The sage of the gifted Husquavarna 243...

[capthook]

Hello all...

...continues...

The rifle extractor has been fixed and the rifle action has been pillar bedded and the barrel free-floated by an experienced and competent gunsmith. Prior to this work I was getting around three inch groups with factory ammo. I took the rifle out this morning to sight it in after reinstalling the scope. Using factory ammo (Remington CoreLokt 100 gr.) I shot 4 3-shot groups at 100 yards from a rock solid rest in a very light breeze and got the following results:

2.67 inch group
2.13 inch group
2.78 inch group
2.07 inch group

In my view these results are barely adequate for a hunting rifle, particularly from an excellent condition Husquavarna chambered in 243. I should note that the trigger is stiff (~ 7 lbs.) but although this is not to my liking, I did not get the sense that I was pulling the shots (too much!!) In light of all of the above, my questions to you all are these:

1. Given the above results, would you expect the groups to tighten up using tweaked handloads, and if so, by how much?
2. Do you have a favorite recipe for a 243 using 100 gr. Nosler Partition bullets?
3. Would you expect a trigger job or a new trigger to significantly improve these results and if so, by how much?

Thanks in advance for all your input...

Best regards

Capthook

[catnthehat]

Shouldn't be too much trouble to tighten them up with handloads, no.
That and a trigger adjustment.
sometimes even when we do not realize it, we have trigger trouble.
Oh ya, almost forgot to ask,
Are you using a front rest with a rear bag?

Cat

[rottie]

I am using the 95 grain Nosler Partition in front of 43 grains of IMR 4350. I know each firearm has its own likes/dislikes but with mine, a Remington 700 CDL this load will group 3 into 3/8 of an inch.
Handloading will probably help.
Rottie

[spurly]

you may have already done so, but check your bases to make sure they are tight. also it is possible that you could have a damaged crown. most huskies of any calibre shoot extremely well.Is it a good quality scope?

[capthook]

Originally Posted by spurly

you may have already done so, but check your bases to make sure they are tight. also it is possible that you could have a damaged crown. most huskies of any calibre shoot extremely well.Is it a good quality scope?

Spurly et al..

The bases seem very snug, the crown has no obvious damage when examined with a 4x magnifying glass (I am not an expert), and an older Leupold VX1 2x7 scope is being used... The scope just came back from Leupold's service center in Okotoks where it was fully serviced...

When you say "most huskies of any caliber shoot extremely well", what exactly does that mean to you in group size?

It's a very nice looking old rifle and it would be great to realize its potential...

Thanks

Capthook

[sbtennex]

Spurly's right - most Husky's shoot much tighter than that. If everything's snug, then clean the heck out of the bore and chamber - use a good bore cleaner that'll remove copper as well as the usual gunk. Handloads can usually be figured out to shoot MOA or better @ 100 yds with any decent rifle, and yours is definitely a decent rifle. My .243 likes IMR 4831 - no idea why, and I'm over book max with it by a couple of grains, but that's in MY rifle. A poor trigger alone is good for at least 1.5" of lousy grouping. The standard Husky trigger is usually both cleanable and adjustable - they're typically quite crisp and clean. 7 lbs is too much for anybody, unless it's what you spent your whole life yanking...clean the bore first and go from there......good luck!

[spurly]

I have had quite a few huskies in almost all the cal. they were chambered in. they would usualy shoot 1" or better. the ones that would not were usually cracked,at the recoil lug or at the back of the tang. I always glass bedded these rifles, and never free floated them. that 243 should be able to clover leaf them.I also always loaded my own.If you do not get the results you want ,you may have to drop to an 85-90gr. bullet.Another thing is, it is possible that it is badly copper fouled.Make sure you are using a good copper remover like Montana extreme , sweets or cr10 do not stop cleaning till the patches have no more blue or green color on them.The triggers do suck but follow through is the key here.by the size of the groups it seems that you are shooting consistant, just need more consistant ammo.are the groupsshowing any type of a pattern, such as stinging, or back and forth. send me a pm if I can be more help. spurly

[capthook]

Originally Posted by spurly

I have had quite a few huskies in almost all the cal. they were chambered in. they would usualy shoot 1" or better.

