Barely hitting a sheet of paper at 200 yds. Help!

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meat hook

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Went out today just to make sure that my gun is all good for my moose trip, and to try out a new load. everything is NOT all good. I thought that I had a load that was grouping alright, but not as good as I'd like. I thought it may have just been that I haven't shot enough though. I had some groups that were moa, maybe slightly better at 200 yds. Tonight I had one group about 1.5@100, and the rest were all over. had a couple go where I was pointing, and then a flier. It was also very inconsistent in where it was going. 6" high, to 5" low, way left, just a mess. My rest off the ground wasn't ideal, but it wasn't horrible (shooting bags on a bank). Very solid, just a bit uncomfortable. My setup I'm shooting is a Sako 85 stainless 7mm Rem Mag in a Finnlight stock with a Leupold VX-3 3.5-10 in Conetrol stainless rings. I thought it was the rings weren't tight, but I had an allen key with me just in case, and they were very snug. It is kind of an odd design if no one has heard of them before. No clamping bolts. 3 piece ring that is pinched at the bottom. Google-ing it will describe better than I can. I just swapped scopes with my grandfather's gun I had inherited (Browning BBR 7rm, old-school redfield widefield scope), to see if its the gun/mounts or the scope. Hopefully I can figure it out tomorrow. Anyone out there have any advice?
 
Similar problem with my AV.;) Pulling my hair out about it so took the gun to the Smiths. Barrel is toast after about 30 years and 3000 rds.

Grizz
 
Don't change too many things at a time. If you swapped the scope, use the exact same ammo you used last time, that way you can compare it. If you're trying new and different ammo, stick with the same scope.

Have you given the gun a recent inspection? Have the stock screws magically loosened or something? Is the barrel getting fouled?
 
Remove the rifle from the stock and reinstall it . torque the action screw correctly.
Check the scope ring, replace them if necessary.
 
The OP is describing the bullets landing in much too radical a "pattern," to be the fault of his loads suddenly going bad. Rule out the ammunition.
By the same virtue, rule out the rifle.
Prime suspect is the scope mounts, but he has checked those.
Thus, we are left with what I consider the most likeliest suspect in all such cases, the scope.
Scopes on big rifles get knocked out of whack oftener than most shooters realize.
If you have a known good scope, try it on the rifle.
If not, mount the suspect scope on a known good shooting rifle, preferably using factory ammunition, to test it.
The fact the rifle was shooting good, then went bad, is almost like catching the scope in the cookie jar.
 
H4831 said:
The OP is describing the bullets landing in much too radical a "pattern," to be the fault of his loads suddenly going bad. Rule out the ammunition.
By the same virtue, rule out the rifle.
Prime suspect is the scope mounts, but he has checked those.
Thus, we are left with what I consider the most likeliest suspect in all such cases, the scope.
Scopes on big rifles get knocked out of whack oftener than most shooters realize.
If you have a known good scope, try it on the rifle.
If not, mount the suspect scope on a known good shooting rifle, preferably using factory ammunition, to test it.
The fact the rifle was shooting good, then went bad, is almost like catching the scope in the cookie jar.
Click to expand...

Unless it is an nasty flinch rearing its ugly head.
 
meat hook said:
Went out today just to make sure that my gun is all good for my moose trip, and to try out a new load. everything is NOT all good. I thought that I had a load that was grouping alright, but not as good as I'd like. I thought it may have just been that I haven't shot enough though. I had some groups that were moa, maybe slightly better at 200 yds. Tonight I had one group about 1.5@100, and the rest were all over. had a couple go where I was pointing, and then a flier. It was also very inconsistent in where it was going. 6" high, to 5" low, way left, just a mess.
Click to expand...

So was this a new load or was this the same load you were getting sub-MOA with earlier? Your post is a bit confusing.
 
