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wheatherby problem

clarkivanclarkivan Member Posts: 38 ✭✭
edited August 2002 in Ask the Experts
A guy I know mentioned something about having a problem with his 270 weatherby. He said that he had bedded the action and floated the barrel along with puting a new trigger and a good scope and mounts on it. The problem that he is having is he can't get the gun to shoot better than 3" groups at 100 yards with any of about 4 differnt types of ammo. All mounting screws are tight and scope is mounted properly. Do any of you know what the problem might be???

I have heard that weatherbys shouldn't be free floated, but I don't know anything about them. I am assuming the the harmonics in the barrel are just like any other cartrige.

Just looking for some type of answer, we are at whits end...


Thanks

Death by projectile
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Comments

  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It could be a number of things.Was the gun shootng well before he worked on it.If it was more than likely its the Barrel Bedding,he may want to take it apart and make sure there is nothing such as a small wood chip etc.That could keep the Barrel from Bedding well.


    Best!!

    Rugster
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  • clarkivanclarkivan Member Posts: 38 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    He said the barrel was floated. As far as I know he never shot the rifel before he had any work done on it.

    Death by projectile
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  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Have him check the headspace first. Belted magnums headspace by the belt, not the shoulder, if there is excessive freebore,(room in front of the shoulders)then thats it!

    Then find out if his ammo is handloaded, if it is, he may be trying to create a load that just won't work. (wrong powder, too light of a bullet, etc)

    Also, what type mounts and rings are they?

    Now you said HE bedded the action to float the barrel. Does HE know what he is doing? Did he build pillars or just bed the whole action? Has his bedding compound cracked? Lightly clamp the rifle in a bench vise, with a shirt ot towell around it to prevent scarring, and see if you can push/pull the barrel and see the action move inside the stock.

    What type scope is it? New or old?

    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
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  • clarkivanclarkivan Member Posts: 38 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    As far as I know he had a smith do all his work. Not sure what type of mounts or scope, but I'm sure they are high quality.

    I don't know to much... but someone had told us that weatherbys have lots of "free bore" so much in fact that you can't get the bullet to touch the lands so the limiting factor is the lenght of the magizine. Is this right??? Also he was using factory weatherby ammo and some reloads.

    Death by projectile
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  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    they may have freebore form the factory, but the gunsmith can cut some of that out. I would have it checked by the gunsmith, if it is excessive, it will NEVER shoot right. Get the barrel cut down at the action end and put it back on. If it needs to have a reamer through it after being cut, it is already off and at the gunsmith, so go for it.
    If it's brand new, and has excessive headspace,......BACK TO WEATHERBY FOR EXCHANGE, ACCEPT NOTHING LESS!!!!

    If it's used, maybe time for a new stainless barrel. You can go all the way up to 340 wthby mag with that bolt face and magazine.just a thought. Let us know what you find out.

    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
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  • bullelkbullelk Member Posts: 679 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    JustC is right about the scope. Find out what kind of scope is on it. The recoil on those Weatherbys are pretty hefty and can jar the internal workings of the scope. You want to make sure you have a damn good scope on them.

    Of course it could be some other problem, but I would start there. Only from experience.


    "If All Else Fails, Read The Directions"
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  • MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member Posts: 10,036 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    IF THIS IS A SPORTER WEIGHT BARREL TRY A LITTLE UP PRESSURE ON THE BARREL AT THE FORE END, SEVERAL THICKNESSES OF BUSNESS CARDS BETWEEN THE FORE END AND STOCK SHOULD DO. I FIND THAT MOST SPORTER WEIGHT BARRELS SHOOT BETTER THIS WAY.
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  • Shootist3006Shootist3006 Member Posts: 4,171
    edited November -1
    Freebore is the distance between the bullet and the rifling, not quote:Have him check the headspace first. Belted magnums headspace by the belt, not the shoulder, if there is excessive freebore,(room in front of the shoulders)then thats it!
    if there is room in front of the shoulders of the case, that is excessive headspace and is a BAD thing.
    Weatherbys are designed for more than normal freebore, I believe to help handle the high pressures of Weatherby loadings.

    Without seeing the rifle in question, I can't offer much help, Mike has a good inexpensive suggestion for troubleshooting though.

    One question though - if quote: As far as I know he never shot the rifel before he had any work done on it. your friend had never shot the rifle, why did he have all this expensive work done? Weatherby's come with a pretty good trigger and very good mounts - why the changes?

    Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
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  • JustCJustC Member Posts: 16,056 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I stand corrected, shootist3006 is correct about my definition being scewed, that's what I get for thinking of two things at once. The freebore or the headspacing being off are both problems. Either will cause inaccuracy. I can't and probably never will understand why a company would seat it's ammo back so far away from the rifling and know they did it.

    A great rifle with a junk scope,....is junk.
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