I'm a dumbass! UPDATED

LawrenceN

LawrenceN

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At my age and with more than 55 yrs. shooting experience, both as a soldier and a civilian, you think I'd have known better! To make a long story short, I picked up a gently used Weatherby Vanguard (.308) synthetic as a replacement for my too big and too heavy Ruger M77 Varmint rifle. I mounted the scope, got it to the range, blew through a bunch of reloads trying to find what it liked the best and couldn't get anywhere near the accuracy for which these rifles are renown. Now I've got a sore shoulder, and I'm ticked about the the wasted components. I get to cleaning it and then the light comes on (dimly at my age)!!! I start checking the screws on the scope mounts and action. EVERY ONE OF THEM WAS LOOSE!!!!! Now they're tightened up and lok-tite applied where applicable but I've wasted 110 rnds. of ammo. So, to all my fellow gunnies, learn from my stupidity. If you buy a used firearm, give it a proper and thorough going-over.
 
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LawrenceN said:
At my age and with more than 55 yrs. shooting experience, both as a soldier and a civilian, you think I'd have known better! ......
Click to expand...

My nickname is Maple Leaf Eh, and I am a dumbass. The other day I showed up at a match with a rifle I've never fired before, expecting it would be zeroed. Somehow. Intuitively. Hopefully. It wasn't. I fired it enough times to see the hits were nowhere near point of aim, and I wasn't going to salvage the effort in the time available. All I succeeded in doing was dirtying a clean rifle and using up preparation time.
 
My first hunting rifle was given to me at 18. A Parker hale 30-06. Traded a friend some work for it.
His wife bought him a new rifle because he missed 3 moose in one trip with it.
(That should have set a light off in my head)

Got some ammo and went out. Couldn’t hit paper at 100yrds. So tried at 50yrds. Could barely keep them on a 16” paper target.

Younger dumber me thought “ got to find the ammo it’s likes”.
Got a few different boxes of different weights.
Try again. Same results. I thought maybe the gun is no good.

Took the scope off and wouldn’t you know “Rattle Rattle”
Tried the iron sights and put rounds in a good cluster at 50yrds.

I got all excited and continued shooting all the ammo I had.
Then the stock broke clean in half at the grip.

New scope, new mounts, new stock so much for a free gun.

I actually shot my fist bear with it. With the guy that I got it from and his hunting buddies that still razed him about missing 3 moose.

Told them the gun story and it was a good laugh.
 
Sh!t happens. I can't say I haven't done my share of useless things, lol. Enjoy the new-to-you rifle. I had a Howa 1500 in a nice B&C stock a few years back and it was as an excellent rifle.
 
Picked up a cupple S2's mounted with Leupolds quite a while ago.
Tracking wuzz'int gooder.
Gave up early and went home.
I noticed the ring cap gaps were tight one side and wide t'uther.
Both units, or four rings.

Put the bore sighter awnner and set it up.
Pull the scope and checked the mounts.
That was fine.
Remount the scopes and dialed'er up X 2.
Went back to the range and presto............all gooder.
Bullet holes on target followed the click adjustments.

Soooooooom, new to me shewter?
Awn goes the bore sight and arf a gander.
This won't usually tell me much but awn the awd occayshun the + hairs
don't jive with the one on the bore sight.

Then we have a problem.

Butttt............dizz be mawr funner than chasing a white frukc'in bawl awn sum terf.
 
The Kurgan said:
Sh!t happens. I can't say I haven't done my share of useless things, lol. Enjoy the new-to-you rifle. I had a Howa 1500 in a nice B&C stock a few years back and it was as an excellent rifle.
Click to expand...

The silly thing is that there was both the Vanguard and a Howa 1500 in .308 going for about the same money. I have a Howa mini action in 7.62X39 and it's a sub MOA rifle with handloads and a great little deer rifle so I debated about picking up the .308 to match but after reading the reviews I opted for the Weatherby. I've decided to shamelessly trade on my status as a silly old fart and claim "senior moment" to excuse my stupidity!
 
I've had that happen with my own stuff, let alone a recently bought used purchase. Have a Remington 783 that came with a Vortex scope (I prefer Vortex above others, so that helped me choose that rifle new) but the rings were certainly not vortex, they were some kind of cheap thing obviously low quality, the screws stripped out of them... took a sore shoulder and 2 frustrated range trips to figure that one out and I felt dumb for not catching on sooner too. It's the only rifle I have ever bought with an optic included, so lesson learned.... buy quality scope rings right away if I ever buy a combo again.
 
LawrenceN said:
The silly thing is that there was both the Vanguard and a Howa 1500 in .308 going for about the same money. I have a Howa mini action in 7.62X39 and it's a sub MOA rifle with handloads and a great little deer rifle so I debated about picking up the .308 to match but after reading the reviews I opted for the Weatherby. I've decided to shamelessly trade on my status as a silly old fart and claim "senior moment" to excuse my stupidity!
Click to expand...

Ohh LN, yer beeing waaaay too polite.
My buddy cawlz'im "stupid attacks"...........:slap:
 
As others have said, this kind of thing has happened to a lot of us before. Not to worry too much about it now. What's done is done.

Give us a new range report on your next outing with your new to you rifle, though. :cool:

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NAA.
 
Took 3 shots with my .243 a few years back to realize something was really wrong - only because I know the gun to be super accurate and my reloads to be pretty decent. I could not believe how loose the scope mount screws were.

I can only attribute this to the fact that the gun was exposed to some pretty horrible wet weather and I would bring it into camp and warm it up, dry it , and oil it by the woodstove. These cold/hot swings must have loosened things up.

So I went through all my guns and snugged down everything.
 
Just happened to me the other week, browning bar 30-06 with a nice little low see through mount… that rifle shot sub moa with the other mount set up and after a box of expensive factory still shot all over the place !! Same, loose screws!
 
Yeah, I had a new to me 280 that would shoot damn near clover leaf groups with three shots, then the next try, all over the place. I wasted a couple of hundred dollars trying different boxes of expensive ammo and settled on Federal Fusion. Then out in the field I aimed behind the front shoulder of a deer and drilled it in the neck.

Scope was hooped. Bushnell 3200. I sent it in and they repaired it.
 
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Had a friend who owns a very accurate Remington 721 chambered 30-06
This rifle was normally sub-moa with a given load.

I get this phone call: "Help!! something has happened to my rifle. I can't
keep it on a 8½ X 11 sheet of paper."

I suggested he check all the scope mounting and base screws. All good.
But the front guard screw....almost falling out.

Loctite and tighten, back to the accurate rifle he had originally. Lesson
learned! Dave.
 
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I would never do that! Oh yeah? Years ago, I attended a small town .22 rifle and handgun indoor fun competition. I took my 581 Remington. Couldn't even hit the target with open sights at 50'. Took a better look and found that the front sight was broken off. Jeez.
 
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