Number 1b won't Group

[lookieloo]

Upon graduation from college (11 years ago), my father and brother presented me with the gun of my dreams, a 25-06 Number 1b. I was much enamored with the 26 inch barrel and it's sightless profile along with the Leopold VX-II 3-9x50 scope. However, when I went to sight it in, I was disappointed to find it's grouping inferior to my old 7400 Remington with a Weaver K-6. My local gunsmith pronounced it fine, and the old guys sitting around on stools pronounced me a bad shot who's rifle wasn't broke-in yet. Over the years, I've tried to figure it out using chronographs, led-sleds, and varying loads (even some hand-loads); but I still can't get those 100 yd shots to group any tighter than 3-4 inches (extremely light varmint loads did the best, but prairie-dogs aren't what I wanted it for).

I'm reaching out for help here because the gun has sentimental-value (Dad died in 2008) and I really want to make it work as the gun I hunt with. Thus-far, it's been good enough for deer at 50 yds and hogs at 70yds; but someday, I want to carry it confidently on a pronghorn hunt or at least show-off a 100-yard cloverleaf to someone. Any tips for factory ammo or modifications would be welcome. My brother thinks there might be a problem with the scope, but I'm not convinced (the groups don't shift, they're just bad).

 

[Chief 101]

I have a #1 that need the forearm taken off periodically and reset with a fairly light screw torque. Other than that I can only say that you should get many replies here and many fix-it ideas...

 

[picketpin]

What do the 3-4 inch groups look like. Just sort of spread out in general or is there vertical stringing?

In MOST #1s it's a matter of forearm pressure and barrel harmonics. Again MOST #1s shoot best with a bit of forearm pressure, hence the wood at the end of the forearm to exert upward pressure. This pressure can be altered by how tight you set the forearm screw.

Again I use the word MOST. Most #1s are very specific to the bullet they prefer and the resulting barrel harmonics. I would try several different bullet weights. As the 25-06 is overbore it usually does best with slower powders and heavy for caliber bullets. So usually powder in the IMR 4831 range or slower with bullets from 100 to 120 grains. My 25-06 "B" prefers 115 grain Noslers. The "V" prefers 100 grain Noslers or Sierra bullets and IMR 4350.

First thing I would do is check the forearm very carefully and see if there are any points where it contacts the barrel channel other than the pressure pad at the very tip. If there is correct that.

You can eliminate the forearm as the problem by shooting a few groups with the forearm removed and just resting the rifle on the action on the bags/rest. IF your groups improve it's likely the tip pressure. Put the forearm back on and just barely snug the screw. Fire another group if it's what you want stop. If not continue to add pressure and either count the turns or use a torque wrench so the setting can be repeated in the future. Usually somewhere between just snugged up and tight as Hell, the rifle will show you how much pressure it likes.

The are a bunch of tuning tips over on the #1 Site on Yahoo. We have an annual postal shoot and we are getting groups that are below 1/2" for two 5 shot groups, averaged with some rifles..

One of the things that most of us do is use a dowel and a piece of sandpaper and sand out the pressure point at the tip of the barrel channel. Then replace it with a piece of heavy rubber from a truck inner tube. It should replace the wood you sanded away and should run from side to side and cover about 1" of the barrel channel. This seems to help the barrel settle back into a more uniform position. Stands to reason that the wood gets battered and compressed after a lot of shooting and it changes with humidity. Once installed it is barely noticeable and does not detract from the looks of your #1.

If a wider selection of bullets/loads and/or varying tip pressure doesn't help there are a bunch of other small tweaks you can do BUT first try those two.

Some general rules. Lots of smiths or guys at the range will tell you all about tuning your #1. Ask, the vast majority have never owned or fired a #1 and fewer smiths have ever seriously worked on them. So take their advise with a huge grain of salt.

I have never taken the rib off and relieved it to not touch the action. I have never cut a rib in half so it doesn't introduce stress on the barrel as it heats unevenly. How freaking HOT do they think you are heating up the barrel on your #1? Certainly in no target or hunting situation can you get the barrel hot enough that the barrel expands differently than the rib enough to cause any problem. I have never glass bedded the fore arm. I have never removed enough wood so the forearm doesn't touch the action, I have never free floated the barrel of a #1. I have never....................it's a real long list. ;-)

I have hunted big game and shot varmints with #1s since 1967 when the first came out and with just a bit of tinkering have been able to get MOA or just slightly above out of every HUNTING rifle #1 I own/shoot and that goes from 243 Win all the way up to my 338 Win Mag with most common cartridges in between including a bunch of wildcats.

