is it my scope or loads? 98% good, 2% fail @ 100 yards

OP
CamaroMan

CamaroMan

FNG
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
45
OP. Genuine question here…

Are you serious with this thread and posts within or are you pulling folks legs here?

r u kidding me? im dead frikkin serious man. half the ppl here arent even reading the dam posts.. the continual assumptin that im stupid or a total noob is ridiculous. its comical -

Lets have some ppl fire 40 rounds and suddenly have one or 2 be way off, then have it come back together on the same gun same shooter off a dead rest and see how that goes.

its not so clear cut. I dont need lectures on why i did what i did when i did it, or how to find a firing range, or why i should have bla bla - there were unique circumstances on my first hunting trip in this country why we went with new rifles that were only bore sighted. I have since been reloading and verifying consistentcy in the desert.

Alas - another keyboard warrior had to fill the post with more lectures on how I can afford to reload but not drive 4 hours round trip to safely go shoot my own rifles somewhere - its RIDICULOUS.

The only topic i really care to discuss is if reloading can cause super weird random issues or not (and possibly what aspect)- and how i can tell if its a scope thing without having to go buy another scope or have to fire off another 40 rounds to figure whats going on. Im very glad some ppl sight their rifles in 3 shots- not mine. Its doing fine 99% of the time, until that one weird one comes along and thats what im trying to chase down cos murphies law ill be spot on my next deer and the same dam thing will happen -

Might have to start marking my shells and making real specific notes when i go thru this again. Could a bad casing cause this?

I am NOT very experienced at reloading at all - hence the questions but I am very certain of the consistency of my rounds and powder measures. I dont sit here playing video games when I reload, its a serious thing and ve done about 300 rounds now so pretty comfortable with it.
 
OP
CamaroMan

CamaroMan

FNG
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
45
anyway thanks for those very few who actually provided some helpful info - im done here and will continue research elsewhere on a reloading forum. Happy hunting this season and stay safe.
 
OP
CamaroMan

CamaroMan

FNG
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
45
For 200 yard shooting, a volume load will be as accurate as a weighed load. Giving proper brass prep is followed.


Are you shooting brass from the same lot? Have you weighed your brass. Are you shooting quickly? Or, letting the barrel cool slightly?

I think you could dump 25 grains of any rifle powder in a round and still hit a pie plate with a gun sighted with hunting ammo. As long as it doesn’t blow up. lol.

I truly don’t know but, it’d have to be an extreme difference in pressure to cause that difference in poa.

Hi - -thanks for a great set of questions. I initially weighed the brass but kinda stopped i just weight the powder and regularly check the scales calibration to make sure its right on and always place the cup centered.. Same brass yes - on 3rd reload on them.. like i mentioned to another person, the recoil on my loads is significantly less than factory which makes it alot easier on the wife, BUT thats sth i was going to try figure out if perhaps neck tension was a too little, using N160 powder at 56 grains which is about good imo for a 150gn bullet, who knows i only started loading last 3 years - i really dont have enough exp to back up any claims. When I did compare my loads to some hornady box ammo i got the same grouping which at least confirmed to me my loads werent doing too bad for a beginner (oh but some keyboard warrior had to jump on me and accuse me of shooting mixed loads lol, which is true but it was a controlled/comparison!!!!)

Not shooting quickly at all, do 3 shots - then a 5-10 min round trip walk to go inspect note analyze and tape up holes. Then id switch to wifes - so easy 20 mins between shots.

Could a bad shell cause this? induce a wobble in the bore or something?

Guns are 3 years old.

Thanks again for asking pointed questions - thats what ive been after. Almost gave up on this thread. Way too much bashing instead of smart questions imo... Might PM you to continue this conversation without all the usual nonsense. I really appreciate it.
 
Last edited:
OP
CamaroMan

CamaroMan

FNG
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
45
the vx3 is at least as bad as your diamondback.

are you shooting off a lead sled? cause if so we can be nearly certain that you have in fact broken that scope.

here's a place to learn anything you'd ever like to know about scopes that work, and ones that don't:

Wonderful ill take a look, unfortunately i dont have $ to throw around but if my scope is in fact faulty id upgrade at least to a leupold (used their rings on both our rifles)- been a really tough 2 years running my shop.

