The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - What Can I do to make a model 7 more accurate?

wpsdlrg · January 25, 2013, 06:30 PM

No ! Floating the pencil barrel generally will NOT improve things. Been there, done that. The M7, as much as I like it, is a compromise. The pencil barrel is there to reduce weight, but the down side is that it heats up really fast....and WILL produce some stringing. Floating the barrel will actually make it WORSE. The up side is that the barrel cools fast. So, if practicing with the 7 at the range, shoot short strings, no more than 5 rounds at a run....then allow the barrel to cool. The 7 is really only intended to be a hunting rifle - and it does very well at that - but it's not a target gun.

As to improving on 2 moa accuracy, it can be done. Hand loads ARE the answer.

You could TRY the old trick of varying the amount of upward pressure on the barrel, but adding shims to the pressure pads in the forend....but I never was able to get an improvement that way. I tried bedding the action, floating the barrel, adding uplift at the forend, etc. In the end, I found the best results with some pressure on the barrel, probably about the same as from the factory. I then tuned my loads for the rifle - that gave me the most improvement. In the end, my M7 (.308) would do about 1 moa or so, but only for about 4 rounds. The 5th in a string would always step out a bit, unless I let the barrel cool after 4 rounds.

Another obvious solution would be to rebarrel the 7 with a standard weight barrel, as from a Rem. 700. That would do nicely. But, short of that....handloading is your best bet.

As I said, the M7 is compromised toward a hunting rig - not a target rifle.

January 25, 2013, 06:30 PM	#25
wpsdlrg Senior Member Join Date: August 18, 2009 Posts: 826	No ! Floating the pencil barrel generally will NOT improve things. Been there, done that. The M7, as much as I like it, is a compromise. The pencil barrel is there to reduce weight, but the down side is that it heats up really fast....and WILL produce some stringing. Floating the barrel will actually make it WORSE. The up side is that the barrel cools fast. So, if practicing with the 7 at the range, shoot short strings, no more than 5 rounds at a run....then allow the barrel to cool. The 7 is really only intended to be a hunting rifle - and it does very well at that - but it's not a target gun. As to improving on 2 moa accuracy, it can be done. Hand loads ARE the answer. You could TRY the old trick of varying the amount of upward pressure on the barrel, but adding shims to the pressure pads in the forend....but I never was able to get an improvement that way. I tried bedding the action, floating the barrel, adding uplift at the forend, etc. In the end, I found the best results with some pressure on the barrel, probably about the same as from the factory. I then tuned my loads for the rifle - that gave me the most improvement. In the end, my M7 (.308) would do about 1 moa or so, but only for about 4 rounds. The 5th in a string would always step out a bit, unless I let the barrel cool after 4 rounds. Another obvious solution would be to rebarrel the 7 with a standard weight barrel, as from a Rem. 700. That would do nicely. But, short of that....handloading is your best bet. As I said, the M7 is compromised toward a hunting rig - not a target rifle.