One of the first things a custom gunsmith does when assembling a target grade rifle is to make sure the barrel is completely smooth and free of any imperfections. This is called lapping the bore of the rifle and it is typically done by hand. It is also an expensive process for the gun owner. A few years ago David Tubbs, a well known competitive shooter, introduced his "Final Finish System". This kit allows one to lap your barrel by firing abrasive coated bullets down the bore. The bullets come in 5 levels of grit allowing for a finer and finer polish as you work through the system. Having heard great reviews about this system we decided to try it out on a new out of the box stainless Ruger 77 Mk II in 30-06. Out of the box the rifle would deliver on average 2.5 inch groups at 100 yards with several different brands of 165 and 180 grain ammunition. This certainly is very acceptable accuracy and more than enough for any hunting application. (We like to average accuracy over several types and brands to get a  feel of what the rifle is capable of in the real world.) At the time that we performed these tests, the system was only available as a reloading option as only the unloaded bullets were sold. However, today you can buy the bullets pre loaded and ready to shoot, saving yourself the reloading step. After following the instructions carefully and cleaning the gun thoroughly between runs as instructed, we retested the accuracy with the rest of the test bullets we had purchased for this project. Accuracy over all loads now averaged 1.5 inches with the best load tested delivering .9 inches at 100 yards. The cost of the system is less than $35 and certainly is worth such a small expense for such a dramatic improvement in accuracy. Polishing the roughness and imperfections will likely improve the accuracy of any new rifle. An added benefit to this is that the smother barrel is easier to clean.

The second thing that some guns benefit from in increasing their accuracy potential is to glass bed the action. If the action is not well mated to your stock it can move between shots causing inaccuracy. Bedding the action involves pouring a fiberglass filled epoxy-like material into the stock and forming your action to the stock. By applying a special release agent to the action the epoxy does not stick to the action. What results is a perfect fit between stock and action as the epoxy fill in all the gaps. This technique will only benefit you if the fit between your stock and action is not perfect. Many times people will bed their actions and see no improvement. What this means is that your action was properly bedded from the factory. Other times, shooters will see dramatic improvements in their shooting accuracy. The good news is that bedding kits available from gun shops and firearms online stores are very inexpensive. Bedding your action yourself is going to set you back around $25. Perhaps it's worth doing it regardless, especially if you have a wood stock which could shift over time due to moisture. However, if you perform step one above and your gun is shooting 1 inch groups, you have to ask what more do you need to go hunting? On the other hand, if your sport involves shooting targets rather than game, then the joy of sub 1 inch groups certainly can justify the time and effort.

Finally, while not a do it yourself fix, you can also have a qualified gunsmith clean up your factory trigger. Factory triggers due to keeping the costs of manufacture low are not polished and tuned. For $50 a qualified gunsmith can polish up the trigger components and make it break in a nice clean crisp manner. Having a smooth trigger, while not directly an accuracy improver can have a big impact on real world accuracy.