This explains my situations EXACTLY:

Say that you have a group of buddies. All of them shoot and hunt a lot- A lot. Ammunition expenditure per year is measured in pallets, not cases. As you shoot and hunt, you notice misses on animals and targets that should not have happened- failures. At first everyone chalks it up to “stuff happens”. But it keeps happening. Then you start noticing trends- some rifles and scopes never have problems, some are consistently causing issues. So everyone starts keeping a log of what happens. Soon it becomes obvious that through round counts and hard use that some scope and rifle options have way less issues, and a couple failures are near unheard of.

PARTIAL FAIL: Either the scope has more than 2% error in adjustments but was consistent, groups sizes were larger than base line, or the scope passed the 18” and 36” single drops holding zero, but lost zero on the 3x3 36” drops.
 

CorbLand

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
7,514
For someone that has the experience you claim to have, I would think one would understand what bore sighting is and not go hunting with a gun that is just bore sighted.

Anyways, the problem you have here is that what happened could be one or multiple of many different causes. To diagnose and fix, its probably going to take a few trips but every time someone mentions that, we get the sob story of how busy you are. So you are going to have to decide what's worth more to you.

Seeing that its such a long trip for you. Start simple. Take everything apart, clean/degrease everything and put it all back together and retorque everything.

If that doesn't fix it. Take a proven scope and put it on it. Try that.

Can reloads cause your issues? Yes, short yourself 10 grains of power, seat a bullet different, etc and that all can cause a shift. You would have to royal mess a reload up to get your results though.

If I had to guess, its an issue with your scope.

My biggest piece of advice would be take a step back, three to four deep breathes, have some humility and accept that maybe you dont know everything that you think that you do.

1726843082499.png
 
Last edited:

5811

WKR
Joined
Jan 25, 2023
Messages
544
r u kidding me? im dead frikkin serious man. half the ppl here arent even reading the dam posts.. the continual assumptin that im stupid or a total noob is ridiculous. its comical -

Lets have some ppl fire 40 rounds and suddenly have one or 2 be way off, then have it come back together on the same gun same shooter off a dead rest and see how that goes.

its not so clear cut. I dont need lectures on why i did what i did when i did it, or how to find a firing range, or why i should have bla bla - there were unique circumstances on my first hunting trip in this country why we went with new rifles that were only bore sighted. I have since been reloading and verifying consistentcy in the desert.

Alas - another keyboard warrior had to fill the post with more lectures on how I can afford to reload but not drive 4 hours round trip to safely go shoot my own rifles somewhere - its RIDICULOUS.

The only topic i really care to discuss is if reloading can cause super weird random issues or not (and possibly what aspect)- and how i can tell if its a scope thing without having to go buy another scope or have to fire off another 40 rounds to figure whats going on. Im very glad some ppl sight their rifles in 3 shots- mines doing fine 98% of the time, until that one wierd one comes along.

Might have to start marking my shells and making real specific notes when i go thru this again. Could a bad casing cause this?

I am NOT very experienced at reloading at all - hence the questions but I am very certain of the consistency of my rounds and powder measures. I dont sit here playing video games when I reload, its a serious thing and ve done about 300 rounds now so pretty comfortable with it.
I get that you understand you made a mistake hunting with a boresight only. I also get it sucks that you feel people aren't taking you seriously.

But you keep trying to justify hunting with a boresight only when for most of us, that's like dropping your car off at the shop for a tune up before a long road trip and leaving without putting gas in it because you were running late. Then, when you run out of gas and blame the shop, it leads people to question you.

I don't think I've seen you say how big this sign is? If it's 12" by 18" you'd have to miss by 12moa windage or 18moa elevation. I think to miss by that far it's something significant mechanically. Like completely loose ring mount or rail. Unless you tried to set a zero stop and spun the turret a bunch?

In order to miss by that much, that close, you'd have to be so significantly under loaded the bullet barely makes it out of the barrel, I would guess.

So I would still suggest you watch the video I posted earlier. Run through the trouble shooting, then pull the scope and shake it, whack it on a phone book, shake it again. If all looks good, remount from scratch and try a box of factory ammo.

But to clarify, it's only the last two that were wild misses, not counting the boresight snafu? And only your rifle has had wild misses since properly being sighted in, not your wife's?
 
OP
CamaroMan

CamaroMan

FNG
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
45
I get that you understand you made a mistake hunting with a boresight only. I also get it sucks that you feel people aren't taking you seriously.

But you keep trying to justify hunting with a boresight only when for most of us, that's like dropping your car off at the shop for a tune up before a long road trip and leaving without putting gas in it because you were running late. Then, when you run out of gas and blame the shop, it leads people to question you.

