Before i go a little nuts….

[Jimg]

So, i have a brand new sako finnlight 300 wsm with optillock rings (1 piece with the plastic piece that protects the scope tube) and a leupold vx6 3x18x44 scope (brand new from scopelist.com). I began the process of working up a load using a consistent charge (66 gr. Of IMR 4350) Barnes 168 gr ttsx, and incremental seating depths beginning at .005” off of the measured OAL (measured from the Ogive) . To sum it up, I can’t get this gun to group consistently. I did notice that whenever i made windage adjustments to bring my point of impact closer too my point of aim, my shots spread out 2 inches and the windage was way more than i adjusted for. But, since i was in the middle of load adjustments, its hard too tell if its the gun, scope mounts or scope itself. Given that sako has a 1 inch MOA guarantee, i fired a few rounds of Barnes factory ammo with the same projectile i was reloading with through it and it held a 3/4” MOA 1 inch to the left of my point of aim. So, i made 4 clicks adjustment (to test test the scope tracking) and fired for effect…. 2 shots touched exactly above my POA and the two were 2 inches to the right of my POA. Getting to my point, and thanks for your patience i need some advice on where to start my investigation into solving this inaccuracy problem. One thing i will add, is that I have the exact same gun, scope and scope mount combo which i have created a sinfully accurate load for using 168 gr Barnes, 66 gr of imr 4350….thoughts? And thanks in advance!

 

[Steve300xcw]

So, i made 4 clicks adjustment (to test test the scope tracking) and fired for effect…. 2 shots touched exactly above my POA and the two were 2 inches to the right of my POA.

So it was more or less shooting 2 different groups? Am I reading that right? If so, you have things that aren't tight

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Are you sure everything is tight? And have you tried testing with larger sample sizes?

It sounds like it might be that your Leupold scope is not adjusting properly. The recoil from the first two shots is eventually moving it to where it should be. Try tapping the scope with a hammer in between adjustments.

Then get a scope that works properly.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Jimg]

So it was more or less shooting 2 different groups? Am I reading that right? If so, you have things that aren't tight

Originally it was shooting 1 inch to the left with factory loads (not super consistently), i then made a 4 click adjustment and shot 5 more shots. As you can see, shots 1 and 2 are good, 3, 4, 5 are not

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Originally it was shooting 1 inch to the left with factory loads (not super consistently), i then made a 4 click adjustment and shot 5 more shots. As you can see, shots 1 and 2 are good, 3, 4, 5 are not

Make sure everything is tight. Scope mounts, rings, action screws. Shoot ten shots. Make an adjustment from the true center of the ten shot group.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Steve300xcw]

Thats a lotta moving for 4 clicks on the dial.............

While I had everything apart verifying that everything is tight. Think I'd drop another scope on there just for fun.

 

[Jimg]

Originally it was shooting 1 inch to the left with factory loads (not super consistently), i then made a 4 click adjustment and shot 5 more shots. As you can see, shots 1 and 2 are good, 3, 4, 5 are not

Also, all bases were attached with 40 ft-lbs of torque and rings were 17 ft-lbs (this is what beretta told me to use.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Also, all bases were attached with 40 ft-lbs of torque and rings were 17 ft-lbs (this is what beretta told me to use.

Tighten the rings tighter.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Jimg]

I guess the other thought is do i just dump the leupold and go with a scope that is more reliable for magnum calibers…if so, thoughts? I don’t want to be always second guessing the reliability of this set up

 

[pathnz]

To say "inch MOA" is nonsense. They are both units, and difference.

I am going to walk 5 kilometer miles.

It's gibberish.

Use one or the other; and if using inches - specify at what range.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I guess the other thought is do i just dump the leupold and go with a scope that is more reliable for magnum calibers…if so, thoughts? I don’t want to be always second guessing the reliability of this set up

Get an SWFA or a Trijicon.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Steve300xcw]

I guess the other thought is do i just dump the leupold and go with a scope that is more reliable for magnum calibers…if so, thoughts? I don’t want to be always second guessing the reliability of this set up

Do you have a known scope you can toss on there?

might be worth checking before tossing money at the thing.

 

[Jimg]

Do you have a known scope you can toss on there?

might be worth checking before tossing money at the thing.

Not without taking it off another gun..all my extra scopes are 1 inch tubes vs thing one being 30 mm

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Not without taking it off another gun..all my extra scopes are 1 inch tubes vs thing one being 30 mm

Check the tightness of the entire system and shoot a 10-shot group before you go throwing things out. You need to know how the rifle really shoots. And make sure your bench setup is solid.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Q_Sertorius]

A factory guarantee of a sub-MOA group is generally not worth much. It means the rifle can shoot at least one group of three shots that fall within an inch. It doesn’t specify that it might take ten groups to get one that good.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Jimg]

Check the tightness of the entire system and shoot a 10-shot group before you go throwing things out. You need to know how the rifle really shoots. And make sure your bench setup is solid.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

Thanks. Really good advice. I’m meticulous about those things, but you are right. I will check it all first.

 

[Jordan Smith]

I'd avoid wasting ammo. Shooting more shots in a group isn't going to shrink the group, but it may very well make it larger.

I'd expect the rifle to shoot quite a bit better than that. You seem to have a double-grouping problem, which may be a scope zero retention problem. A SWFA 10x is a great backup scope that will generally tell the truth when you think you have another scope that isn't behaving correctly. I'd grab one, and then use 20 in-lbs on the scope rings. If that doesn't fix the problem, I'd check the rifle mechanically - make sure the forend isn't lightly contacting the barrel, bedding is good, all screws are clearanced and not bottoming out, torqued correctly, etc.

Either way, the SWFA 10x is handy to keep on the shelf for times like these.

 

[Jordan Smith]

To say "inch MOA" is nonsense. They are both units, and difference.

I am going to walk 5 kilometer miles.

It's gibberish.

Use one or the other; and if using inches - specify at what range.

It's actually more like "I'm going to walk 5 kilometer degrees."

It's not just two different units of the same quantity and dimension, it's two different units of different dimensions (linear distance and angular subtension).

 

[Bluumoon]

Leupold will always be suspect, once you’ve personally had a couple fail you’ll know .

I don’t know anything about those rings, maybe they are great, plastic interface sounds suss.. Would ditch those for rings that are known to work.

 

[Jimg]

Leupold will always be suspect, once you’ve personally had a couple fail you’ll know .

I don’t know anything about those rings, maybe they are great, plastic interface sounds suss.. Would ditch those for rings that are known to work.

Thanks, good point. Do you have recommendations? Trying to avoid a picatinny rail system as it interferes with cartridge ejection on this gun