Tip 1: Understand the Issues.
A rifle is a mechanical device, with both moving and non-moving parts that can affect accuracy. Four primary areas of concern are the barrel, action, trigger, and ammunition. Along with these issues, the aiming device must be installed and zeroed properly, which is a separate discussion.

Tip 2: Worry About Harmonization.
When a bullet travels down a barrel, it makes the barrel vibrate; engineers know this as ‘harmonic vibration.’ In a rifle barrel, this vibration is normally in a circular motion, created as the bullet travels through the helical rifling. Most modern rifles ‘free float’ the barrel, meaning that nothing touches the barrel, which can interfere with the natural harmonic motion.

Tip 3: Quit Touching Me.
While synthetic stocks are dimensionally stable, wooden stocks can expand with humidity, causing problems from one day to another. Check for problems by wrapping a dollar bill under the barrel, and see if it slides smoothly between barrel and stock. If it hits anything, you’ll need to have a gunsmith remove material from the stock. (Some rifles have a post that secures the stock to the barrel, and you can’t do anything about that.)

Tip 4: Crown Me.
The very end of the barrel, at the last possible point where the bullet contacts the barrel, is called the ‘crown.’ Any damage, knick, or burr in the crown can degrade accuracy. As the bullet exits the barrel, gases can exit through a knick and force the bullet off a straight line. The crown is normally recessed from the end of the muzzle, and if it is damaged a good gunsmith can recrown the barrel. Cleaning a rifle from the breech to the bore will reduce the chances of damaging the crown.

Tip 5: Those in Glass Beds…
While it is good for a barrel to float, the action should have a very solid connection to the stock. You can find torque specifications for the screws that connect barrel to stock, and an even better connection can be made by ‘glass bedding,’ a process that involves filling the spaces between the stock and the action with an epoxy resin that contains a binding matrix (fiberglass or metal). This provides an even, complete connection between the action and stock. This can be done at home if you are handy with tools, careful, and can follow directions; but this does not work on some synthetic stocks.

Tip 6: Easy Squeeze.
Newer rifles have better triggers out of the box than they used to, and some are user adjustable. After-market triggers are available from several companies, and those are often replaceable by a user. However, if you are not confident, have a gunsmith do it. Most factory triggers are set at 5-6 pounds, and may have significant creep (the distance the trigger must travel). A 3-pound trigger pull is pretty light, and can improve accuracy, but the shooter must make sure it is still safe to use—a very light trigger can be dangerous!

Tip 7: Find Your Favorite Ammo.
Modern ammunition is very dependable and consistent. However, there are gun-ammo combinations that just don’t work. Go get three or four brands of ammunition in a particular bullet weight and shoot groups of each under the same controlled conditions, on the same day. If one brand groups better than the others, you’re good; if they are all the same, even better. If one, or more, won’t digest properly in your rifle, remember to make a note of what brand, and give the rest of the box to your brother-in-law for Christmas.

« Top »