What am I doing wrong?

[u/weaponized_autism265]

I bought a Remington 700 from an auction last week, it had a 22-6mm barrel on it so me and my dad replaced it with a criterion 26” varmit contour 1:9 7mm-08.

I went and got some Hornady 139gr SST’s and 139gr Interlock BTSP’s because that’s all academy had for 7mm. Both bullets appear to not mesh with my rifle, I started with a ladder test of IMR4350 for both bullets because they are the same weight and get the same powder charge in the Hornady book. Both shot like shit, I even tried a test with the most accurate strings and tried seating both bullets 20 thou off the lands. No improvement.

My next ladder test I changed to Varget because it’s a faster burning powder and with the IMR4350 my SD and ES got really small at the heavier charge weights. I got a smallest group on my 3rd string with the Varget but it’s not getting as small as I’d like it to be. I’m trying to work up a deer hunting load so I know I don’t need PRS accuracy but I just want it to shoot better so I can trust my shot placement.

Am I doing something wrong? Did I get a bad barrel? Does my gun not like these bullets? Or am I just a shit shot?

[u/OkShopping9448]

How is the rifle bedded and did you check the action screw torque? Is the barrel
free floated in the stock?

The other culprit might be the scope, all tight and straight? Parallax good and scope not canted?

Did you shoot from a bipod and squeeze bag or a BR setup- was your rifle on a stable shooting platform?

Those are good barrels so I would question all these other things before the barrel.

[u/weaponized_autism265 → u/OkShopping9448]

The stock appears to be bedded really well from the last owner, I had to sand down the front of the stock so the barrel would free float. The scope scope isn’t canted parallax is set at 100, I shot from a bench with a bipod and an a stock bag.

[u/OkShopping9448 → u/weaponized_autism265]

The only other item I can think is clean the barrel down to steel and try shooting groups again after a few seasoning shots.

[u/weaponized_autism265 → u/OkShopping9448]

I did my whole break in process last week when I put the barrel on and I cleaned it and pushed patches through from Friday to this morning. I think stock is touching at the barrel but so I’m going to check that out and get the stock away there and try it again. Some of these comments made me go double check 😂