The serious varminters all shoot near 1/2 groups but that usually takes more time and tinkering including aftermarket triggers and lighter hammers and springs. Plus a lot of load work.

If you get really serious and choose the right cartridge, something that is slightly under bore capacity for caliber and use bench rest loading techniques it is possible to get a #1 to shoot into the .3s for 5 shoot groups. I know that my 22PPC, 22BR and 6PPC will and the 6mm Rem I own will or at least the guy I bought it from could get there with it.

With hunting rifles, especially #1s it's just that I quit at or near MOA as I figure I can't hold any tighter, standing on my hind legs with a standard scope, so why bother. A load that gets you consistently near MOA should kill anything you shoot at within normal hunting ranges, including antelope.

The best and do keep us posted and we'll try to get you where you want to be in terms of groups and overall accuracy. Your 25-06 is capable of and should shoot lot's closer to MOA. It might just take a bit of tinkering. ;-)

Ross W Thomas
Great Basin Ranch
Owyhee County, ID

 

[lookieloo]

Thanks all for the replies. I will try the forearm recommendation first and see how that goes. However, I'm not a hand-loader; so I'm pretty much limited factory stuff. I'm after something for medium game because I have other guns for varmints. Does anyone have experience with 100gr solid copper ballistic tips in a 25-06? There's a butt-ton of Barnes VOR-TX on the shelf at my store (box says 3200 fps), but even with my discount, it would be a bit pricey.

 

[picketpin]

I last used Barnes bullets BEFORE they started milling the three rings into them to decrease the bearing surface and reduce chamber pressures. I have talked to other guys that have had good luck with them. As far as terminal ballistics and ability to kill stuff I think they work fine, again that's from word of mouth not actual experience,

What you are looking for is heavy for caliber bullets to take advantage of the bore capacity of the 25-06.
Try the Barnes, they may be a bt lighter due to the reduction in weight in all copper bullets compared to the standard lead cored bullet. BUT they are LONG for their weight so have a fairly high ballistic coefficient.

Federal loads factory ammo in their Premium line that use Nosler Partitions. A great game bullet but a bit over kill for antelope. They also load for the 25-06 using the Nosler Ballistic Tip except they are lubloy coated ad have a white tip for sale to other out side companies/

Heck try good old Remington CoreLokts if you can find them. I used them for years before I got serious about reloading.

The 25-06 is popular enough that there are lots of good factory ammo for it out there from various makers and a wide range of bullets, including several that load premium bullets from outside makers.. Yes it might take a few boxes to find what your rifle likes but in terms of cost it the least expensive thing you can buy/control. A few boxes of loaded ammo are going to be less expensive than a tank of gas or an antelope tag. MOst of us got into reloading to reduce per cartridge costs. Nearly all factory ammo loaded now is pretty good. The down side is that #1s CAN be finicky and it might take a bit to find it's favorite load.

I have 5 #1s in 257 Roberts and 5 in 22-250. Each has it's own favorite load that shoots the smallest groups. BUT with a bit of tinkering I have found a load that all the 257s shot well and the same with the 22-250s.

Shoot what you have on hand with the forearm off BEFORE you do anything else.!!! Then experiment with the tip pressure by how tight the forearm screw is. It COULD be as simple as that. ;-)

Ross

 

[Lloyd Smale]

mine prefers either the 100 grain nos bt or sierra flat base spitzer with 7828 and is very good shooting gun. It will shoot either of those combos into less then an inch for 5 shots at a 100 yards. It doesnt like bullets heavier then 100s. Some #1s just plain dont shoot. More so the old ones then recent guns. Ive had to give up on a couple old red pad guns and just put them up for sale. Some of them wont shoot no matter what you do short of replacing the barrel.

 

[Cracker-American]

Thank you very much Ross. I feel as though I have just gotten an advanced course in rifle tuning.

 

[Rabon]

mine prefers either the 100 grain nos bt or sierra flat base spitzer with 7828 and is very good shooting gun. It will shoot either of those combos into less then an inch for 5 shots at a 100 yards. It doesnt like bullets heavier then 100s. Some #1s just plain dont shoot. More so the old ones then recent guns. Ive had to give up on a couple old red pad guns and just put them up for sale. Some of them wont shoot no matter what you do short of replacing the barrel.