Spurly...

Your comments give me hope!!!

Originally Posted by spurly

the ones that would not were usually cracked,at the recoil lug or at the back of the tang.

I not sure what I would look for with respect to cracks but the rifle has been examined and bore scoped by Henry Rempel, a Calgary-based machinist/gunsmith, and he made no comment about anything being wrong with the rifle (other than an extractor which needed replacing).

Originally Posted by spurly

I always glass bedded these rifles, and never free floated them.

The rifle action was glass bedded w/ 2 aluminum pillars by Henry Rempel and because there were signs of uneven pressure between the barrel and the forestock, he took out a little wood right near the front sling tang. As of now, a very thin piece of paper can be slid between the barrel and the stock and can be moved freely between the muzzle and the chamber end of the barrel.

Originally Posted by spurly

Another thing is, it is possible that it is badly copper fouled.Make sure you are using a good copper remover like Montana extreme , sweets or cr10 do not stop cleaning till the patches have no more blue or green color on them.

It was badly fouled when I got the rifle. I spent many hours with Butch's Bore Shine getting it clean. I recently used WipeOut, a foam-based barrel fouling cleaner - the results I have reported are from a clean barrel.

Originally Posted by spurly

are the groupsshowing any type of a pattern, such as stinging, or back and forth. send me a pm if I can be more help. spurly

As a general rule (3 out of 4 groups), the groups are twice as narrow on the horizontal axis than on the vertical axis. The 4th group was just the opposite.

Thanks for your help...

Capthook

[fluxcore]

get a different piece of glass on the rifle just to be sure, That 7Lb trigger pull would cause me some problems. It may be worth it to have the barrel scoped Its usualy cheap and dosent take long. your rifle should be preforming better.

[fluxcore]

sorry I see the rifle was already scoped you may have me stumped

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Shouldn't be too much trouble to tighten them up with handloads, no.
That and a trigger adjustment.
sometimes even when we do not realize it, we have trigger trouble.
Oh ya, almost forgot to ask,
Are you using a front rest with a rear bag?

Cat

Lest we forget, this rifle is 40+ years old and who knows how many rounds have gone through that barrel, or how well it's beem cared for. Might not hurt, to check it out.
Grizz

[spurly]

It is only my opinion, but I do not like free floated barrells on wood stocks especially huskies. If the gap will only accept a very thin peice of paper it is quite possible that just the weght of the forend could cause this gap to close, then as the barrell heats up and expands, the gap closes even more, causing more pressure with each shot. what I would try is putting two or three thicknesses of a buisness card about a half inch wide between the barrell and fore end. Go out and shoot it again to see if it improves. If it does then you know that it does not like a free floated barrell.It is only my opinion but I have had over 30 huskies and always bedded from stem to stern,with about 3lbs of up pressure. hope this helps.Do not give up on this gun it will shoot much better than that. Did you get a lot of blue and green patches out of it. I have not had much luck with wipe out .I like montana extreme or sweets.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Lest we forget, this rifle is 40+ years old and who knows how many rounds have gone through that barrel, or how well it's beem cared for. Might not hurt, to check it out.
Grizz

Not sure what was meant by this reply, my question was about shooting equipment.
i would take it for granted that the barrel was cleaned properly and such. That being said, a proper front and rear bag set up will be bettertnah some of tyhr big soft bags and no rear bag, or a bipod.
As far as bedding goes, (I agree with not floating many rifles I usually full bed a sporting rifle with shims then remove them as i test, that way I can tell if the rifle needs intermediate bed support.
Cat

[Pathfinder76]

Try a different load. I've seen different loads in the same rifle vary by inches. To try one load and wonder what's going on is premature to say the least.