CZ 550 Carbine - Kevlar (.30-06) Won't group. Frustrated

[idsman75]

I have a CZ 550 Carbine - Kevlar in .30-06.  First off, I want to say that CZ is by far the finest manufacturer of firearms on the planet.  Every CZ rifle (rimfire or centerfire) I have ever owned or fired has been an absolute dream right out of the box.  My CZ 550 Safari cloverleafed at 100 yards using iron sights and cheap factory ammo right off the bat the first 3 times I pulled the trigger.  I can't ask more from a firearms manufacturer.  HUGE kudos.

One of the members here was kind enough to hold onto the 550 Carbine Kevlar until I returned from 1 year of being stationed in Korea so I could buy it from him.  Thank you!

However, herein lies the problem.

I mounted a Leupold VX-3 series scope (VX-HOG, 30mm, Firedot) and anchored the gun in a Lead-Sled.  I ran numerous forms of factory ammo from numerous manufacturers across a broad spectrum of bullet weights and couldn't get better than a 2" - 3" group.  Several groups were worse.

I handed the rifle off to a professional who works for a company with a unique service here in Georgia.  They will take your rifle and allow you to select the exact bullet and brass manufacturer of your choice and they will work up a handload recipe for that rifle.  Well, the pros have had the rifle for several weeks now and can't come up with anything that would group better than a few inches at 100 yards.  I hate to say it but I could have gotten better results from a cheap Mossberg rifle.  It's extremely unusual for a CZ to do this in my experience.

Are there any particular challenges in handloading for the CZ 550 in .30-06 that I am unaware of?  I know the rate of twist is a little looser than what is standard for that cartridge.  That's why I asked the professional to go with 130-grain bullets to see if that would remedy things.  I'm actually at a point now where I would consider selling this gun at a deep discount to what I paid for it.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

The pros are currently working with Norma brass and Barns T-TSX 130-grain bullets.  I tried everything imaginable in a factory load.

[AZ_CZ]

I would look at the rifle. Pull the action, inspect the stock. Look for anomalies in the fit, points of contact, check the lug bearing surface. Look at the action, same thing. Reinstall the action making sure it settles evenly into the stock, it shouldn't rock. I like to hold it firmly in the stock and give the butt a smack on a padded surface to make sure it is settled in to the lug. Bolt it down, but don't over torque. This might require some trial and error at the range firing a few rounds to see if it has an impact on accuracy.

Next clean the barrel really good. This could be copper or lead buildup.

If you have done all this already the Good Luck.

[Faeruss7]

     Has the rifle been shot any farther than 100 yards? If it shoots equal or better at 200 or 300 yards, it may be your crown, as the partially-stabilized bullet needs extra time to settle down. I would highly recommend doing what AZ_CZ recommended, and then take it out to 100, 200 and 300 yards and see if the gun's groups settle down. Beyond that, I would call CZ customer service and see what their technical experts have to say.

[buddy.223]

 i assume youve tried the basics different scopes, rings, stock fit(original stock) ect, i had a leupy with a wandering zero, turned out it was ever so slightly leaking gas. if so i too would check the crown i had to have a brand new 527 recrowned- it was hovering around an inch after the recrowning job it was literally putting them in one hole, since ive had 2 other rifles done with similar results.   i suppose the best advice would be have a proffessional you can trust examine  it - bore scope it checking throat , rifleing and of course the crown.

[banzai510(hainz)]

the new Mod 70 is pretty nice also. the Climate extreme Extreme with carlson stock or called soemthing like that. seen it at Sportmans wearhouse for $650 300WSM. all black  MOA rifle. Made in USA
smooth action.  said they have 30-06 also first time I seen this version.

CZs are good also as I have 4 of them.

[truckjohn]

If it's new - send it back.

Every manufacturer ends up sending out a lemon once in a while...

My own personal experience with 30-06's is...
There are very few 30-06's in the universe won't shoot the old USGI Match Load (47g IMR 4895 + 168 SMK) into less than 1" if the barrel is good... 

If it's shooting 2-3" with that load - send it back.

Thanks