shoots worse after bedding job

I have a rifle I built off of a long action stevens 200. I have a factory take off BVSS style stock and shillen varmint barrel. It has a recoil lug from northlander also. I put this rifle together last year and shot it some, it shot some decent groups but always had flyers. It would put 2-4 nearly touching and always one making the group 1" to 1.5" After doing some reading and talking to people bedding was suggested. I got a miles gillbert kit and was very worried about gluing it to the stock so I read the instructions over and over again. Everything went well, and I was happy with how it turned out until I shot the rifle. The first group was about 6" for 3 shots almost all vertical. The second I loosened the action screws and re tightened them and shot about a 2.5" group. I'm planning to tear things back down again. What areas should I check. My one thought was debris in the bolt head lug area of the action. Could there be something also in the recoil lug area putting pressure on it? When I assembled the rifle i got held it pointed up to make sure the recoil lug was seated well on the stock when tightening the screws. Thanks for any help...

When you bedded the action, did you free float the tang?

Savages like a free floated tang, if you bedded it, break out the dremel!!

recoil lug currently snug on all sides? only trigger side has to have contact. other sides may hurt or help you

any bedding under nut? if it dose not fit back in the groves perfectly it will pause a pressure point. best to dremmel it out

rear tang free floated?
barrel free floated?

any one of these can change your groups. I would not change them all at once.

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Originally Posted by Blue Avenger

recoil lug currently snug on all sides? only trigger side has to have contact. other sides may hurt or help you

any bedding under nut? if it dose not fit back in the groves perfectly it will pause a pressure point. best to dremmel it out

rear tang free floated?
barrel free floated?

any one of these can change your groups. I would not change them all at once.

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+1

Since the group was mostly vertical, the first thing I'd check is to make sure there's clearance under the bottom of the recoil lug.

In addition to what's already been said...

Make sure the magazine box isn't contacting the bedding. This sometimes doesn't hurt anything, but it depends on exactly how and where it's making contact.

Make sure the front action screw isn't going through far enough to contact the bolt head. Unless you removed material right around the hole in the stock this isn't likely, but it won't hurt to check. A tell-tale sign is a mark on the side of the right bolt lug where it rubbed the screw when the bolt is closed.

The action screws should not contact the bedding either, there should be some clearance around the sides of the screws.

Also, check to see if the action screws go from loose to tight very quickly (about 1/4 turn). If they seem to go from free spin to tight almost instantly, the bedding under the action is probably fine. If they gradually get tighter and tighter over a period of about 1 full rotation, the action isn't seating into the stock properly, you probably have a hump under the middle of the action, the tang, or the recoil lug.

It won't hurt to make sure that things are floated properly, but I don't think that is your issue. I don't think minor stock contact with a barrel that thick, will cause issues. Now if you have a BIG interference issue, and have been playing gorilla-man tightening the action down...
You said "long action" but what is it? If you get 2-4 touching with a flier, shooting an STW; that is amazing. What is the cartridge? How fast are you shooting? Are you using a bipod, or carhartt on a hood? 1" at how far? Are you sure?
I'm not trying to condescend, but I helped a guy a few weeks back. He built a 7mm that would not group. He was shooting farther than 100 yards, standing-up!!! Once we put the gun on a bench, it did group...

I have a model 12 BVSS in 22-250, the stock is horrible. If I move the front bag out much past the barrel nut my groups start opening up, even after epoxying a carbon arrow shaft in the stock. This may not be your whole problem, but I'd guess it's part of it. I have a new stock ordered from Stockade Stocks to help mine.

I have checked the tang and barrel and they are free floating. I did inspect the front action screw when assembled and the front screw does not protrude, it's maybe an 1/8 inch below, but I did find some bedding material that had pushed out of the threads. I just did some trimming in the barrel nut are now and around the action screw holes. Hopufully I can shoot again soon. thanks

Now I am concerned, I skim bedded my rifle over the weekend and have not had a chance to shoot it yet, I was getting .5 MOA a better groups before and I completely filled in the cavity for the recoil lug so that the recoil lug would be completely bedded. I also beeed the tang as the videos I found on youtube all recommended bedding both of these areas.

