So I take my new 30/06 winchester 70 package gun from walmart (push feed, plastic stock, rough finish, rings and cheap scope) to the range for the first time. I first cleaned out the bore, which took a long time because winnie seems to have pumped grease down it, but it finally gets clean.

It takes 4 shots to get on target at 100, and starts shooting sub one inch groups with the winnie white box 147 FMJ I bought to get on target.

I switch to my handloads for my M1, including varget and 4064, which deliver sub inch groups in the M1, and things go to hell. Huge groups and wandering zero. When the bore gets hot on this thing count on 4 inch groups. As the barrel cooled things got tighter, but not as good as they were. I couldn't wait the hour plus it would have taken to completely cool.

Not happy with this turn of events. None of my fun guns act this bad when they get hot.

What you describe is not unusual behavior for a slim profile barrel, especially in 30-06. The manufacturer's presumption is that you'll only fire a couple of rounds at a time; it's not a target gun, it's a hunting rifle.

If you bed the action and float the barrel you'll probably get more consistent groups as the barrel heats up, but there really isn't any way to be able to shoot lots of rounds through it in a short period of time and not lose accuracy.

Sounds like it's a good hunting gun if it'll shoot sub-MOA groups when cold.

[b]NEWS FLASH![/b]
$200 rifle from the grocery store isn't a tack driver. Skinny barrel heats up when shooting hot handloads. Film at 11.

What I am afraid of is that it likes the white box FMJ and nothing else. I will start with the good stuff tomorrow when I go out.

I only picked up the FMJ because it was cheap and I didn't want to waste my good loads.

Once I was on target with the FMJ (4 shots) it put the next four under an inch.