Building My first gun

[Hman1956]

so how many of you guys have had good results on you first gun build?
any pointers on what to do/buy and where/from who, and what to stay away from doing myself.
I have a lathe (a very good one) available at work that I can use.
I plan on getting a short barrel and Buying the action complete.
any help with this........


Bill

 

[Hman1956]

I forgot to ask but what is more important, a great chamber, fitted tight ?to shoot 1 or 2 bullets or a $1200.00 action?

 

[Boyd Allen]

Give us a little help here. What are you planning on using this rifle for? What are your accuracy goals, and what are you willing to do to get there? We can tell you, if you do this and this and this, you will get this result, but it has been my experience that those who are new to the game, place too much emphasis one one or two factors, and expect that they can ignore others. This does not work. Have you done much reading off the internet? Do you like to read? The reason that I ask is that there are some very good books out there, that can help you along the road to better accuracy. What are you currently shooting? Do you reload?

 

[Hman1956]

I'm shooting a 700 VLS in .308 Hand load all of my rounds. I'm at the point right now, 1.25" groups @ 200 yards and can't get it any smaller. I have tried, many different loads, powders, bullet seat, bullet type & weights. I can get 3-4 of the rounds to touch and then get one that is a flier. the guys at the range say that I might be at the limit of the gun. More likely my limits but I'm working on that.
so I would like to get out to 600-1000 yards F-T/R, I could just buy a set-up but I would like to learn to do it myself.

 

[caroby]

The Wind..

I can get 3-4 of the rounds to touch and then get one that is a flier. the guys at the range say that I might be at the limit of the gun. More likely my limits but I'm working on that.


WIND FLAGS................. <<<<!........... You NEED these... Then the 200yd fliers will become MUCH less typical.
Don't give me the "Awww the wind felt light"..... Uuuuhuuuu..!
cale

 

[Boyd Allen]

Thanks for the additional information. A big second on the wind flags. Have you had it pillar bedded? What is your trigger pull weight? What sort of bench and rest setup are you shooting from. How are you holding the rifle? Were do you have your front sandbag on the stock, or are you shooting with a bipod? What dies are you using?

 

[Hman1956]

Thanks for the additional information. A big second on the wind flags. Have you had it pillar bedded? What is your trigger pull weight? What sort of bench and rest setup are you shooting from. How are you holding the rifle? Were do you have your front sandbag on the stock, or are you shooting with a bipod? What dies are you using?

Ok so I have bedded the recoil lug but no pillars, I just put in a Jewell with 8-9 oz pull. I shoot off on a concrete bench, adjustable front rest and bunny eared rear bag, right hand on the trigger left hand tucked under gun up against the rear bag. stock on the front rest and return it to the same position every shot.

Lapua brass, full case prep, trimmed, turned, flash hole, primer pocket, Hornady dies, fire form the brass then just neck size to .002 tension. all load are measured to +/- .04 grains. every round is then trued to .002.

I new to shooting and I'm trying to do everything right, even if most would think it's overkill @ 200 yards.

Bill

 

[Hman1956]

WIND FLAGS................. <<<<!........... You NEED these... Then the 200yd fliers will become MUCH less typical.
Don't give me the "Awww the wind felt light"..... Uuuuhuuuu..!
cale[/QUOTE]

this might sound a bit dumb" does rain have the same impact as a light wind????

Bill

 

[caroby]

WIND FLAGS................. <<<<!........... You NEED these... Then the 200yd fliers will become MUCH less typical.
Don't give me the "Awww the wind felt light"..... Uuuuhuuuu..!
cale

this might sound a bit dumb" does rain have the same impact as a light wind????

Bill[/QUOTE]

Not Dumb at all.... I still REALLY don't know...... I believe it could but have not seen any real adverse reaction form know Tack Driving set-ups to be
adversly affected by "light" "rain"... Typically light rain brings very steady light conditions where if a gun ain't SHOOT'N in this stuff, SOMTING is wrong.!

Bill, you'll be served WELL with even simple 4 foot tall wood dowl poles with serveyors tape tied on top.... No matter what "others" may say... Seems to me that many "other" disciplines of shooting tend to think wind flags are for Benchrest types ONLY..... Seen it A LOT...

Gotta see the wind "generally speaking" or you'll never know what's really affecting your shooting...
cale

 

[Dusty Stevens]

you didnt bed the front, sides or bottom of that recoil lug did you?

 

[Hman1956]

you didnt bed the front, sides or bottom of that recoil lug did you?

sound like I messed up...........yes I did.
filled the lug cavity in the stock with epoxy and put everything back together what it cured to it back apart cleaned everything up. I shot today and all was well.
what should of I done?

