Short barrel destroys accuracy?

Dougfirtree

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I recently had a rifle barrel cut down 3 inches and re-crowned. I took it to the range this morning and its favorite load was printing groups of about 7 inches at 50 yards, instead of the usual 1.5 inches. This rifle has no scope, so that's not the issue. It has a peep sight. That kind of change makes me think something is really wrong. I'm going to try one other favored load tomorrow, before I call the gun smith, but has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? Any thoughts? The rifle in question is a Rem 7600. Thanks!

ps. For those who commented on my last thread about the hang-fires, we cleaned out the spring and pin on that rifle and it's been flawless since. I also had the same gunsmith re-crown that rifle and it really helped. Shot a 5/8" group with the same load that was averaging about an inch before.
 
I would also suspect crown issues. Changing barrel length will change harmonics but you shouldn't get such a drastic difference like that.
 
I’ve always heard a shorter barrel is stiffer, therefore actually more accurate. Velocity, now that’s a different story.
 
Changing your barrel length could result in your issues. Along with the crown.
I've seen 10 inch difference between factory ammo and handloads at 100 yards.
 
Changing your barrel length could result in your issues. Along with the crown.
I've seen 10 inch difference between factory ammo and handloads at 100 yards.

I don't mean this in a challenging way, but tell me more. Have you experienced a huge change like this from barrel length changes?
 
Hard for me to imagine going from a 22 to 18 would result in 1.5 turning into 7 inch groups at 50 yards.
I am sure you checked the front sight and the peep for any play.
 
I’ve always heard a shorter barrel is stiffer, therefore actually more accurate. Velocity, now that’s a different story.

This. If it’s shooting 7” at 50 yards, you’ve got some other kind of problem.
 
Seem's to me at one time benchrester's went to shorter stiffer barrel's. I would suspect changing the length may have changed the harmonic's and you simply need to work up a new load. At least that's where I'd start. 1.5 to 7", wow that's is a lot!
 
I too would suspect an issue with the crown. Accuracy should not change that drastically just by shortening the barrel, change in velocity is another matter. also make sure the sights are tightened correctly .
 
Seem's to me at one time benchrester's went to shorter stiffer barrel's. I would suspect changing the length may have changed the harmonic's and you simply need to work up a new load. At least that's where I'd start. 1.5 to 7", wow that's is a lot!

I believe that 23.5 inches is optimal barrel length for accuracy.
 
Why did you decide that you needed to cut off three inches? That is not a game changer, and you obviously inherited another problem in the change. I agree that you probably got a messed-up crown job.
 
7” groups at 50yds doesn’t sound like anything barrel related to me, and it definitely has nothing at all to do with length. Something is either loose, or your bedding is messed up. I would remove the rifle from the stock and put it back in. Make sure nothing is putting pressure on anything it shouldn’t be.tighten the front action screw back down, and you shouldn’t be able to press down the rear of the action...it should already be firmly in place. Then tighten the read screw down. Check to make sure the barrel is still floated. If it’s not, do some work with sandpaper. Now open and close the bolt and make a good mental note of how it feel. Loosen the front action screw a few turns and try again. If it feels easier, your front screw could be rubbing your bolt nose. Also look at the bolt and see if it could have been rubbing that front screw. I’m not familiar with your gun, but on a Remington 700 the front screw, if it’s too long, or if it has compressed the stock a little over years of being removed and tightened back down, can press against the bolt nose. I’ve had this result in a sudden nightmare of inaccuracy. Next, your front sight must have been replaced. Make sure that it is firmly in place and not loose in anyway. Check your rear sight as well. He may have removed it to get the barrel offf the gun, and if any part of it is not as tight as it is supposed to be, you’ll have a problem. If none of the above is wrong, make sure the barrel is screwed on tight! He could have hand tightened it, put a torque wrench on it, answered the phone and forgot to tightened it down.

Factory barrels can certainly have bad spots, and cutting it to end at a bad spot could ruin accuracy. A poor crown job can ruin accuracy as well. Still, the worst barrels shoot smaller groups than 7” at 50yds. I’m 100% certain that you have some other problem, and although it may be difficult to track down, it is probably very minor and will take only a few minutes to fix once you find it. I’ve found loose actions screws, loose scope screws, loose ring screws, worn out Leupold Quick Release cams, a wood chip under a barrel, the list goes on. With handloaded ammo you can have a few glitches that make you think your gun went to crap as well.
 
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