Out of the box accuracy claims

Gil Martin · #1 10-04-2016, 05:47 AM

Ever get tired of claims about which centerfire rifle is the most accurate "right out of the box"? I have taken a lot of such rifles out of the box with varying results. My unscientific findings are that it depends. There are so many variables that the color of the box may or may not be significant. The best shooting centerfire rifle I own is a low number 1903 Springfield in .30-06 that someone sporterized many years ago. It never came with a box so it depends. All the best...
Gil

skeet · #2 10-04-2016, 07:16 AM

Yep..I have a higher grade Kimber 30-06 that is scary accurate... with Hornady Superformance ammo. A numb from the neck up friend can shoot well under 1/2 inch groups..I am lucky to get under 3/4 in. but it is very accurate. Also have a nice Remington 700 in 6mm that just shoots so-so. I only bought it cause it was really pretty and the caliber is usually very accurate. That rifle never got that message as an inch and 3/4s is good for it. I have a Rem 788 in 6mm that shoots really well. It cost about a 100 bucks with a Bushnell scope.

Dan Morris · #3 10-04-2016, 10:52 AM

I have never been impressed with accuracy claims, I have never owned a rifle that I couldn't better with a manicured hand load.
Dan

Adam Helmer · #4 10-04-2016, 12:27 PM

Dan,

I agree with you. All of my very accurate rifles got that way due to good handloads.

Adam

skeet · #5 10-05-2016, 03:06 AM

Guys I agree with you on working up handloads. I did that in the past with many rifles looking for the ultimate accuracy. There is a caveat though. I didn't mind shooting all those rounds looking for that great load....but...I shot those rifles a lot..eventually I came to realize I was wasting the rifle's prime accuracy looking for perfection. By the time you get to two thousand rounds on most high intensity rounds...accuracy is falling off a bit. Some rifles like the weatherby's are even less rounds than that..some are in the hundreds of rounds...not thousands. Had a 264 Win Mag that the bore was toast in by 1200 rounds. Handguns are a much different story. Unless you are a target shooter of some merit find a good shooting load and stick with it. I had a Contender 222 one time that shot Remington factory loads better than any I could concoct. Don't know why..it was just that way. Oh BTW..I have looked at many rifle bores over the years with a bore scope. Have found most(but not all) hunting rifles are shot very little. That 788 6mm Has a pristine bore..but the stock has some character ...I guess that is what they call it anyway. LOL

Dan Morris · #6 10-05-2016, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skeet

Guys I agree with you on working up handloads. I did that in the past with many rifles looking for the ultimate accuracy. There is a caveat though. I didn't mind shooting all those rounds looking for that great load....but...I shot those rifles a lot..eventually I came to realize I was wasting the rifle's prime accuracy looking for perfection. By the time you get to two thousand rounds on most high intensity rounds...accuracy is falling off a bit. Some rifles like the weatherby's are even less rounds than that..some are in the hundreds of rounds...not thousands. Had a 264 Win Mag that the bore was toast in by 1200 rounds. Handguns are a much different story. Unless you are a target shooter of some merit find a good shooting load and stick with it. I had a Contender 222 one time that shot Remington factory loads better than any I could concoct. Don't know why..it was just that way. Oh BTW..I have looked at many rifle bores over the years with a bore scope. Have found most(but not all) hunting rifles are shot very little. That 788 6mm Has a pristine bore..but the stock has some character ...I guess that is what they call it anyway. LOL

Guess that's why I have spare barrels for each of my winchesters...............
Dan

wrenchman · #7 10-05-2016, 08:34 PM

i have a model 700 270 that shoots 1 inch groups at 100 and it has done it from when i got it
i have had other 700 rems that would not do that almost ever one the triggers sucked and needed work.

Rapier · #8 11-03-2016, 01:06 PM

The Rem 700 action is actually just a pipe, and when you put a good barrel in it, it is capable of pretty good accuracy even out of the box. Trick it out and it can make a real fine shooter, even for a sporting weight rifle.
Here a while ago, according to Woody at LW USA, Remington bought an order of several hundred Lothar Walther barrels from LW out of Germany, to fill a gap in orders. From what I understand, if you happen to get a 700 with one of those barrels you could have well won the out of the box accuracy lottery.

LW does not make designated match barrels, all of their barrels are match barrels. When I can get LW barrels, I use them in my custom 700 rifle builds.
Ed

Jack · #9 11-04-2016, 06:21 AM

I have noticed that, while shooting at a public range, that quite a few groups people shoot are significantly larger than 1 inch @100 yards. They must not be shooting those Internet rifles.

Handloads help, usually, as does tuning the rifle. But, before you start tuning, try the rifle out - sometimes they do shoot out of the box.

wrenchman · #10 11-04-2016, 08:02 PM

i got a 6.5x55 sweed milatary peace for a cheep price the trigger is real bad it has the origanal i have never shot a 2 stage trigger.
i have read they were real tack drivers and can say not buy me and with factory loads.

Rapier · #11 11-30-2016, 03:39 PM

The problem with the Swedes is that they are all used and in various bore conditions. If you happen to get one with a bad or worn bore it may not shoot at all. But a good Swede should shoot about 1-1.5 inches at 100 with its open sights. If your rifle is all original, it should have a brass disk on the right side of the butt stock that shows the bore dimensions. If you go to the Swedish Mauser page at Chuckhawks.com m-96, it describes how to read the disk.
Ed

If you want to sell that worn out old Swede, let me know about price.

wrenchman · #12 11-30-2016, 08:34 PM

the bore is good it the nut behind the stock that cant shoot a 2 stage triger if i can figure out how to post a pick i will it has been scoped before i got it

wrenchman · #13 11-30-2016, 09:00 PM

Here's my sweed

Evan03 · #14 05-29-2017, 01:18 AM

Most of them shoot out of box, it's pretty tricky shooting in the box.

Dom · #15 12-05-2017, 09:34 PM

Pretty much standard that if you buy American you will be freefloating, bedding, replacing trigger, stockwork, etc. Of course this all depends on how picky or accurate you want that new rifle to be. Some folks like to tinker. I also did my share of tinkering. But it is nice not to have to tinker.

Guess I'm partial to Europe, but if you want to buy a rifle and do absolutely nothing to it, I have found the Blaser R93 and R8 to be the best out of box rifle, bar none. This comes at a price, but you really don't have to do one single thing to the rifle. What is nice, is quality and barrel changing. For a travel package it just can't be beat. Short Pelican, one stock and action, and two barrels each with a scope. No sight in required in changing barrels, scope mounts directly on barrel. Straight pull with no action = a shorter overall rifle.

This promo has some spectacular footage, along with all the other Blaser films.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwxnAjuykEI&t=11s