After sighting in my rifle at a local range, I took the gun home for Christmas. My dad and I took our rifles out on the ranch to do some plinking and I discovered that I was consistently shooting 6" low at 175 yards. Fearing that my scope had given up, I took it back to the range and discovered it was shooting right were it should be. I'm shooting Winchester FS and IMR 4350 powder as it is the powder that shoots best in this rifle. There is a difference elevation between the two areas with the ranch being higher in elevation but it isn't teribly dramatic. On that note, I went sheep hunting a few months ago and using the same powder with partitions saw no shift in zero when firing the rifle on the top of a mountain to check zero. This particular rifle has also never shifted zero on me before and I've shot the rifle over 40 times since noticing the trouble with no signs of shifting whatsoever. Is it the bullets, the powder? Anyone have any idea whats going on?

chuck

P.S. I also don't think it was the rest I was using that caused the problem eigther.

AT what distance did you zero it in at, what caliber, bullet weight, load etc. were you using?
I had a 22.250 that would move POI when a cloud would go over the range. We need more information.

Things that will change your POI...regardless of powder:

Elevation
Temperature
Barometric Pressure
Shooting Uphill Or Downhill
Humidity
Wind Currents
The Clothing You Are Wearing
The Support You Are Using
Your Frame Of Mind
Your Heart Rate
Your Respiratory Rate
Your Mental Status

need I go on?

I have seen that much difference in point of impact when shooting from a sand bag bench rest compared to supporting the rifle with the hand. Hunting rifles need to be sighted in with the hand under the rifle, just like they will be used in the field.

Incidentally, I saw one fellow put his hand on top of the barrel to shoot. It moved the point of impact into the dirt at 200 yards.

[ 01-01-2003, 02:41: Message edited by: KLN ]