Last fall I got a new Browning AB3 7mm Rem Mag for $400 after the Mail in Rebate and out of the box I threw away the 2 piece mounts and threw on a pic rail and an Athalon Midas BTR 2.5-15x50. With some rounds that didn't particularly shoot well out of another 7mm Rem Mag, I was shooting terrible groups off of a poor rest and had a hell of a time sighting it in, but I wasn't particularly worried because of the circumstances of the rounds I was shooting and the poor rest. Over the winter I loaded up 10 rounds each 1/2 grain under book max of 139 Interlock, 140 Berger VLD hunting,154 SST, 160 Bulk Midway rounds, 162 SST and 162 ELD-X. I thought one of those would surely shoot well. Over the winter I put the M-Carbo trigger kit in and also had the muzzle threaded for a suppressor and he had to take the stock off for that so I assumed he correctly torqued the action screws when he reassembled it. BTW that M-Carbo trigger kit is magic on that AB3!
Fast forward to a month ago, I got a used Savage Model 11 300 WSM with a DBM, accutrigger and Tupperware stock. It was $300 and had a little surface rust around the end 4 or so inches of the barrel and was the most filthy gun I ever have seen. I took it apart and cleaned everything and ran a oil patch through the very dirty barrel. Break Free cleaned up the rust and the dust bunnies out of the trigger and I wiped down the stock inside and out and it really did look almost like new. I took off the 2 piece scope mounts and put on a 25 MOA Burris steel Pic rail and a Burris m-tac 4.5-14 scope that I had forever.
Last week it was a nice warm day in Northern Minnesota 35 degrees and sunny, so I threw both of the guns in my Tahoe and headed out to the forest I had a couple sand bags that I threw on the hood after I found a suitable logging road to throw a target on. It wasn't super stable, but I felt alright. It took a few rounds to sight in the Savage and I threw up a 1 1/8" group with 168 A-Max and a 1 1/16 inch group with 180 Bulk midway rounds. Not bad shooting off a hood, but not great. I did realize that the rail had more cant than the scope had elevation. I ended up shooting about 7 MOA high. The Browning put up the same 3 to 3 1/2 inch groups that it did before with all 5 of the ammunition variations I loaded up. I was pretty disappointed, but I assumed that it might be the scope since that was a new scope when it went on, and has never been on another rifle. I checked the torque on everything and the rail, rings, and stock on both rifles is perfect torque.
The next day I swapped scopes between the two and headed back to the range. Sadly the Browning shot 3 inch groups with the remaining rounds I had... On the plus side, the Savage put up a 5/8 inch 3 shot group with the 180 grain midway bulk bullets and that Athalon scope.... So it isn't the scope, and I am blessed with a great shooting cheap 300 WSM. I really love the way the accutrigger works for hunting, and I LOVE the 300 WSM!
Now, what do I do with the Browning. I can't send it back to browning since I had the barrel threaded. I think I might see if the gunsmith can figure it out, because I am out of ideas.
Go ahead and contact Browning...they may do something, never hurts to ask. Worse they can do is say no.
You can always sell it, have it bedded, change the stock, play with the action screw torque, or do a proper ladder test. One powder, one type of bullet and vary the charge weights.
I agree with Lonestardiver.. If the stock does not have pillars install them. Easy to do. Skim bed the action. Now you can get good torque on the screws. Make sure if the stock touches the barrel it is designed that way. If not, clear out the area that is offensive.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well.
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