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Originally Posted by bbradford71

Now I am concerned, I skim bedded my rifle over the weekend and have not had a chance to shoot it yet, I was getting .5 MOA a better groups before and I completely filled in the cavity for the recoil lug so that the recoil lug would be completely bedded. I also beeed the tang as the videos I found on youtube all recommended bedding both of these areas.

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A dremel will solve any problems you encounter from these issues....

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Originally Posted by bbradford71

Now I am concerned, I skim bedded my rifle over the weekend and have not had a chance to shoot it yet, I was getting .5 MOA a better groups before and I completely filled in the cavity for the recoil lug so that the recoil lug would be completely bedded. I also beeed the tang as the videos I found on youtube all recommended bedding both of these areas.

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I did that with my '06 and the groups went bye bye. Dremmeled it back out and back to good groups again.

I plan to shoot it this weekend, maybe I will get lucky and everything will be fine.

I had a similar experience with my 110. After bedding the first group was approx. 3 inches, every group after that would shrink by 50%. The last group I shot was .75 inch, that's not great but I think that maybe I'm the weak link now.

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Originally Posted by bbradford71

Now I am concerned, I skim bedded my rifle over the weekend and have not had a chance to shoot it yet, I was getting .5 MOA a better groups before and I completely filled in the cavity for the recoil lug so that the recoil lug would be completely bedded. I also beeed the tang as the videos I found on youtube all recommended bedding both of these areas.

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Do the You tube vids show bedding the tang for a savage, or for other rifles? Bedding is about the same for any rifle, EXCEPT - for the Savage you do not beed under the tang, just under the two action screws.

The youtube vids are of other rifles other than a savage, looks like I will be doing a lot of dremel work

I had the same problem. I only bedded to the front of the recoil lug. Then I bedded 2 inches in front of the barrel nut. 308 now shoots 168gr GMM .5 inch at 100 yards five shot groups. I have an accustock, however I through the wedge in the trash can. Shoots just about perfect. Criteion 1/10 20 inch varmet barrel. Best of luck.

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Originally Posted by bbradford71

Now I am concerned, I skim bedded my rifle over the weekend and have not had a chance to shoot it yet, I was getting .5 MOA a better groups before and I completely filled in the cavity for the recoil lug so that the recoil lug would be completely bedded. I also beeed the tang as the videos I found on youtube all recommended bedding both of these areas.

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Before you get too concerned, shoot it and see. Some people do fully bed the tang and around the recoil lug, and it does work for some people. It's just that on the average, Savages shoot better with the tang floated, and all brands typically seem to do better with only the rear of the recoil lug bedded. But there are no guarantees when it comes to bedding rifles, everything can have an effect, either good or bad.

I am shooting it this weekend and will see, the only thing that has me upset is having to take a dremel to my stock, I am not the most graceful dude on earth and knowing me I will jack something up.

Update...I shot today, but over the lunch hour and only one 3 shot group. It's shooting better about .870 so we at least have a starting point. I dremeled out some bedding in front of the recoil lug, below the nut and also sanded the bedding a bit by hand where it had squeezed up close to the top of the stoch on the sides of the action. I also removed material on top of the L shaped bracket that holds the centerfeed magazine. I won't have time to do more extensive testing for a few days, but I feel better now.

By the way it's a 25-06 Ack, any favorite bullets or powders? Mostly for coyotes.

Glad to hear it isnt as bad as feared. I bet the more you shoot it the more it settles in.

Sean

i just bedded one of my rifles and i bedded all around the recoil lug just to see how it shoots that way. If it doesnt shoot well ill just dremmel it out in front of the lug and bottom and sides one at a time , got to have something to do this winter.

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Originally Posted by Eric in NC

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Originally Posted by Blue Avenger

recoil lug currently snug on all sides? only trigger side has to have contact. other sides may hurt or help you

any bedding under nut? if it dose not fit back in the groves perfectly it will pause a pressure point. best to dremmel it out

rear tang free floated?
barrel free floated?

any one of these can change your groups. I would not change them all at once.

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+1

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I'm another that agrees with these statements