How reliable are precision rifles?

[Bartholomew Roberts]

This last week, Tac Pro Shooting Center had their intermediate precision rifle class. Ten rifles in the class, 4 Accuracy International, 2 Sako TRGs, and 4 modified Remington 700s. Course of fire was 350 rounds over three days.

By the end of the class, two of the Remington 700s had stopped holding a group and both of the Sako TRGs were DOA (one explosively, one with a dead trigger group).

I don't have a great deal of time on precision rifle. So I am ignorant in the area; but it doesn't seem like 350 rounds in three days of is all that demanding a requirement. I was surprised to hear of so many rifles going down. For those of you that have done this, is that typical of a class or that type of rifle?

(Edited hyperbole regarding group size on Remington 700 - it was worse than they had done the previous two days and but still decent for a rifle 2-3MOA at 100yds)

 

[Zak Smith]

My AI 308 has over 5000 rounds through it, most of it rapid fire in windy-sand field environments. It has "gone down" once because a pebble got jammed into the bolt lugs in the receiver preventing the bolt from closing. I rarely clean my rifles and don't pamper them.

My partner for the 2004 ITRC had problems with his Remington when the HS-Presicion detachable box magazines basically stopped working due to grit and sand.

We shoot field-style rifle to 700 and MOR-style rifle both monthly, where the round count for a match is 60 - 200 rounds (a day). The most common rifles used are Remington 700 based. There are relatively few problems (ie, less than you see with semi-autos at an IPSC or 3Gun match), and when a gun does have recurring issues, it is most often due to junk reloads.

 

[NineseveN]

Sounds to me like that day was an exception not the norm.

 

[taliv]

bartholomew,

when i went to thunder ranch's precision rifle course, i took a rem700 vss 308, and shot between 500-600 rnds. the gun never went down. however, my groups went from 1-hole the first day, to 1-2 MOA by the end of the week. the reason was that i was exhausted mentally and to some extent physically (i wasn't used to the TX sun)

when i got home (3600 mi round-trip drive) and got some rest... my groups went right back down.

 

[rockstar.esq]

I don't compete with my rifle and mine is completely stock (savage 10fp) so take my opionion for what it is. I would wager that more failures are attributable to aftermarket stuff. Plus I'm sort of perplexed as to how things can really go wrong with something as simple as a bolt action.