H4831 said:
The OP is describing the bullets landing in much too radical a "pattern," to be the fault of his loads suddenly going bad. Rule out the ammunition.
By the same virtue, rule out the rifle.
Prime suspect is the scope mounts, but he has checked those.
Thus, we are left with what I consider the most likeliest suspect in all such cases, the scope.
Scopes on big rifles get knocked out of whack oftener than most shooters realize.
If you have a known good scope, try it on the rifle.
If not, mount the suspect scope on a known good shooting rifle, preferably using factory ammunition, to test it.
The fact the rifle was shooting good, then went bad, is almost like catching the scope in the cookie jar.
Click to expand...

That was my thought. After that, check the crown, may have been bumped.
 
How windy was it? I know southern BC has been getting hammered with high winds these last few days. I've seen gusty winds wreak havoc on groups,unlike normal crosswind.
 
After swapping scopes with another 7rm I have and going up for a rushed test, it seems the problem was fixed somewhere along the way. I gave both guns a good cleaning, and pulled the stock off the Sako and made sure it was sitting proper. Picked up a box of Rem core-lokt and headed out. An old school bore sight (bolt out, point at the target and check with the scope) at 100 yds, and i was on a piece of printer paper. One more to make sure, and then printed a decent factory group. I didn't measure, but about 1.3" I'd guess @100yds. Took a bit more to get the Browning on paper, but then put a 2" group together. Not bad for a dark, rainy/hailing evening. Then it was getting pretty dim. I'm not sure if it could have been the rings, stock, or just a bad day. I have never had anything like that happen before. Really messed me up, and started to panic about the upcoming hunt. Thought it may turn into an archery trip.... Thanks for all the help and advice. Now I just have to switch everything back to where it was, and repeat. And load up some more of the good stuff.
 
It sure doesn't hurt to take a trusted 22 rimfire to the range.
When all else fails, start shooting it to see if the eyes/brain and trigger
finger are all on the same page.
 
meat hook said:
After swapping scopes with another 7rm I have and going up for a rushed test, it seems the problem was fixed somewhere along the way. I gave both guns a good cleaning, and pulled the stock off the Sako and made sure it was sitting proper. Picked up a box of Rem core-lokt and headed out. An old school bore sight (bolt out, point at the target and check with the scope) at 100 yds, and i was on a piece of printer paper. One more to make sure, and then printed a decent factory group. I didn't measure, but about 1.3" I'd guess @100yds. Took a bit more to get the Browning on paper, but then put a 2" group together. Not bad for a dark, rainy/hailing evening. Then it was getting pretty dim. I'm not sure if it could have been the rings, stock, or just a bad day. I have never had anything like that happen before. Really messed me up, and started to panic about the upcoming hunt. Thought it may turn into an archery trip.... Thanks for all the help and advice. Now I just have to switch everything back to where it was, and repeat. And load up some more of the good stuff.
Click to expand...

Glad it worked out.

I had a similar experience a few years ago - took a rifle down to double check the zero.

After about 20 rounds and fiddling with the scope I found that the scope wasn't tracking correctly (old friction).
I ended up going home pretty beat up (300 wby). Tore it down, changed the scope and loaded some new ammo. Went back and dialed it in, sent the scope to Korth to be repaired and everything worked out.

No feeling quite like the panic you feel at the time though
 
My dad had that same type of scope on his .270 that he bought in 1974 (Redfield Wideview, with the rectangular FOV?). He ended up tossing it because it had the same issues that you are describing. It may be that the scope is finished. Do you have another scope to verify?
 
I have a Bushnell Elite that I believe has bit the dust.

Puts a couple shots on top of each other, then all of a sudden the POI changes, and I can put another 2 on top of each other, but at a different POI.

This is why I hate scopes!

Seriously considering going strictly Irons for hunting.....
 
Good luck find a GOOD rifle with GOO STOCK IRONS!!!

...its a hunt all its own, shooting irons is a skill that is disappearing fast :(
 
jeffcarr88 said:
Good luck find a GOOD rifle with GOO STOCK IRONS!!!

...its a hunt all its own, shooting irons is a skill that is disappearing fast :(
Click to expand...

hey jeff sorry to bother you via quote, cant send you pms, says ur box is full. in regards to the rossi matched pair
 
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