Horizontal Stringing?? Baffling

[16Bore]

Parallax

 

[BCD]

So if parallax is the issue, what are some things I can do to address that with a fixed parallax scope?

 

[16Bore]

What scope are you using?

Hold your head still, consistent cheek weld.

Next time you line up on a target, slightly move your head left and right. You’ll see things move a little each way.

Think angular instead of inches. If your rifle shoots 1 MOA at 100, then it should shoot the same at 200 and beyond. Gravity is constant.

Everything else is voodoo..

 

[WCB]

So if parallax is the issue, what are some things I can do to address that with a fixed parallax scope?

If parallax is the issue the only thing that will help is being perfectly consistent in your cheek weld/head position behind the scope. As 16Bore said above line up to shoot...without moving the firearm slightly move your head side to side (horizontal). If you notice the cross hair seem to come off the point of aim (bullseye) and or it seems like the target is floating behind the reticle and not "glued" to it you have a parallax issue.

Normally lower power scopes and quality built scopes don't have a problem with this. I have two of the same Weavers you have and actually worked extensively Weavers and the tacticals are built like tanks but yours could have a parallax issue.

 

[BCD]

What scope are you using?

Hold your head still, consistent cheek weld.

Next time you line up on a target, slightly move your head left and right. You’ll see things move a little each way.

Think angular instead of inches. If your rifle shoots 1 MOA at 100, then it should shoot the same at 200 and beyond. Gravity is constant.

Everything else is voodoo..

Good stuff- yes I understand MOA should be consistent and it is with my other rifle for the most part-that is why this is so baffling. Thanks for the info!!!!

 

[BCD]

If parallax is the issue the only thing that will help is being perfectly consistent in your cheek weld/head position behind the scope. As 16Bore said above line up to shoot...without moving the firearm slightly move your head side to side (horizontal). If you notice the cross hair seem to come off the point of aim (bullseye) and or it seems like the target is floating behind the reticle and not "glued" to it you have a parallax issue.

Normally lower power scopes and quality built scopes don't have a problem with this. I have two of the same Weavers you have and actually worked extensively Weavers and the tacticals are built like tanks but yours could have a parallax issue.

If the scope has a parallax issues, is this something that can be repaired?

 

[WCB]

If the scope has a parallax issues, is this something that can be repaired?

It can but Weaver Optics is no longer all warranty is handled by Bushnell and they don't repair anything.

 

[BCD]

It can but Weaver Optics is no longer all warranty is handled by Bushnell and they don't repair anything.

So I'm SOL if the scope has a parallax issue?

 

[WCB]

So I'm SOL if the scope has a parallax issue?

You would have to talk to Bushnell about that...probably wouldn't tell them you bought it second hand.

 

[BCD]

You would have to talk to Bushnell about that...probably wouldn't tell them you bought it second hand.

Sorry for all of the questions and thank you so much for answering them-
Is there a way to verify or rule out that it is a parallax issue?

 

[WCB]

Sorry for all of the questions and thank you so much for answering them-
Is there a way to verify or rule out that it is a parallax issue?

Basically by the test 16Bore and myself described. If you see movement the parallax is noticeable and will noticeably affect accuracy. The reason most low mag scopes 10x and lower don't have parallax adjustments is that it theoretically doesn't show itself at those low magnifications. That doesn't mean it is not there and that the scopes parallax could not be out of adjustment.

ABC scope brand will have a spec for allowed parallax...could be .5moa .25moa .10moa etc. Heck each model in their line depending on level of scope has different specs for parallax, dialing accuracy, etc.

 

[vaprecision]

I am going to assume you are using the same shooting technique and fundamentals as you do with your other rifle so ruling that out right off the bat. First thing I would do is go through and torque everything on the rifle. Action screws, scope bases, and rings. Anthing loose here will be amplified at distance. If all that checks out, then next look at an ammo issue. Some rifles are picky and will only shoot well with certain ammo. Core Lokt ammo is a great deer round for close range, but is not well known for precision. I would try some different maybe higher quality ammo.

Just because a rifle/ammo combo can shoot an inch at 100 yards by no means, does that equate to the rifle/ammo combo holding moa at distance every time.

If you have another scope, you could swap it out to verify its not an optics issue you could eliminate that possibility. If you had this issue last year, prior to the new scope, you can rule out the optics as well. For the record i could possibly see changing the point of impact or group size as you zoom in or out if there was something wrong with the windage erector but parallax on its own would not be changing the consistency of of your groups just the focus of your view.

 

[bpotter]

Might be parallax but I bet its cheek position or trigger pull. Some rifles take more concentration to shoot than others.

 

[Sobrbiker]

In my experience, ammo and bedding don’t present as just windage opening up. Bedding will usually be poor grouping in general and/or shots clumping up in different impact areas (doubling-ie three here, two there) Ammo is usually vertical spread or just not grouping.
Windage stringing is more likely head placement, trigger control/follow through, and/or natural point of aim issues (muscling crosshairs onto target). All of these can be exacerbated by improperly adjusted parallax, but parallax problems are worse inside the range parallax is set for, not nearly as bad beyond the range it’s set for.

Try shooting a three shot group without removing head from position and paying close attention to form and follow through (do you hold trigger to rear and stay in scope to try to see your impacts? If not, you should try to).

If the rifle in question did not do this with prior optics, try a known good scope. If the rifle is unknown, trying that scope on a known good rifle may confirm the scope is fine as well.
Often if I’m having issues with a rifle, I’ll take a bite of humble pie and have another shooter (obviously one I know can shoot well) shoot it.

 

[tdot]

Couple things come to mind, beyond issues with the gun or scope.

All guns, stocks, loads, etc. are different. Just because one stock fits you well and you can shoot it accurately doesnt inherently mean you will shoot another the same way. How your body interfaces with the gun will change, so will how recoil reacts.

Do you have a muzzle brake? I'm not sold on holding the rear bag if you are shooting a sport weight rifle without solid fundamentals and/or a muzzle brake.

Do you have a sling stud in the forend of your rifle? Is it interfering with the front rest? What about the rear?

 

[PhlyanPan]

Have the rings been lapped? I've heard gunshop stories about misaligned rings putting weird pressures on scopes. Just shooting from the hip on this one as over never experienced it.

 

[Lvthntitall]

I had this same issue and it ended up being inconsistent trigger pull on my part. I was not pulling the trigger with the pad of my finger

 

[Donk]

A lot of good info here. I agree with soberbike. Check your natural point of aim first. We had a rifle that did this to my dad. The comb wasn’t right. Taped an ugly pad on it and it tightened up. If not, you could progress to the more expensive and time consuming options. Just a thought.

 

[16Bore]

Always good to be able to swap with another scope if you can or worse, have a buddy shoot it.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Yep, my first fix is to have someone else shoot it.

Am I reading that right? Does it have a six-inch group at 200 yards?