Question: How to hold 504 for best groups from sandbags?

ern, I'll have to try some of that buck-a-box Federal..... local prices on Wolf MT have skyrocketed around here in the last year! It shoots well in most all my guns, but 39 bucks a brick!?!?!.... sheesh, just a few years ago you could get the MT for $15-16.

I haven't really done much ammo testing yet, thought I'd wait until I get 5-600 rounds of std. velocity thru it first.

Picher, I tried every variation of a firm hold I could think of, still couldn't make groups less than about ~.7-.8" on average.... but I could tell the rifle had the potential to do better.... one group would be a "scattered" looking 1.1", the very next one would be a tight .6"..... something "just told me" it was ME!... so I tried the free-recoil and VOILA!

You're right about this being a great feeling sporter to shoot offhand with (my favorite way to plink is at homemade metal swingers at 40, 60, 80, and 100 yds.), but I was determined to prove to myself that this rifle was accurate on paper too. Soon, I'll be testing ammos and hope to find a HV that it shoots well.... then, I plan to swap to a smaller (more "fitting") scope, this 6-24 just looks too big.... something in the 3-9 or 4-12 range would look better to me.

georgiaboy, my 504 wears a 6-24X40mm Tasco airrifle scope just like the one in your picture. Have you tried Aguila 38gr HVHP. My 504 loves them. :t

Kent Owens said:

That's pretty stock wood on the 504. Some of the best looking wood I've seen. Good luck with it. I'll add that sometimes the size and weight of the scope you put on a sporter affects how you hold or not hold it, due to changing the balance and sometimes harmonics of the rifle. I sold a guy a Burris HBR 6X scope and he put it on his CZ Silhouette(synthetic stock) in place of the 8-32X50MM Tasco that was on it. The Burris scope cut the groups by half at 50 yards. The CZ is a hummer, now that it's not so top heavy.

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Thanks, the gunshop mgr. brought out all the 504s he had in LR (6) and let me choose my wood. This one also has several "birdseyes" on the other side. :t

Y'know, it's funny you mention the "just 'cause it's a higher power scope, doesn't mean it's better" theory.... just the other day, I was shooting one of my 10/22s w/ a Leupold 4x RF scope and the 50 yd. groups were exceptional.... so much so that I decided not to come here and say anything, for fear of not being believed!! (Maybe I should try that scope on the 504? )

oquirrh, Either you have ESP, or you're good.... very good (I suspect the latter). When I disassembled it to adjust the trigger, I removed the "factory built-in" pressure point, because it was flat on top, and you could move the barrel side-to-side by hand.... first tried to cut a groove in it at 6 o'clock to keep the bbl. centered, but goofed the job (got it off center), so just sanded it out altogether. Then came my second goof, I tightened the front action screw too tight, crushed the wood.... now instead of free-floating, the barrel is touching out front, but at least it stays centered!

I've never bedded a rifle, and don't plan to use this one as my "guinea pig".... maybe I'll be able to find a trustworthy gunsmith locally to bed it for me.

BobD, NICE! Did you 'polish' that sheen into the finish, or did it come that way? I can't get Aguila locally, so haven't tried it yet.... will try to come across some and give it a shot.

Jeff:

Have you tried pushing a lead slug down the bore to see whether it's uniform? It's okay if there are looser spots in the middle, but the bullet should be a tight fit at the muzzle. The muzzle crown should also be perfect. I've seen some off-center crowns on pretty nice rifles that wouldn't shoot well. A Model 12 H&R target rifle didn't respond adequately to all sorts of tricks, but after touching up the crown, shot like a dream.

The other thing to check with the Remington is whether the barrel is in tightly. Some people have said that Remington started using some kind of thread locking material, others haven't found any. I'd explore whether it has any and check the headspace to see if there's extra play.

The only other situation I can think of checking is the firing pin. It needs to hit just below the fold in the rim, not across the fold. It also needs to travel smoothy in the bolt. Just take it apart and see how it moves. If it drags, take some emery paper and smooth it and using steel wool on an old bronze brush, smooth the bolt's interior. A dry Moly lube will help.

I had to do these things to mine before it started to really shoot well. It may have worn-in after many shots, but I was in a hurry.

John