Initial Checks On a New Weapon. These are checks that you will perform on a weapon that is new, or is newly assigned to you. It is also performed on any weapon of questionable accuracy or reliability. This is a list of gunsmith precision checks to insure that things that affect the rifles accuracy and reliability are acceptable.

1. STOCK CHECKS. Prior to removing the barreled action from the stock, you will check the barrel channel clearance. This should be checked by using three business cards as a minimum. Some will state that a dollar bill is all that is needed. When the weapon is fired, strong harmonic vibrations are set up in the barrel. These vibrations are easily strong enough to flex a barrel more than a thickness of a dollar bill. The barrel WILL slap the barrel channel of the stock. If there is less than 3 business cards, note this for later work. This clearance must be established by cleaning out the channel with a channel file or return to Remington for repair.

2. Disassemble the rifle including separating the barrel action group from the stock. Note as you remove the guard screws if they seem to bind in any way while removing them. If the screws do not freely turn (as you would with your fingertips) note this for later repair. Lay the barreled action down and look at the stock.

3. Look at the inside of the stock. Pay close attention to the area of the receiver bedding block. It may not look like it but this area is like a V block. When the action is laid into this block it makes contact with the block along a very narrow path on each side of the receiver. This area is about 1/16 wide along each side of the magazine well slot. You can usually see the contact area by the slight burnishing in this area. It may be slightly shinier or have a blackish smudge to it.

4. Check to make sure that none of the black composite material that makes up the shell of the stock is not overlaying this bedding block area. The aluminum block must be absolutely free and clear of this material. If the material is present, it must be removed by a skilledtechnician with a barrel channel clearance file. It is a tricky process, dont do it unless you know what you are doing. When in doubt, send it back to Remington and explain it to them.

5. Look at the bedding block at the back of the receiver area. This curved pad should also be totally free of composite material. This is where the receiver tang will rest. Clean off this material as well.

6. If there is material present over the V block it will bear uneven pressure on the receiver when the guard screws are torqued to 65 in. pounds. This can warp the receiver but not likely. What is likely is that the weapon will NOT return to the 1/2 MOA return to zero standard that is required when an operator removes the stock from the barreled action.

This is a big one!!

7. Look at the recess in the stock where the recoil lug goes. The recoil lug on the barreled action should bear on the V block ONLY on the reverse (the side of the lug that faces the rear of the action) side of the lug. It should not bear on the bottom, sides, and the front of the recoil lug. Look inside of the recess for bearing marks on the bottom, sides and front of the recess. Rarely will you see marks on the front of this recess. Sometimes there will be marks on the sides of this recess. More likely, there will be wear marks on the bottom of the recess. This must be fixed. Remove the action and turn the barreled action so the recoil lug is facing up. With a large file, carefully remove material from the bottom of this lug. Use a black magic marker to mark the bottom of the lug. Lay the action into the V block. Remove the action and see if the lug left an ink mark in the recess. If so, remove more material from the bottom of the lug, then check again.

8. Check the buttplate and insure that it is tight and screws are not stripped out. If the plate is loose, it is suggested that you remove all of the screws and mix some JB Weld and insert this compound into the screw holes, then replace the screws. Many of the adjustable LOP wheel shafts are loose and have excessive wobble. This can be fixed by sliding an appropriate number of garden hose washers over the threaded shaft then tighten the wheel against these washers. This compression will eliminate the shaft wobble from the LOP adjustment assembly.

9. Check the sling swivel studs. It is recommended that you Loctite the studs with #271 Locktite.

10. CHECKS FOR THE BARRELED ACTION. Check the crown of the barrel. There should be no chips around the crown of the muzzle. Now you will probably note dents and dings on the OUTSIDE of the barrel edge. This is okay. The important part is the spot right where the bullet exits the bore of the barrel. The smallest ding will cause an uneven gas release around the base of the bullet. This is the primary cause of keyholing bullets at short ranges.

11. Visually inspect the throat of the barrel. The throat is the area just in front of the chamber. It is where the rifling begins. This is the place that wears out on a gun when it has too many rounds through it. Look and see if you can see crisp beginnings on the lands and grooves. On barrels with 8,000 or more rounds, these lands will be eroded and in an extreme cases the rifling will not begin for up to 1 inch down the bore.

12. Thoroughly clean the bolt locking lugs and degrease then with alcohol. Mark the back (locking surface) of the lugs with a black magic marker. Place a fired case in the chamber of the barrel. Lock the bolt into the receiver and move the handle up and down two or three times. Remove the bolt and look at the locking lug contact surfaces. There should be even witness marks on both of the lug mating surfaces. Many times you will have full contact on one lug and only partial contact on the other. Anything less than 75% contact on the other lug is unacceptable. Return the weapon to Remington for rework.

