Sako TRG-S Synthetic Stock / Cold Weather

[Perkules]

Well I´m shooting very good groups now... it was 14 F today and I went for therapy 338 LM plinking. 100 meter groups were better than ever,300 yards gave me 1 3/8 and that´s not really possible with a Harris bipod and a car top lol. This is my 300-500 yds moose rifle.

In short : can cold weather make a composite stock more rigid,stiff or something? Enough so to make a big difference? Is the material simply too elastic? This rifle used to give strange horizontal flyers, the load is the same I always use. After some rounds it usually "gives" somehow, a couple of MOA to the left,then it comes back. No matter how long I wait between the shots, it must be the notorious recoil lug thing. I haven´t fixed it yet... and I haven´t been shooting it for a while, I never seriously grouped this rifle in this cold before.

If winter is the fix,I´m not waiting for the summer anymore.

Ideas? Experience? And no,it´s not the barrel cooling faster, I´ve confirmed that by shooting it really hot.

And Dave, I found a 300 MK supply now (Midway has landed over here). Thanks for getting me started on these lovely little projectiles.

 

[Dave King]

Petander

You're very welcome, glad I could help out.

 

[Perkules]

I tried 400 meters today,very windy and slightly warmer than yesterday. Same setup, car rooftop and Harris. Five shots. Good for moose,huh?

I still don´t know what has happened but I strongly suspect the cold weather is stiffening up the stock. These five shots took less than two minutes, there should have been a weird flyer or two.

I won´t need to shoot moose further than about 500 meters anyway, no such places around here. Finally ... time to practise!!!

If the problem comes back with summer I´ll know for sure.

 

[Dave King]

Petander

Could be two (2) issues with the cold. Could be the cold has "stiffened" up the stock AND/OR could be that the cold has eliminated gaps in bedding or internal stock elements (stiffener rod(s)), etc. Differing coefficients of expansion working to your benefit... Just a SWAG.

 

[Sako7STW]

One thing I have noticed with my TRGS is the the forarm of the stock is rather flexible, if I set the bags too far forward the weight will make the forarm conatact the bbl. If this happens I get weird fliers, move the bag back and no more fliers. I have thought about doing some modifications to the stock to stiffen that section just havent really got around to it yet.

Whats this recoil lug thing you are talking about?

 

[Perkules]

Hey Sako7STW, search this board using "TRG-S LUG" and you will find lots of info.

 

[Sako7STW]

Thanks!! never thought of doing a search duhhhh.

My appologies

 

[Sako7STW]

Well since he hasnt replied, does anyone else know the answere to my question concerning the recoil lug?????

 

[Perkules]

Maybe I´m fighting the windmills but now I started working on the fit / bedding to see what happens. At least I got a new low ES load... well, no horizontal spread in some groups but I can´t take this inconsistency anymore.

There´s lots of burrs and stuff in the stock cuts and the fit is so uneven it´s hard to believe, now sanding... carefully. Then range time to see where it touches... Looks like I´ll eventually go epoxy/glass route when I find a way to keep the receiver from getting permanently glued into the stock.

Whatever comes out of this,it needs to be consistant.