spannulman
Well-Known Member
I want to thank those of you on here whose posts in archived threads have been of help to me.
I bought an old-ish (60/70s) 308 Mauser stutzen for very little cash, with missing ‘muzzle cap’ although it had attractive wood and a deep blued finish. I knew it was a gamble and i’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to get it to maintain a group. First two shots from cold are usually 1-1.5” apart but by third or fourth round it moves to a 4-5” group and then starts to wander about a 12” area once hot.
Not a problem so far on deer as only one or maybe two shots needed if all goes to plan but it wouldn’t be much use on a driven boar hunt. Without the end cap the muzzle touches the stock but not firmly, and the pressure can vary depending on temp and other factors. Reading some older threads on here a few people referred to an American chap who suggested business cards slipped under the barrel to put a little pressure on. It sounded odd but a bit more reading took me to pressure bedding , something new to me.
I haven’t gone into the whole deal, weighting the barrel with a bucket of water to work out the precise lb of pressure required. I put a few layers of card under the barrel towards the muzzle, beyond the barrel band and now the pressure is even and constant; I can’t pull the wood away from the muzzle now or feel it move when carrying it slung. Just been down the farm to check zero and although poi now moved 8” up a few clicks on scope and now it puts three rounds into an inch with two touching and the next few through hot barrel are still within a 3” circle on target.
I felt sure the rifle could could be sorted but I didn’t want to throw money at it because it was so old and only a cheapy, bought to see if a stutzen was for me. Am very pleased but it’s thanks to the shared knowledge on here. There are some people on here who aren’t always the cheeriest but, in the main, it is a great resource for help and advice. If you wrote on here, over the years, about pressure bedding stocks or putting cardboard under the stock, thank you. I can now look at booking a boar hunt with confidence in using my own rifle.
I bought an old-ish (60/70s) 308 Mauser stutzen for very little cash, with missing ‘muzzle cap’ although it had attractive wood and a deep blued finish. I knew it was a gamble and i’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to get it to maintain a group. First two shots from cold are usually 1-1.5” apart but by third or fourth round it moves to a 4-5” group and then starts to wander about a 12” area once hot.
Not a problem so far on deer as only one or maybe two shots needed if all goes to plan but it wouldn’t be much use on a driven boar hunt. Without the end cap the muzzle touches the stock but not firmly, and the pressure can vary depending on temp and other factors. Reading some older threads on here a few people referred to an American chap who suggested business cards slipped under the barrel to put a little pressure on. It sounded odd but a bit more reading took me to pressure bedding , something new to me.
I haven’t gone into the whole deal, weighting the barrel with a bucket of water to work out the precise lb of pressure required. I put a few layers of card under the barrel towards the muzzle, beyond the barrel band and now the pressure is even and constant; I can’t pull the wood away from the muzzle now or feel it move when carrying it slung. Just been down the farm to check zero and although poi now moved 8” up a few clicks on scope and now it puts three rounds into an inch with two touching and the next few through hot barrel are still within a 3” circle on target.
I felt sure the rifle could could be sorted but I didn’t want to throw money at it because it was so old and only a cheapy, bought to see if a stutzen was for me. Am very pleased but it’s thanks to the shared knowledge on here. There are some people on here who aren’t always the cheeriest but, in the main, it is a great resource for help and advice. If you wrote on here, over the years, about pressure bedding stocks or putting cardboard under the stock, thank you. I can now look at booking a boar hunt with confidence in using my own rifle.
