Dialing in accuracy on old A-Bolt II

[timber_ghost]

I have my grandfather's old 300 win-mag, A-bolt II from 1995. It has always shot inconsistently and I am trying to get it to be a shooter. It will go from shooting a ¾ MOA group to a 3 MOA group. I just went to torque the action screws and found that they were super loose. I am hoping that was the issue with the inconsistency. I torqued them at 40 in/lb for the front and 35 in/lb for the rear. Now the barrel is no longer perfectly free floated and has a bit of contact on one side. Should I sand the stock down? Or just keep trying to reseat the action at different torques? Is it possible that the stock warped over time and that's why I am getting contact?

 

[WeiserBucks]

Floating the barrel and bedding it are the most cost effective ways to ensure consistency. Double check scope and mounts to prevent chasing your tail.

 

[Halligan]

What you’re pointing too is definitely indicative of loose screws in the systems.

I would definitely open up that barrel channel and to @WeiserBucks point, this process is about controlling the controllables. I would also add a deep clean /inspection, which helps “reset” the barrel in a manner is speaking, and helps you catch any gremlins early.