Are there any particular years which seem to have more accuracy issues than others ? I just picked up a 1985 produced 1B chambered for the 7 MM Rem Mag haven't started working with it yet and have no idea what to expect. :)

 

[picketpin]

Rabon: The first #1s from the start of their manufacture up to about serial number 130-05000 were fitted with Douglas Premium barrels. As a general rule they shoot well.

The talk of bad barrels came about in in the mid 1970s when Ruger switched from Douglas barrels to Wilson barrels. (Ruger dramatically increased production and Douglas opted to not renew their contract)

Initially there were some issues with Wilson barrels. The biggest problem were rifles, the 7x57 in particular that were throated too long and accuracy suffered with ammo loaded to SAAMI spec. I hand load and never noticed an accuracy issue except for my 7x57. The 7x57 couldn't load 120, 140s and even 150s out close enough to the lands to group well. It does work with 175 Round Nosed Winchesters, I guess they were thinking of surplus WWII ammo when they cut the throats. Within a few years they had most issues solved. Some of the most accurate #1s I own are guns from the late 70s through the 1980s. My 22BR started life as a factory 218 Bee with a Wilson barrel. I used the BR instead of the PPC case as it removed ALL of the 218 Bee chamber, including the rim area. As a 22BR with a Wilson barrel it shots 40 grain Noslers into the mid .4s with judicious reloading.

In the mid 1990s Ruger switched to their own barrels made in house using hammer forging. As a general rule they shoot well.

I have some #1s that I wildcatted and you could not simply rechamber the factory barrel. I have used Llija, Shilen, Douglas, Hart and most of the other "premium" manufactures for after market barrels. My 257 Roberts "V" with a Shilen barrel used to be the most accurate #1 I owned. Right now the 22PPC and 6mmPPC with factory barrels will give it a run for it's money.

I personally have NOT seen a vast improvement in accuracy with anybodies after market barrel. TOO many other issues with a #1. Two piece stock, falling block action, heavy hammer and stiff main spring............

The very best #1s will out shoot most decent bolt guns. The very best #1s won't outshoot GOOD bolt guns.

I'd mess with a LOT of things before I'd swap barrels. Of course there are guys that insist in replacing the barrel on #1s regardless of which era they were made.

Ross

 

[roofinspector]

You bet............ :)

 

[Dave H]

Ross, thank you for taking the time to educate those of us less experienced with the No. 1s. After wanting No.1 for 30 years (or longer) I just picked up my first. It's a really nice (probably 98%) non-prefix rifle chambered in .222. I'm curious as to why you say that the factory barrels couldn't be recut. Was it the hammer forging process that made it not possible?

Again, thanks for all of the info. It's much appreciated.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

my rule of thumb with them through the years has been if they shoot under 2 inch its worth some attempt at bedding or hanger work. If its over 2inch its probably not worth bothering with other then rebarreling as its never going to be an exceptional shooter. Your not going to take a #1 that shoots 3 inch groups and make it a sub moa gun

 

[picketpin]

Single: No, all of the factory supplied barrels can be re-chambered with good results. I prefer to do it that way so the rifle remains as "stock" Ruger" as possible. It's pretty easy to take a 22-250 and make a 22-250 Ackley Improved. I've made 4 into 257 Ackley Improveds with factory barrels, 6mm-284 out of a 243, 30-338 out of a 30-06 and of course my 22BR out of the 218 Bee and a bunch more. No, the reason and only reason I use after market barrels is IF Ruger hasn't made/supplied a barrel in the caliber I'm playing with. That includes several rifles in various .17 calibers, 17 Mach IV, 17 Remington come to mid. Or if there simply isn't anything factory that is practical to end up where you want to be. After I got my 270 Weatherby I really wanted a 240 Weatherby. The problem is that all the factory cartridges are fatter than the skinny 240 WBY so you have to start with a .243 bore barrel as there is nothing "factory" you can re-chamber to 240 WBY Others would require you to turn back the barrel so far that it'd look odd even if it did work..

Might have been able to use a 6mm PPC to make the 240 WBY, but I built the 240 BEFORE I spent years looking for a #1 "V" in 6mm PPC. Even if it would work some #1s are too damned rare/uncommon to mess with. (Thanks Lance)

You could make any of the bigger 22 center fires with your 222 but that would sure be a waste of a really nice and quite rare #1. Back in the 70s I ended up with 2 non prefix 222 "AH"s and at one point was going to re-chamber one into something else. Thankfully in a brief moment of clarity, I decided not to. I actually re-chambered and re-barreled a few that were quite rare, including non prefixes, BEFORE I retired and actually started studying and collecting #1s Prior to that I just shot them. The only good thing in this process was I'm such a pack rat I kept all the takeoff barrels and over the years acquired spare "correct" barrels for those I rechambered. I could put my 257 Roberts "V" back to a Douglas barreled 1970 22-250 "V" but I really like that rifle as is. Besides I sold that barrel to a member here that needed it to restore his 22-250.

