[MinnesotaJoel]

Hey guys,

I recently purchased a Ruger M77 in .270win. I shot a few boxes at a range near my house and it shot beutifully, when I went up north i shot it at longer ranges and my groups were 5-6" to the right. Someone said I may have put pressure on the side of the synthetic stock and moved the point of impact. They said I might want to bed the barrel. What will this do for my accuracy? I also have seen kits to do this in my local gunsmiths shop, I think they are from brownells, are these any good for the do it yourselfer?

 

[RON KONTOWSKY]

Joel,
you are going to want to free float that barrel, then bedd the action.
that will relieve any pressure on the barrel, what bedding does when done properly is perfectly set and center the action allowing for a stress free foundation, so when removing the action for cleaning and return to the stock after your action is now custom fitted allowing for repeatability.
So yes it is highly recommended and will only improve the preformance of the rifle.
The ruger 77 is a tad more difficult to attempt, if this your first bedding job I would leave it up to your local smith, but if you wish to attempt it your self go slowly and use plenty of release agent.
good luck!
RON KONTOWSKY
DEANS GUNSHOP II

 

[gunnut69]

Before bedding a few questions?? Did you remove the barreled action from the stock? Was the rifle rested the same for both shooting sessions? Synthetic stocks are supposed to provide the advantage of the point of impact not moving when the stock swells.. 5-6 inches is quite a bit of movement unless you were applying a lot of pressure.. Is the stock to barrel gap smaller on one side of the barrel channel than the other?? How's the accuracy of the rifle? We really need more info before bedding is justified.. the gunnut69

 

[nhcruffler]

Re; 5-6" to the right

Sometimes we tend to overlook the odvious. I just wonder if you changed ammo, or bumped the scope/sights, or maybe they loosened up on you. How much farther out were you shooting? Was it very windy? Eliminate all the smaller stuff first, then go ahead and bed the action.

 

[savageT]

My 2 cents worth......Were you using a sling? Were you using a bench at the range....Did you rest the gun on the forearm or barrel, and what about the 2nd time....were you using the same position when firing? Lets try to get out all the conditions you used on the two different locations and times. Thanks!

Jim

 

[I am CAL.........]

ruger 77

Joel, I would suggest you go back to the original range at the original distance and see if it still shoots as it did when it shot beautifully.Use the same ammo as you did first time.You can have your rifle pillow bedded and the barrel floated and the little minor details will not let your gun shoot correctly. Is the scope tight and working correctly?Is the barrel clean(free from copper fouling)?Are you shooting from a bench with the same hold each time.Are you still shooting after your barrel heats up?Are you using the same ammo that shot so good?Any of what I call minor details plus the suggestions from the other posters will keep your gun from shooting the same.