13. BRIDGE MOUNT. The bridge mount on the receiver of the M-24 is one of the major causes of return to zero problems on the M-24 Optical Sights. Carefully loosen the screws that hold the rear of the bridge mount to the receiver. Have your partner maintain heavy downward pressure on the base so that if the base is spring it will not rip the threads out of the receiver. After the screws are removed, carefully release tension on the base. It should NOT spring up. A number of M-24s have been identified with sprung bases. More accurately these bases are machined incorrectly. The base should rest evenly on the forward and rear receiver rings.

14. A number of bases were machined with too much clearance between the rear of the base and the rear receiver ring. Remington merely compressed the base against the receiver and screwed them down. This causes a deep bow in the bridge mount. When the scope is torqued onto the base, this stress is induced into the scope body. This is a bad thing. If you do have a gap and subsequent bowing of the base, return the rifle to Remington for repair. The long action base for the M-24 is not commercially available.

15. SCOPE RING CHECK. Rifles that do not return to zero are a major problem. One of the problem areas is the mating of the rings to the base. Look at the forward ring where it mates to the base. Look at the claws that grasp the underside of the base. On many rifles these claws bear directly on the receiver and bear only a little bit on the base. The nuts will torque to 65 in. pounds. However, they will be torqueing on the receiver. This is a major cause of bad return to zero. The fix to this is to file off metal on the bottom of the bearing claws. Do this until the claw bears only on the base and has good clearance on the receiver. The rear scope ring usually has more than enough clearance, but check it anyway.

16. TRIGGER CHECK. Checking the pull weight of the trigger is only possible with a trigger pull gauge. The trigger pull weight should be 2.5 to 4.5 pounds. It is preferred closer to 2.5 lbs. than 4.5 lbs. Many rifles are delivered with trigger weights as high 8.0 lbs. and thats with lots of creep and drag. DO NOT rely on your best guess to determine the pull weight. For triggers that do not fall into the 2.5 to 4.5 pound range, return the rifle to Remington for rework.

15. ADDITIONAL CHECKS FOR PRECISION. Place the stock on its bipod legs or in a vise. Lay the barreled action in the V block. On some rifles you will note that the barrel does not lay directly in the center of the barrel channel. Ignore this as there is nothing to do about this and it does not affect accuracy. It may be because there is composite material overlaying the V block still. Check this and remedy as necessary.

16. Once all problems are identified and the rifle is ready for reassembly, remove the scope and lay the rifle on its bridge mount with the magazine well facing up. Open the magazine floor plate. Lay the trigger guard in the trigger guard recess. It should lay in with no forcing. If there is tension, use a piece or course sand paper to relieve this tension.

17. Lay the trigger guard into the recess. Drop the forward guard screw into the hole in the trigger guard. It should drop freely. If it does, then finger tighten this bolt only, do not tighten with a torque wrench. Drop the rear guard screw into its hole. This also should drop freely into the hole until it drops into the receiver. If it does, then tighten this bolt finger tight. If any of these two bolts catch or bind when you tighten them finger tight, you will have clearance the holes in the stock.

18. After you identify a hole that binds the guard screw, run the screw in and out a couple of times to leave a scuff mark inside the aluminum guard screw hole. Remove the screw, trigger guard, and barreled action. Use a 1/4 inch round file and file out the hole enough to clear the guard screw. Replace the action and trigger guard and check the clearance. Remove material as needed to clearance the guard screws. The roundness of this hole is not important. The clearance of the hole is. Use the torque wrench and torque the screws in order of front to rear.

19. Stand the rifle on the buttplate. Place the tip of your index finger at the place where the barrel overhangs the barrel channel of the stock. Maintain only light pressure with the finger tip. Use the Allen wrench and slowly loosen the front guard screw. As it loosens up, you should NOT feel any upward springing of the barrel away from the stock. If you do, note this and continue the check. Re-torque the forward screw. Place your fingertip at this joint again. Loosen the rear guard screw in the same manner as the front. If there is movement, note this and then re-torque the screw.

20. If there is movement of the barrel away from the stock during either of the loosening and tightening of the guard screws, one of more of the following conditions may be present:

V Block is incorrectly machined, installed, or warped.
Receiver is warped.
Barrel is grossly misaligned with the barrel channel and as the screws are tightened, the barrel is being drawn along the inside of the barrel channel. This pushes the side of the stock out and the barrel in the opposite direction. This is major bad news.
The barrel is bent and is rubbing the barrel channel as above.
Bent guard screw.
Composite material is overlaid along the receiver pathways in the V block.

21. The bottom line is if there is barrel springing, it is a job for Remington to replace the components or repair them as necessary.