A couple of years ago I finally went through all of mine and had the smith re-install factory barrels on those that I had retained or factory barrels that matched for caliber/cartridge and age (markings) and put them back to original. It cost me just a bit over $5000 by the time you added the cost of barrels.

But my 223 AB is back to being a 223 instead of a 22 Cheetah MKII "V", I put the original barrel back into the 300 Win Mag "V", found a correct 30-06 Douglas barrel for the non prefix "B" that became my first 30-338 back in 1972. I then installed the barrels into "Common: #1s of no particular period or collector value or rarity. I didn't start actually "collecting" #1s until the early 90s when I retired. Before that I simply bought a lot and shot/hunted a LOT of #1s and frankly had no idea as to rarity.

I'm a bit of a fuss budget and instead of simply having the smith stamp a new chamber designation on a barrel and XXX out the old one, I paid extra and had him mill a small flat (Removing) the factory designation and then engrave the new cartridge in script.

Even when I have used after market barrels I have always had them tapered to factory profile.

Lloyd might be right but I'd try a few easier/cheaper things FIRST.

The best

Ross

We FINALLY got that Wilson barreled 7x57 "A" to shoot right at 2". I'd have scrapped it years ago BUT my dad killed his last deer with it just to prove 2" groups were just fine. He died before the next hunting season. So, that ones here to stay and pass on to my grandson. ;-)

 

[RSIno1]

Any way to tell which barrel is on a No1? I've got 2 that are pre warning another red pad one and an RSI from the 90s.

 

[picketpin]

There is no specific marking on any of the barrels that indicate maker from Ruger. Sadly Ruger can/will only tell you when your rifle SHIPPED which is of course not when it was assembled. I think that once you get to 1980 they can all pretty much be considered as having WILSON barrels for sure. Same for the early to mid 90s on should be RUGER.

I have several that are RUGER hammer forged barrels that under bright, oblique light you can actually see the spiral marks of the hammer forging. I personally would love it if they simply left them that way like the 10/22Target or my Styers

I also think that under today's management if they found a pile of Wilson barrels sitting on a shelf some where they'd just install them and send them out the door. Like most things Ruger, the exact point in time when they changed from one barrel, checkering pattern, trigger etc is nebulous and I doubt if even Ruger could tell you IF they wanted to.

Ross

 

[wunbe]

Noone here seems to credit the various hanger stabilizing tactics -- most involve an adjustable set screw tying the barrel and hanger together to dampen out random vibrations -- or free floating as options in tightening groups.

I have 5 #1s -- a .25-06, a .280, a 22 Hornet, a 6mm REM (all 1Bs) and a 45-70 -- that, after the set screw fix, became highly reliable MOA rifles with the factory fodder they prefer and after sealing the wood.

Most of my #1s never needed those 'tweaks'. Maybe 20 % did need help and some -- not all-- responded with just free floating and sealing done in house.

The set screw approach never failed to improve things for me although the change is expensive and so I have used it only rarely and with high-end smiths who do it right. They also are usually very busy and there are long waits.

I have never changed barrels on a #1 chasing accuracy. The really poor shooters that do not respond get rebarreled or rebored to custom profiles I want -- 338-06, .338 Federal, .300 H&H and 9.3x62 -- and invariably have given reliable service in those calibers.

wunbe

 

[Lloyd Smale]

ross I guess i think a bit differntly then some. Reloading components especially today are expensive and hard to get. Its very easy to shoot up darned near as much money as a gun cost trying to make it shoot. Sometimes its just better to cut your losses on a gun that really wants to be medeocure.

Single: No, all of the factory supplied barrels can be re-chambered with good results. I prefer to do it that way so the rifle remains as "stock" Ruger" as possible. It's pretty easy to take a 22-250 and make a 22-250 Ackley Improved. I've made 4 into 257 Ackley Improveds with factory barrels, 6mm-284 out of a 243, 30-338 out of a 30-06 and of course my 22BR out of the 218 Bee and a bunch more. No, the reason and only reason I use after market barrels is IF Ruger hasn't made/supplied a barrel in the caliber I'm playing with. That includes several rifles in various .17 calibers, 17 Mach IV, 17 Remington come to mid. Or if there simply isn't anything factory that is practical to end up where you want to be. After I got my 270 Weatherby I really wanted a 240 Weatherby. The problem is that all the factory cartridges are fatter than the skinny 240 WBY so you have to start with a .243 bore barrel as there is nothing "factory" you can re-chamber to 240 WBY Others would require you to turn back the barrel so far that it'd look odd even if it did work..

