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Mossberg 4x4 Bolt Action Troubleshooting

I just got my 4x4 .338 win mag about 6 weeks ago and It will not hold a patern at all. The round may hit 6" off and the next may be off 2 feet. It moves with out adjusting the scope. The only thing cosistant about it is being inconsistant. I have fired 60 rounds of Quality ammo, 250 and 225 and 200 grain. I have used 2 differant scopes and both are quality as are the rings and rated up to a 50 cal. I was trying to Zero it from 100 to 350 yds with myself and 2 other shooters all having the same results. I bought some 185 grain rounds. I'm trying them next.
Has anyone had this problem and if so how was it corrected.
I have 2 other Mossberg guns and I have never had any problems at all except for running out of ammo.
If you have any ideas please send them to me.
Thanks for your help.
 
Checking into some stuff for you both... Dont know yet what will pan out, but bear with me as I look for ideas.
 
I've got zero experience with the 4x4, but reading through this thread it seems like there may be a factory bedding/seating issue with the barrel.

JT10, it does stand to reason that your barrel would have some play without being properly tightened down.

MAJORSCREWLOOSE, I've had personal experience with inconsistent shot placement due to variances in ammo, barrel thermodynamics, etc but nothing to the degree you're experiencing. The only factors that would cause this in my mind would be poorly fitted optics or an loose barrel. Either issue would make consistent shot placement virtually impossible. Assuming your optics are properly fitted, have you checked to see if the barrel screws are properly tightened?
 
Thanks LES for helpin with suggestions.

I dont have any experience with these rifles either beyond what I've read and seen here.

I can only guess and the thing I think of are bedding, twist or movement in furniture depending on how the rifle is benched or rested or even on a bipod. Other considerations even with quality optics and rings could be issues with bedding those as well.

I can only imagine issues such as what LES has already mentioned, things being loose or out of spec torque. Sometimes rings that are unevenly tightened can do that too, especially when we're dealing with larger calibers.

Again, just guessing at this stuff.
 
Thanks for your help. Im going to reseat the scope and rings. Do I need to be useing a torque wrench on the barrel mounting bolts. If so do you know what to torque it to? I do not want to send it back to Mossberg so I am going try what ever it takes.
Thanks again
 
Using a torque wrench is always recommended when mounting a barrel and you should check your owner's manual for the proper ft-lbs application.

...oh, and I hope the irony here isn't lost...
 
I've been having an occasional jamming issue with my .308 4x4. Since I've only shot it as a single (dropping one round on top of the magazine and closing the bolt) could this be causing the round to misalign and locking the bolt? When I cycle a full magazine I don't have the problem. I'm taking the gun out this week and will check this out. Has anyone found this to be true?
 
Yes, simply dropping a round on top of the mag could indeed cause feeding issues.

Without the feed lips to guide the round forward, there is potential for mis-alignment upon contact with the bolt and during forward travel. I would suggest manually pushing each round forward until it is partially seated into the chamber before you close the bolt. This will help to ensure proper feeding and avoid potential damage to your bullets/casings, not to mention costly damage to your bolt face.

Have fun with it this weekend and let us know how it works out for you...
 
LAZY EYED SNIPER said:
Yes, simply dropping a round on top of the mag could indeed cause feeding issues.

Without the feed lips to guide the round forward, there is potential for mis-alignment upon contact with the bolt and during forward travel. I would suggest manually pushing each round forward until it is partially seated into the chamber before you close the bolt. This will help to ensure proper feeding and avoid potential damage to your bullets/casings, not to mention costly damage to your bolt face.

Have fun with it this weekend and let us know how it works out for you...

Thanks Lazy Eyed Sniper. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
mnh2obuff said:
LAZY EYED SNIPER said:
Yes, simply dropping a round on top of the mag could indeed cause feeding issues.

Without the feed lips to guide the round forward, there is potential for mis-alignment upon contact with the bolt and during forward travel. I would suggest manually pushing each round forward until it is partially seated into the chamber before you close the bolt. This will help to ensure proper feeding and avoid potential damage to your bullets/casings, not to mention costly damage to your bolt face.

Have fun with it this weekend and let us know how it works out for you...

Thanks Lazy Eyed Sniper. I'll let you know how it goes.
I just got back from the range. I shot 40 rounds without a problem. All the rounds were loaded in a magazine. Only future outings will tell, but hopefully the problem is solved. Thanks again for your input.
 
Anyone out there have a nice used 4x4 270Win stock. My synthetic one broke out on the sling mount. I snagged it on a tree back in the winter and it snapped. Possibly interested in any finish. Thanks
 
You could probably fix this without too much trouble. Can you post a picture of the breakage?

Either in the forend or buttend you can install a new sling mount pretty cheap. Depending on the break, you can probably remove any evidence that it ever broke in the first place.
 
A follow-up to my earlier posts...

Mossberg took the rifle back and corrected the problems. 1) Rifling had been damaged (presumably during manufacturing, since I had never fired it and it was purchased new). 2) Bolt issue was caused by some kind of small chunk/scrape in the chamber. Mossberg rebarrelled it, and sent it back with a test target.

http://www.skinnymoose.com/desertrat/20 ... n-270-wsm/
 
if you got the package rifle/scope/mounts deal, the scope is cheap and especally the mounts are garbage! replace them with a good quality mounts and loc-tite them in in place.
 
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