Recon...have a look at Dewey Cleaning Rods...with a 30-06 get a .30 calibre cleaning rod...the Dewey's have a rubber covering...as this protects the rifling which is or should be sharp...if the bore guide is loose use electricians tape to wrap the end to keep it stiff in the chamber...like Tyger's safe guards this protects the rifling...then you have a rod which should stay clear of the barrel...get a good copper remover to clean with such as Shooters Choice Extra Strength...when the rifle comes new...clean the barrel incase there is copper from the proof round in the barrel...all rifles are checked/shot from the factory...shoot one round then clean....2 rounds and clean...3 then clean...go up to 10 rounds and clean and whatever rough edges/filings are there from the factory will be a lot smoother and cleaned out without copper acting as a "filler" to hide the imperfections.

This takes the best part of an afternoon at the range...use Pro Shot patches if you can get them...a much better quality of linen...

Don't bother to sight in the scope and go for groups until the 1-10 clean is done...it should be easy to keep them in the backstop...get a Harris Bi-pod which is the articulated "Bench Rest" model and buy a simple "scrunch" nylon back bag filled with polystyrene chips...the Bench Rest bi-pod is shorter and keeps the rifle closer to the ground/table which aids accuracy and the back bag is versatile if it is a simple "pillow" shape...laid flat should be enough with the Bench Rest Bi-Pod...the regular one has to have the bag vertical and this induces more error for me...but everyone is different so experiment as to what is comfortable...place a towel under the bi-pod legs to avoid bounce if shooting of a bench...as a tip get some surgical spirit to clean away the residue of the copper remover after the 1-10 as this neutralises the chemicals from the cleaner...then dry patch a few times and go for your zero and check for group. My experience with Remy's is that unlike custom barrels...they actually work a bit better "fouled"...so I would clean only with a wire brush if the rifle is to be regularly shot until it has done 50 rounds...100 rounds later in it's life...then at these stages remove copper...some copper is a good thing as it retains consistancy in the barrel but this is a different thing to "filling in" rough edges if there are any...which should be smoothed out at the start. If the rifle is to be stored a while...clean thoroughly and oil inside the barrel...but always remove this with the surgical spirit on patches and dry patch before shooting again.

The thing with shooting groups is your breathing...get the Plaster Book and it tells you how....in essence...breath deeply and oxygenate your lungs then breath half out and hold it...then take the shot...if the squeeze is such that it is a suprise when the rifle goes off...it should be a good shot...remember to stay in position after the shot...trying to check for a hit etc...stops the follow through...when it works well the groups will show this and you will know then if you have flinched...we all do...so no worries...just minimise it.

Hope these points help....main thing is have fun! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

If all or some of this is known....apologies for rabbiting on.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />