I need suggestions!

[Buccaneerfan]

Hey guys! I am new to the longe range shooting business. I have been able to hit clay pidgeons out to 200 yards and maybe farther for a while, but I would like to hone my skills and my weapon a bit. I have a 7mm-08 Browning A-bolt hunter with BOSS which is exactly like it was in the box. What can I do to make my gun more accurate? Big and little suggestions will be helpful.

 

[MHO]

Do you reload or shoot factory rounds? I would first play around and find the right recipe that the gun likes. Because without that you can practice all the time and not get the results your after if your rifle is not doing its job. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Browninglover1]

Buy the Timney trigger springs kit for around $30; they will make your trigger WAY better. I put them in every A Bolt I've ever had and they always made a significant difference. I've yet to shoot an A Bolt that wouldn't shoot less than 1 inch at a hundred yards. If you reload you can play around with anything you want to and will probably achieve great results, if not Hornady ammo always seemed to shoot the best out of my rifles.

 

[Buccaneerfan]

Right now I shoot hodgegon 440 and nolser ballistic tips. ( I think the powder is 440) That seems to work pretty well. What Hornady do you shoot out of your a-bolts? It would save me a lot of money if I had a good idea where to start. I also hear guys talking about bedding and floating. Is this something I need to look into or is it not worth the time and money?

 

[Browninglover1]

Your A Bolt is bedded at the factory (It's not as nice as a full blown bed job but all mine have shot great they way they are) and the barrel should be free floated. Wrap a dollar bill around the bottom of your barrel and see if it will slide between the barrel and the stock, if it catches and won't slide then you just need to sand the barrel channel out with a dowel and some sand paper on the high spot to free float it, after that just reseal the area of the barrel channel you sanded. Like I said I doubt you'll need to do it all of mine were floated from the factory.

I shot Hornady Custom loads out of my A bolts; they were loaded with the standard interlock bullets. However, I got into reloading and my 270 LOVED the SST's and the Interbonds. If I were you I'd look at reloading with the 154 grain SST's. Those bullets are pure death and seem to fly great. The Nosler Ballistic tips are great bullets too, but I stuck with the Hornady's because they were cheaper and shot amazing.