Sighted in my deer rifle this weekend. Surprised that the groups were acceptable, but they were about 5 inches to the right of zero. I have some theories/ideas as for the culprit, just interested in some other opinions. Savage 116 7mm STW. Handloads. Thank you.

small group ok,,,,move the scope... big group scattered,,, work on a load...

That is why they make adjustable sights and scopes.

Very seldom does a rifle shoot dead on right away or with different loads.

Have been sitting here thinking about this for some time. So ashamed, but just can't help it. Aim about 5 inches to the left. Must be my Hogwaller blood. Best of luck!

That be Kentucky windage, works well on standing shots I suppose!

If you are just starting out with the scope, it needs to be mounted properly, perhaps by a gunsmith.

In case your target was closer than 100 yards, to wind it back with the turret knob is not a good idea because it might cause the scope guts to look more than a bit obliquely down the tube, bringing optical and mechanical problems.

If you have mounts with windage adjustments, try to fix most of the problem there. However, the lack of strength in alloy, one-inch scopes means to just turn the screws may result in your bending the scope, which might also result in optical and mechanical trouble. So, bore sight the rifle first and remember the reticle's position in relation to your target. Then remove the l/h (cone?) screw, at least, from your rear mount and somehow wrench the front ring fractionally to the right (clockwise) until the reticle looks five inches closer to the bore sight or at least that much farther right at your original target distance. The wrenching of the ring should not be done by twisting the scope from the ocular end but with a mandrel or broomstick in the front ring or a spanner beneath it. At a pinch, you could twist the scope but only at the front ring. Then restore the screw(s) and tighten them equally at that position. Before really tightening up the ring screws, purists would also lap the rings to prevent them marking or twisting the scope, too.

If by some chance your rifle had previously been correctly aligned, Atkinson's usual (and justified) explanation for this kind of problem is that you have bumped the scope, probably at the bell sticking farther out from the mounts. The above procedure might still have some application.

new loads? new rifle? new scope? new bases? new stock?

hmm, Occam's razor says simplest is likely bestest --

adjust the scope ...


or are you asking why ammo loads B shoot differently than ammo loads A?

lots of reasons, most of them minuscule, when the general rule is that each load has a different point of impact ..

20 clicks left, try again

I've used this setup for about 15 years and never adjusted anything; the load, scope, stock...everything is the same as when I originally bought the gun and worked up the load. All things being equal, I'm thinking the scope just got bumped. The load was identical, the grouping was good but shot to the right. A few adjustments to the left and I've got it dialed in. Thanks for all the replies.

quote:

I've used this setup for about 15 years and never adjusted anything; the load, scope, stock...everything is the same as when I originally bought the gun and worked up the load.

And that is why one fires a few test shots every year

I agree. Aim to do left.

After 15 years it is entirely possible something in the scope or the mounts has failed. I recommend removing the scope and mounts, clean everything and re-mount. Also remove action from stock and check bedding, looking for rub spots in the barrel channel. Put it all back together. If the problem persists then look at the scope.

I had a rifle slide sideways in a deer stand once and the barrel hit the opposite wooden support. Not hard. Completely screwed the adjustments. It was a 12 yr old Bushnell and I sent it back under warranty. Bushnell said it was faulty innards and quickly replaced it with a much better newer model. No problems since.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobster:
... I sent it back under warranty. Bushnell said it was faulty innards and quickly replaced it with a much better newer model. No problems since.

And so we see another slice of image-movement magic pudding served up

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Fisk:
I agree. Aim to do left.

OR.. He could move the bullseye 5 inches to the left and re-sight.

I had a 22-250 that did the same thing. When I looked it over the stock had moved ever so slightly putting pressure on the barrel. After a light scraping of the barrel channel and re- applying the finish to seal the wood it shot great. Right back to where it was with the same tiny little groups. DW