for the type. Sorry about the confusion. I should have addressed this eariler in the thread.

yes sir, the common type that you find today along with plenty of pictures when you do an internet search. the same type I have used for 50 years. I have never heard of the type you describe. With today's chemical cleaners there is no need to scrape a rifle barrel in that fashion. There are situations that I have found it necessary to wrap a nylon brush with a piece of gray scotchbrite to get the carbon people who never clean a rifle and now claim it no longer shoots.