My elephant hunt to Botswana is getting close. I decided to mount the Doktor Optik. My local gun guys did it.

I had them "zero" at 50 yards with the solids I intend to use. One barrel is about an inch high and the other is about an inch low. While clearly close enough for my purposes, is this difference normal?

Good day, Larry:
In my limited experience, if the double shoots target after target with the same pattern the problem is in the regulation. If the patterns change often it is shooter error. I hope your gun guys didn't just shoot one or two targets. A slight change in the powder charge may solve the problem with a consistent target. Nothing, repeat nothing, threepeat nothing, is carved in stone on double rifle regulation and accuracy. A bit of adjusting the powder charge will solve most problems. If not, send to JJ at Champlin Arms and he will do a good job on regulation with the load you send him. As to your question, is this normal, sometimes yes an also no. I have seen this problem prior, will see it again, and it can be solved by one to the two choices above.
Cheers and good shooting.
Cal

Lsrry,

Are you saying the shot distribution changed AFTER mounting the scope and was fine beforehand?

Be careful you are not canting the rifle

Unless you are trying to heart shoot a hummingbird, you'll never know the difference in the field.

465H&H

465, I agree with you 100%. I was just curious. The gun is no doubt more accurate that I can shoot it.

I have been routinely breaking clay pigeons at 45 yards. That should work.

Larry

Can you answer the question of ELeeton

"Are you saying the shot distribution changed AFTER mounting the scope and was fine beforehand?"

Sure. Honestly, I do not know. Until this week, I shot clay pigeons and the like off of dirt mounds. I was not concerned as I was, at 45 yards, either hitting the clay pigeons or coming so damn close that they moved. I did have one bad day of shooting which I 100% attribute to excessive mounts of exercise causing severe soreness and stiffness.

This is the first week I have actually shot on paper. I was, in part, trying to determine where the softs hit compared to the solids. I intend to used Hornady factory solids but Federal Premium softs.

I can't imagine that this actually caused a change at all. I was simply curious.

I can't imagine that a lightweight dot sight would affect regulation; I have not found that to be the case on the two I have mounted; I suspect your rifle shoots that way regardless. Go hunting and forget about it.

Scopes can change regulation but I agree with the above, a lightweight like yours, less chance.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores: My local gun guys did it

Oh well, the "local gun guys" They may be very good. Just curious, why did you not choose to send it to the best in the US..JJ? My V-C .500 ships to him on Monday for mounting the Docter Optic. BTW, I'm not picking on you.

Larry, you are ready.


Mike

My experience is that it is very hard to move groups that are vertically apart through any load changes. The problem is that the barrels are not coplanar. It is fussy to measure but everytime I have had this problem that has been true. Two inches appart at 50 yds is not bad in my opinion. I would just live with it. The only rifles I have ever had that were close to exactly on were modernish Holland and Hollands, and I have at least one sample of most of the modern makers

quote:

Originally posted by Kebco:
Be careful you are not canting the rifle

...and/or the Doktor Optik is not mounted quite level with the bores, and canted it's self! This is a common problem when a scope is mounted on a double by folks that do not know how it is to be done properly. If the base was simply screwed down on top of the rib it will usually be canted. The proper way is to level the bores in a mill vice, and mill a leveling slot in the rib for the base. It doesn't take a lot of canting of the base to make a very large difference on the target!
......................................................................

JJ cut the slot in the rib. It took months to get the base. He recommended that I have it mounted locally as it would take more time if I had him mount it.

It didn't surprise me that they were 2 inches apart. It did surprise me that these were 2 vertical inches.

As I said earlier, the gun is likely more accurate than I am. Breaking clay pigeons with the night site and my 56 year old eyes ain't too shabby. I can't help but think the DO will be better for me.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
JJ cut the slot in the rib. It took months to get the base. He recommended that I have it mounted locally as it would take more time if I had him mount it.

It didn't surprise me that they were 2 inches apart. It did surprise me that these were 2 vertical inches.

As I said earlier, the gun is likely more accurate than I am. Breaking clay pigeons with the night site and my 56 year old eyes ain't too shabby. I can't help but think the DO will be better for me.

I JJ cut the slot, then the slot was correctly cut. So the rifle may be crossing at that distance with your load, which would be indicated with both shots litting the same place horizontally.
Start with cool barrels, and then fire three or four shots from each barrel in the right,left,right,left order in about ten to 15 seconds and have someone keep track of the bullets placement on the target as they are fired. by barrel, and number in the order they were fired. Then fine the CENTER of each barrel's individual group. Two shot tells you very little as the regulation quality. It is the centers of each barrels individual group the tells you how the rifle is regulated!

Could try shooting at two targets, one for the right barrel and one for the left, then overlap them.
Peter.

I agree with Peter. When shooting paper targets I ALWAYS have two side by side. Right target for the right barrel, left for the left. Never have to guess which is which. In any event, if you're hitting clay targets consistantly at 45 yards, go on your safari and have a great time. You're good to go. At this point don't let the small stuff eat at you.

Larry, the "pattern" of my rifle's barrels is the same with the Doktor as with the open sights.

Hey Larry,

I'd say you are good to go. But just for discussion's sake, remember my Chapuis 9.3X74R with the Trijicon scope you shot at the range in Florida? Well, that rifle would shoot almost any load I fed it with open sights exactly to the regulation target. But when I put the scope on it, all went to hell. The TSX loads were crossing off the target at 50 yards! CEB's were initially spread 10 inches at 50 yards.

It took me 15 load combinations to finally get it to shoot to regulation with the scope. Of course, your DO is no where near the weight of the Trijicon so it isn't going to affect it as much as mine was. But I would say that yes, it has affected it to some degree. However, it seems minor and again, I think you won't have any issues with it on your hunt!

I just picked up the gun. I looked through the sight. Damn, I like it. I am glad that I did it.

I have shot it about 250 times. I hope to shoot about 60 more before I leave on the 14th.

I can't wait to test the new sight this afternoon.