I don't think I've seen you say how big this sign is? If it's 12" by 18" you'd have to miss by 12moa windage or 18moa elevation. I think to miss by that far it's something significant mechanically. Like completely loose ring mount or rail. Unless you tried to set a zero stop and spun the turret a bunch?

In order to miss by that much, that close, you'd have to be so significantly under loaded the bullet barely makes it out of the barrel, I would guess.

So I would still suggest you watch the video I posted earlier. Run through the trouble shooting, then pull the scope and shake it, whack it on a phone book, shake it again. If all looks good, remount from scratch and try a box of factory ammo.

But to clarify, it's only the last two that were wild misses, not counting the boresight snafu? And only your rifle has had wild misses since properly being sighted in, not your wife's?

I hunted ONCE on a boresight only because as ive mentioned 5 times now we had NO time, i aimed at some rocks at 30 yards and it seemed ok before walking into the area- after that we sighted the rifles in. im chasing a very small percentage of off shots.

Missing the target has nothing to do with my aim, method, stance, etc- sth very odd is going on -
 
OP
CamaroMan

CamaroMan

FNG
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
45
Another not real pic - for attention obviously - you guys are really on it. Well done on you.

1726843896721.png

1726844040260.png

1726844305998.png
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Messages
1,225
Location
Harrisburg, Oregon
If I didn’t have time to sight in my rifle (bore sighting ain’t for shít unless you really know what you’re doing, and some old guy at Cabelas is actually laughable) I wouldn’t go.

Simple.

Thats why I think you’re trolling.





P
 

CorbLand

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
7,514
If I didn’t have time to sight in my rifle (bore sighting ain’t for shít unless you really know what you’re doing, and some old guy at Cabelas is actually laughable) I wouldn’t go.

Simple.

Thats why I think you’re trolling.





P
Or at least sight your gun in opening morning, then go hunting.

I have a feeling that this will turn into a deleted member reboot, memes and all.

1726844194034.png
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2013
Messages
3,245
Location
Somewhere between here and there
r u kidding me? im dead frikkin serious man. half the ppl here arent even reading the dam posts.. the continual assumptin that im stupid or a total noob is ridiculous. its comical -
If you read your posts with a pragmatic filter it’s pretty hard to assume there is a high level of proficiency or understanding going on here. I wondered the same thing he asked.

Anyway. Good luck. A defensive attitude will serve you well.
 
OP
CamaroMan

CamaroMan

FNG
Joined
Mar 8, 2022
Messages
45
I get that you understand you made a mistake hunting with a boresight only. I also get it sucks that you feel people aren't taking you seriously.

But you keep trying to justify hunting with a boresight only when for most of us, that's like dropping your car off at the shop for a tune up before a long road trip and leaving without putting gas in it because you were running late. Then, when you run out of gas and blame the shop, it leads people to question you.

I don't think I've seen you say how big this sign is? If it's 12" by 18" you'd have to miss by 12moa windage or 18moa elevation. I think to miss by that far it's something significant mechanically. Like completely loose ring mount or rail. Unless you tried to set a zero stop and spun the turret a bunch?

In order to miss by that much, that close, you'd have to be so significantly under loaded the bullet barely makes it out of the barrel, I would guess.

So I would still suggest you watch the video I posted earlier. Run through the trouble shooting, then pull the scope and shake it, whack it on a phone book, shake it again. If all looks good, remount from scratch and try a box of factory ammo.

But to clarify, it's only the last two that were wild misses, not counting the boresight snafu? And only your rifle has had wild misses since properly being sighted in, not your wife's?

Hi - zero justification. i didnt know it would be that bad, when i spoke to the sales lady she said they had an indoor range and the rifle came with a free sighting..so i presumed they would actually shoot it. Turns out later they bore sighted it only and did in fact NOT have a range so i was a little peeved it is what it is.

Im out of this thread - too many jacka$$es hanging around.

For the actually helpful guys thanks for posting helpful tips, unfortunately just enough of low iq neanderthals hanging round here to be of much real help.

Roger out.
 

intunegp

WKR
Joined
Sep 28, 2021
Messages
532
944ujx.jpg
 

jhoff04

FNG
Joined
Mar 15, 2024
Messages
75
Location
Midwest
I'll try to be nice here and give you constructive feedback on a recent experience with my dad's rifle: had a brand new rifle and scope that wouldn't group. Tried various ammos, checked rings, swapped scope, etc... To make a long story short after spending a shit load of time and money... we ultimately found out that the Vortex Razor HD LHT was walking even mounted to a suppressed 300 WM CA Ridgeline. Bad scope out of the box.
 
Top