Bill

 

[Hman1956]

Bill, you'll be served WELL with even simple 4 foot tall wood dowl poles with serveyors tape tied on top.... No matter what "others" may say... Seems to me that many "other" disciplines of shooting tend to think wind flags are for Benchrest types ONLY..... Seen it A LOT...

was at the range today and someone had put up flags at 100 % 200 yards. IT HELPED A LOT still had some fliers but it took 1/2" off the worst of what I was getting. WILL NEVER SHOOT WITHOUT THEM AGAIN.

thanks Cale

Bill

 

[David Halblom]

When you bed an

sound like I messed up...........yes I did.
filled the lug cavity in the stock with epoxy and put everything back together what it cured to it back apart cleaned everything up. I shot today and all was well.
what should of I done?

Bill

action with a recoil lug between the barrel and the action there should be no contact between the bedding and 1) the front of the lug, 2) bedding and the sides of the lug and , 3) bedding and the bottom of the lug. The way to accomplish this is to put 3 or 4 layers of tape on the surfaces that were described as no contact and do not remove the tape as long as you are working with wet bedding compound or epoxy. When you are all done, remove the tape and you will have a perfect fit.

I ,for one, do something very similar even on actions such as Kodiaks that have integral lugs built into the bottom front of the action.

David

 

[Hman1956]

action with a recoil lug between the barrel and the action there should be no contact between the bedding and 1) the front of the lug, 2) bedding and the sides of the lug and , 3) bedding and the bottom of the lug. The way to accomplish this is to put 3 or 4 layers of tape on the surfaces that were described as no contact and do not remove the tape as long as you are working with wet bedding compound or epoxy. When you are all done, remove the tape and you will have a perfect fit.

David, may I ask why. I thought bedded was done to take the "play" out of the action/barrel and the stock.

Bill

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Bedding is to make a very consistent surface that gives you 100% contact molding the action to the stock. You want that 100% surface area EXCEPT under, in front and the sides of the recoil lug. It makes for tuning nightmares and fliers. Just grind it all back out and use black electrical tape to create the space. The only thing you want to touch the recoil lug is the complete back side so bed it with no tape on the back and covered on the rest

 

[Hman1956]

got it, doing it today. Can you explain the Pillar thing....

thanks Dusty

Bill

 

[Hman1956]

I'm shooting a 700 VLS in .308 Hand load all of my rounds. I'm at the point right now, 1.25" groups @ 200 yards and can't get it any smaller. I have tried, many different loads, powders, bullet seat, bullet type & weights. I can get 3-4 of the rounds to touch and then get one that is a flier. the guys at the range say that I might be at the limit of the gun. More likely my limits but I'm working on that.

so I would like to get out to 600-1000 yards F-T/R, I could just buy a set-up but I would like to learn to do it myself.

today's trip to the range.......
I have uploaded 4 pictures of just what I'm trying to get a handle on. 3-4 touch and 1-2 just get away from me. this was @ 200 yards Pic 3# and #4 were shot at the same bullseye, shot # 3 first clicked down and shot 5 more. It could very well be me not doing my part. do you guys think a "out of the box" Rem 700 VLS (did add a Jewell) could shoot much better. Do you think the gun could shoot well at 600/1000 yards? or should I start putting it some overtime hours at work now and up-grade to a true benchrest gun?

Bill

 

[caroby]

do you guys think a "out of the box" Rem 700 VLS (did add a Jewell) could shoot much better.

I'd say that's a pretty good shoot'n factory Rem Tube... Not too darn bad...

Guys that Shoot real Benchrest rifles at your range..? If so, get behind one and you'll answer your question... Seems to me that
your infected by the extreme accuracy bug.... Terrible Disease if your not equipt with at least one BR rifle...!
cale

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Not sure what youre asking about a pillar. A pillar bedded into the stock with the action gives the screw a solid place to torque to where the screw going thru a sandwich of any other material besides solid metal will not be solid and the expanding and contracting material will change the screw torque

 

[Hman1956]

Guys that Shoot real Benchrest rifles at your range..? If so, get behind one and you'll answer your question... Seems to me that
your infected by the extreme accuracy bug.... Terrible Disease if your not equipt with at least one BR rifle...!
cale

not too many benchrest guns at the range so get to sit down with one might be hard. I understand that my quest to be at 600/1000 yards will cost more then just a $3500.00 gun, and that's ok. but the sense of doing something that is hard at best, and doing all of the work that one needs to do just to get the right rounds is what drew me to the sport.
BTW pics 1&2 were shot at the same bull not 3 & 4.

Bill