Might have been able to use a 6mm PPC to make the 240 WBY, but I built the 240 BEFORE I spent years looking for a #1 "V" in 6mm PPC. Even if it would work some #1s are too damned rare/uncommon to mess with. (Thanks Lance)

You could make any of the bigger 22 center fires with your 222 but that would sure be a waste of a really nice and quite rare #1. Back in the 70s I ended up with 2 non prefix 222 "AH"s and at one point was going to re-chamber one into something else. Thankfully in a brief moment of clarity, I decided not to. I actually re-chambered and re-barreled a few that were quite rare, including non prefixes, BEFORE I retired and actually started studying and collecting #1s Prior to that I just shot them. The only good thing in this process was I'm such a pack rat I kept all the takeoff barrels and over the years acquired spare "correct" barrels for those I rechambered. I could put my 257 Roberts "V" back to a Douglas barreled 1970 22-250 "V" but I really like that rifle as is. Besides I sold that barrel to a member here that needed it to restore his 22-250.

A couple of years ago I finally went through all of mine and had the smith re-install factory barrels on those that I had retained or factory barrels that matched for caliber/cartridge and age (markings) and put them back to original. It cost me just a bit over $5000 by the time you added the cost of barrels.

But my 223 AB is back to being a 223 instead of a 22 Cheetah MKII "V", I put the original barrel back into the 300 Win Mag "V", found a correct 30-06 Douglas barrel for the non prefix "B" that became my first 30-338 back in 1972. I then installed the barrels into "Common: #1s of no particular period or collector value or rarity. I didn't start actually "collecting" #1s until the early 90s when I retired. Before that I simply bought a lot and shot/hunted a LOT of #1s and frankly had no idea as to rarity.

I'm a bit of a fuss budget and instead of simply having the smith stamp a new chamber designation on a barrel and XXX out the old one, I paid extra and had him mill a small flat (Removing) the factory designation and then engrave the new cartridge in script.

Even when I have used after market barrels I have always had them tapered to factory profile.

Lloyd might be right but I'd try a few easier/cheaper things FIRST.

The best

Ross

We FINALLY got that Wilson barreled 7x57 "A" to shoot right at 2". I'd have scrapped it years ago BUT my dad killed his last deer with it just to prove 2" groups were just fine. He died before the next hunting season. So, that ones here to stay and pass on to my grandson. ;-)

 

[Rick Taylor]

I have a 1A 7x57 with a wilson barrel that is long throated and would'nt do much better than 2" with good handloads. At the time I was working as a toolmaker so I drilled the hole in the hanger, dimpled the barrel so the set screw would seat in it, installed the set screw (don't remember what size it is but either a #8 or #6 screw). with somewhere around 3 or 4 turns on the set screw the rifle settled down and will shoot 1" 3 shot groups all day. as to the long throat its not a problem, just seat the bullets farther out. I use 154 hornadys and 50 gr. of IMR4831. One other thing, this rifle needs to have the barrel fouled with a couple of shots to do its best work. Three other #1s that I own (#1b and 2 #1s) didn't need anything and all shoot well with no mods, but the 7x57 is my favorite, it's 5 for 5 on whitetails! Good luck with yours!

 

[picketpin]

Wunbe, Rick: Yes and it is something Dan (The first guy I worked with back in the early 70s that actually owned and shot #1s and still does) we did in fact drill the hanger on some in the 70s and yes it sometimes works wonders. Today it is much easier to simply install The Hicks Accuizer. All that requires is a Dremel tool and a bit of time to remove wood inside the forearm, seal the wood and a small hole into the area where the forearm hanger screw goes. To me that is easier and it can be removed and requires no permanent alteration of the rifle.

WE also started using a dimple and either a nylon or lead bead for consistency and to not mar the barrel. Now IF I use a Hicks, which I seldom do any more I simply drop a piece of lead shot into the screw/adjustment hole in the Hicks and run it up against the barrel. The Hicks also has the advantage of being externally adjustable.

Joe Miller over on the #1 Site came up with the Rubber Thingy idea after looking at a Winchester target 22 he had that had rubber as the bearing surface at the fore arm tip. It seems to do a lot to get the barrel to return to the same position shot to shot.

