At what point do I give up and rebarrel

[ta406]

So I've got a 338 edge that will not shoot no matter what I do. It will throw out fliers every few shots. Its a custom barrel by a reputable barrel manufacturer, the barrel action was built by a very reputable gunsmith and chambered for 300gr bullets. I did the bedding myself but have bedded many rifles and have never had an issue. Scope has checked out. Scope rings and base are tight. I've tried Berger, Nosler custom competitions and Sierra matchking bullets. I've tried Remington and Norma Brass. I've tried CCI and Federal primers. And I've tried both H1000 and Retumbo powders.

I've tried dozens of different powder charges using the OCW method, with different seating depths and different primer combinations. So after 300+ rounds, I'm about ready to throw this barrel in the scrap pile and order a new one. I load for 4 other rifles and have developed loads for them without much issue.

I think before I give up, I'm going to try different neck tension as a last ditch effort. At this rate I will have spent as much money on bullets, brass and powder as what it would have cost me to rebarrel this thing. As we all know, 300 RUM brass is hard to find and expensive when it becomes available. Has anyone else had an issue like this? Its frustrating to say the least.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

have you tried putting up pressure on the barrel??? it sounds like you may have inconsistent harmonics.. Usually free floated is best, but I have a couple of good shooters that aren't....

 

[ta406]

have you tried putting up pressure on the barrel??? it sounds like you may have inconsistent harmonics.. Usually free floated is best, but I have a couple of good shooters that aren't....

Thanks for the suggestion. That never crossed my mind. Where would be the best place to start? Close to the recoil lug or toward the end of the stock?

 

[martyj]

Most pressure points are towards the tip of the stock.

 

[roninflag]

what barrel ? what action?

 

[ta406]

what barrel ? what action?

30" Lilja #7 contour. Trued Remington 700 action. B&C Medalist stock

 

[ultraedge]

What is the oal of the cartridge when the bullet is touching the lands. Try 93 gr. of Retumbo .100 to .125 off the lands. Also 90 gr. of H-1000 at .100 to .125 off . Have you checked the runout on any fired cases? I don't have much neck tension. I have had 10 .338 EDGE barrels and my shooting partner has 2. The Retumbo load shot great in all but one barrel. We have had 3 Lilja's in .338 EDGE and they all shot great and were among the fastest. Gary

 

[ultraedge]

After 300 rounds you could have serious carbon fouling. You might want to clean the throat and the area just forward of the throat with Iosso paste on a nylon brush. The barrel that I mentioned in my earlier post that wouldn't shoot the Retumbo load woudn't shoot any powder or bullet combination that I tried. I had it rebarreled and it shoots great. Gary

 

[MudRunner2005]

After the barrel is broken in, I give it between 50-100 rounds is when I call it quits and re-barrel.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Most pressure points are towards the tip of the stock.

yep.... under the sling swivel area is a good point to put something non compressible in that won't take oil or water... I at one time used a few layers of felt, but there are better things out there as felt can accept oil if there is a lot present. think plastics...

I glass bedded my lh stw's stock from the front action screw (after I pillar bedded the action) through the recoil lug area, all the way to the foux ebony tip... The rifle shot well this way (1/2 moa) but poorly as a floated barrel... I would still be shooting it but after a go through and re-headspacing by a local 'smith ( it ate brass quickly and stw brass is no longer cheap or available), he refused to re-assemble the rifle as the last 'smith did a very poor job of threading the barrel and it was rather loose fitting to the receiver until tightened up...

 

[bruce_ventura]

A new barrel may be the only solution - it happens. What size groups are we talking about?

A few thoughts come to mind to salvage this one:

Muzzle crown: inspect with a magnifier for any damage or machining flaws in the crown. Could be a non-uniform bore near the muzzle. Perhaps cutting off 2" and re-crowning will help.

Action screw torque: confirm with a torque wrench. Try a different (higher) torque value.

Barrel condition: as others mentioned, remove all fouling - both carbon and copper.

ES: what is the typical muzzle velocity extreme spread? Do you anneal the cases? How do you resize: full length or neck only?

 

[Pdvdh]

Rebarrel. You've already given up on it. I would have too.

 

[FEENIX]

30" Lilja #7 contour. Trued Remington 700 action. B&C Medalist stock

I have a 30" SS Lilja #6 1:8" 3-groove on my .270 AI Savage 110 LA B&C stock and is quite the shooter. Barrel is so easy to clean and hardly have any copper built up/ fouling.

In addition to the above recommended course of actions, IIWY, I'd call and talk to Dan Lilja for advice. He's pretty easy to talk to and have been very helpful in my personal experience.

Good luck!

Ed

 

[Cuz]

One of my 338 Normas would throw shots. I ended up floating the barrel more and removing some material where the bolt handle was touching the stock. Easily overlooked, but easily fixed. Shoots great now.