Scope Drift

[Orka Akinse]

We hear regularly on how a rifle is shooting well one minute only for it to go to Rat sh*t the next. We then start "playing/tweaking" call it whatever you like, to try and find the problem be it scope or rifle.

 

Has anyone got a robust/logical and methodical process of illimination they follow to determine the faulty item they are willing to share?

[brown dog]

Step 1: Horses not zebras. Assume it's you, not the rifle. 80% of 'going to shite' or 'wandering zero' is inconsistent position and hold from occasion to occasion, 10% is wind (incl vertical) or ammo and only on 10% of occasions is there actually anything wrong with the rifle 'system'.

That's how I see it through my simple goggles

[baldie]

Amazing how many guns "go to shite" on a sunday morning, right after 8 pints and a kebab , saturday night.

 

Fatigue, bad light, etc are all part players. Rarely is it a gun that was fine when it went back in the cabinet last.

 

People also believe that two different cans of the same powder will also be the same.....not so.

 

Bullet batches of the same type and weight can have an effect too.

[Orka Akinse]

Thanks fellas you are pushing against an open door wrt people problems being more the reason than anything else but...

 

I cast my mind back some years ago to a mate who would tack drive his foxes with his .222 and all of a sudden, it "went off" and he gave it to me to look at and come up with what the problem was.

 

shot like crap so:

 

changed scope x2

changed ammo x 3 or 4 different brands

changed mounts x 2

Can off can on

checked screws all over x lots

 

Cleaned rifle x loads

 

Still no good swapped it for a Tikka T3 lite

 

Now I didn't approach this logically and was just wondering who does what, in what order and when in a logical process until the final solution is; sell the bloody thing and get a new one.

[Guest richness]

[quote was just wondering who does what, in what order and when in a logical process until the final solution is; sell the bloody thing and get a new one.

 

My thoughts would be: (assuming i was shooting well, very good rest and the conditions were good)

Seating depth (has the throat gone out a few thou? New batch of heads?)

Neck tension (perhaps time to anneal?)

Carbon fouling. (Get the brushes out - think about a cabon ring..pull nylon brush back toward bore and feel for stiffness )

Stock bolts

Rail bolts

 

Blaming the scope would be WAY down the list for sure, although i have often seen cant and crossover due to poor mounts, but then the rifle still shoots great groups; it's just the POI that is unduly off to the side!

[Trapper]

I can vouch for the fact that a can of a popular "morning after" pick-me-up drink containing taurine really screwed up my shooting until it wore off.

Given that those types of drinks also contain lots of caffiene, I'm guessing that lower doses or expresso's might have an effect upon performance too.

[Strangely Brown]

I can vouch for the fact that a can of a popular "morning after" pick-me-up drink containing taurine really screwed up my shooting until it wore off.

Given that those types of drinks also contain lots of caffiene, I'm guessing that lower doses or expresso's might have an effect upon performance too.

 

I would get to Bisley early in order to have a small flask of coffee before shooting; it took a few months before I realised that my "hyper" feeling was in fact the coffee and not my nerves at the thought of shooting with a crowd I had not met before.

 

Odd but true!

[devilishdave]

I would get to Bisley early in order to have a small flask of coffee before shooting; it took a few months before I realised that my "hyper" feeling was in fact the coffee and not my nerves at the thought of shooting with a crowd I had not met before.

 

Odd but true!

 

Yeh I notice a differance in my shooting after just 4 pints the night before. The Caffine has more of an effect on the body than most people give it credit for.

 

Dave

[Chris-NZ]

Yeh, I've noticed they also have a bad effect on ya waistline and wallet

[Gunsgobang88]

Hi,

 

Now I know what the problem is, I've almost always got a 1/2 pint mug of fresh coffee within reach, love the stuff. Next time I do the McQueen I'll try to give the coffee a miss, probably get the shakes due to withdrawl symptoms,

 

Alan

[Guest richness]

Hi,

 

Now I know what the problem is, I've almost always got a 1/2 pint mug of fresh coffee within reach, love the stuff. Next time I do the McQueen I'll try to give the coffee a miss, probably get the shakes due to withdrawl symptoms,

 

Alan

 

I can't imagine shooting WITHOUT coffee. Sheesh i can't think straight without it in the AM and you sure do need to think straight to shoot well.

[tackb]

first of all think back has anything happened that could have caused the loss of accuracy ie a knock or was the weapon dropped have you lent it to a farmer who banged some posts in with it?

 

then get a known 'shooter' some boring benchy guy is ideal! to shoot the system , his groups will probably be better than yours but are they good enough compared to what you expect normally from that system?

 

next do a simple through check that everything is tight and clean and make sure the barrel channel is clear on free floaters

 

i would then change/check parts in order methodically starting with the scope mounts then the scope , it helps if you use proven stuff for replacement to eliminate any doubts

 

it's important to keep your targets and write on them what you did to the system each time so you can compare gain/loss of accuracy.

 

before all of this though shoot another proven rifle yourself to eliminate that 'variable'

 

good luck !