To be honest I'm not a proponent of free floating a #1 BUT if a guy wants to it certainly can be tried and then use the rubber or glass bed the tip. Same thing with the set screw through the hanger or the Hicks. It's certainly worth a try and can always be removed. If either works for you then. GREAT. So sarcasm intended or implied. :)

With #1s that are hunting rifles I'm perfectly happy with, at or very near MOA and have been able to get there on most without major alterations. Some have done it right out of the box without any alterations. Varmint rifle where I'd like .5 or near often require other tweaks,

That said the Four most accurate #1s I own are my 22PPC "V", 22BR "B", 6mmPPC "V" and the old 257 Roberts "V". The one thing they all have in common is the rubber at the tip of the forearm. None are free floated and none have a Hicks or other method of putting uniform pressure on the barrel "from the hanger". Of course with the "V" and blocks there is issue about the rib. I did relieve the rear tip of the rib so it doesn't touch the action on the "B" but still think that's overkill, just one of those things that "can't hurt". They all have good triggers, the two PPCs have Keplinger triggers and the 22BR has a Canjar Single set BUT the 257 simply has a factory 3 screw/adjustable trigger adjusted as low as my smith dared go.Certainly UNSAFE in a hunting rifle.

The two PPCs also have Moulds Speed Hammers and light main springs. The other two have factory hammers but they have been lightened and the springs cut back a coil. Again NOT something I recommend for a hunting rifle. The factory hammer is heavy and if you put your #1 on a rest and bag and drop the hammer while looking through a high power scope, 36x or so you can see the scope deflect from 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch on the target. Again not something critical on a hunting rifle but if you are trying to wring out every bit of accuracy the Moulds set is worth the time and expense.

As for the forearm when I received the 6mmPPC from Lance he already had it shooting well with a load worked up. It has one alteration that he said the previous owner installed that I am try on a couple of other #1s. The owner had the hole for the forearm screw enlarged and removed the cupped escutcheon that it passes through and acts as the bearing surface for the screw head removed and installed what I would describe as an aluminum bedding block. It makes sense a the factory method has to compress the wood underneath the escutcheon and it can't possibly be exact each time you tighten it even using a torque wrench. The wood has to compress to some degree. The aluminum block has a bigger bearing surface and the is no wood to be compressed. I've done it to the 22PPC and am just waiting for spring to see if it helps. Again I'm not suggesting that this is something a guy needs/wants to do to a hunting rifle, I sure don't.

That raises the question is it worth all the time, trouble and expense? Certainly not for a hunting rifle #1. If you want to shoot tiny little bug holes or chucks a long way off with just their noses poking over a rock I have lots of bolt guns, mostly retired BR guns I've bought from friends, that will do that. BUT if you goal is to get as tiny a repeatable group as you can with a #1, these are the tricks that have been proven to work.

All 4 of the above rifle routinely shoot sub 1/2 MOA. The #1 Group match is 2 five shot groups fired in under 20 minutes and averaged. Last year my 22PPC scored 100s on both targets with 8 and 9 in the X and into the low and mid 4s that day. I finally beat Joe!! :P :wink: One of the things on my Bucket List. :wink: Of course he still beat me in the next category with his 6mmPPC. I got the yips and threw one out in the 9 ring. :cry:

To me, fat, old and crippled but with a bit of money and LOTS of time getting #1s to shoot is the goal. :wink:

If anybody else has a proven method that works for YOU, by all means use it. The overall goal is to encourage guys to shoot and hunt with their #1s and keep them in production for as long as we can.

Heck, if anybody would have told me a few years back that I'd be spending thousands on 36x and 40x Leupold scopes I'd have just laughed. I have learned that you can NOT shoot smaller than you can actually see to hold.

The very best to you all.

Ross

Lookie: Good luck and keep us posted there's enough knowledge and experience here to help you and/or tell you to cut you losses and run. :wink:

 

[Rabon]

Thanks for all the help and information, I will probably start working with my 1st #1 sometime this week. I will let you know how things go as I progress. :)

 

[lookieloo]

Here's an update everyone, I did a little sanding on the forearm and lightened torque on the screw. Grouping with my heavy hand-load improved markedly (went from 6-4 inch to less than 3), but grouping with my lighter factory-load improved only slightly (still better at around 2 inches or less). Tonight I set up my cousin to kill his first hog with it (dropped on the spot). I'll leave well-enough alone for now, but am now interested in making it even better. Anyone know a good gunsmith for #1s in East Texas?