Biggest factor in accuracy?

[gmcman355]

What is the biggest factor in making a rifle accurate? I was at my LGS the other day and was looking over a couple rifles one being a savage with the accutrigger and one of the gentleman in there started to grumble about how no matter what trigger they put in it the gun could never match a 700. I know the 700 has a long history of accuracy but it seems most change nearly everything to get there. So what truly makes a rifle a tack driver or pattern like a shotgun

 

[Mgderf]

Remington is in the middle of a major lawsuit involving their triggers on some 700's.
That's not to say they aren't good triggers/rifles. The majority are.

I have no personal experience with the Savage Accutrigger, but many, MANY people rant and rave about just how good they are.

 

[ChristianPatriot]

You

 

[JStang314]

Personally I'd vote that matching the right ammo to he rifle has the most to do with accuracy. I have a cheap DPMS AR15 that might out shoot either bolt gun if it doesn't like what you are feeding it. Both guns you listed will be very accurate with rounds they like.

 

[JStang314]

You

Ok this and then ammo.

 

[gmcman355]

The accutrigger did feel very nice for an out of the box production rifle trigger. Ive never been overly impressed with a stock 700 for the price you pay for them but ive also never been that into long range shooting. I'm starting to take an interest in it though and am leary of even beginning with my current bolt guns

 

[ChristianPatriot]

<p>

Ok this and then ammo.

Nope. Wind calls, cartridge selection, and accurate ranging. In that order.</p>

 

[M67]

What is the biggest factor in making a rifle accurate?

Looks, duh

 

[phylodog]

Building an accurate rifle requires precise machining and quality components. Square surfaces and threads on the receiver & bolt and a straight barrel with clean rifling and a good crown.

Anyone who would dismiss the accuracy potential of a Savage in a discussion of factory rifles doesn't know what they're talking about. I'm a fan of the 700 and don't care for the Savage rifles but I sure wouldn't race against one for pink slips.

 

[gmcman355]

I am ordering a rock chucker here in the next week or two to start handloading. What is out there as far as ballistic calculator apps that are user friendly.

 

[Spear Dane]

The biggest factor in accuracy is not the rifle, it's the operator.

 

[gmcman355]

That being the case I may want to stick room clearing range just to keep my self esteem intact

 

[ChristianPatriot]

That being the case I may want to stick room clearing range just to keep my self esteem intact

No way!! Get out there and shoot!!

 

[DRob]

Consistency is #1. That applies to the shooter, the gun, and the ammo.

 

[Hookeye]

I prefer the Walker trigger on a 700 (compared to the Xmark Pro).
But too many folks aren't smart or safe, so the design could enhance their stupidity.
One guy on another forum spoke of a couple 700's he knows that were bought new (way back), reportedly never fiddled with, and yrs later had slam fire.
I asked if that truly were the case and the owners honest...........how the rifles were maintained (proly WD40 gummed up). No reply.
Have seen a couple with misadjusted triggers that were dangerous.
Lots or morons out there, some own screwdrivers.

I only set mine as low as they safely can go. I do a spring change. Doing that, and resealing the set screws..........I had one really sloppy housing/parts that could only go to repeatable and safe.........28 oz. That's a deer trigger IMHO.

Too many think one has to work the bolt/fully chamber each round to empty the mag. The bolt bump and rotate gun to dump out into hand is beyond the dexterity and or thought of many. I learned it in 5th grade.

But then I also learned way before that to not point a gun at anything I didn't want to shoot. And to treat every gun as loaded.

That kind of nonsense keeps me from being a star on some CNBC crapfest.

IMHO that show was to counter all the Sniper hoopla, since they already demonized AR15's they were going for the next popular platform.

 

[Hookeye]

I haven;t worked up any real specific load for my current 700, but with old ammo from another rig it's under an inch at 100"
Hope minor adjustment will get that close to .5"

My other two .243 700s did. My 600 was .75 as was my Model 7. But so was that damn ugly Savage Axis I bought for a beater. Long action, short cartridge, crap stock and feel............it went bye bye.

The least amount of work went into the Model 7, because it had an HS stock. I just made the trigger safe, since prev owner set it to trip with anything but slow bolt close (yes he did). The Savage Axis required the most work.

None of the tweaks were hard, just took a little time.

 

[dhamby]

I believe Applied Ballistic has released their program on hit percentage for the PC. Go check it out. It will show you exactly what and how everything affects accuracy. Surprisingly the difference between a 1/2 moa gun and a 1 moa gun is one a few percent different. Your biggest thing is ammo consistency, followed closely by wind calls. Sometimes depending on the target range they do flip flop position.

Also I run their Applied Ballistics ballistic app. While it is not free is worth the cost. Used to run Strelok apps and they don't compare to the AB app. I like that the AB factors in coriolis and spin drift. Also has a full library of projectiles with both G1 and G7 bc's.

 

[ol' Huff]

Skill

 

[Trigger Time]

Good barrel to start with

 

[SSE]

#1 The barrel If it does not have a good barrel there is nothing that will make it shoot.
#2 The ammo If its got a good barrel and you feed it good ammo it likes, it is going to shoot.