Need help with understanding my groups

[CoHunter1991]

Question for shooting wizards . Factory ammo shot 1/2 MOA -3/4 for first half of the morning at like 30 degrees.

messed with the optic setting the zero caps and zero stop then shot another rifle . Shot the gun 30-45 min later and groups fell apart. 1.5 MOA

Temp had climbed to ~45 degrees but the ammo was in the shade the whole time. Velocity avg between the two sessions had also climbed 40 fps ….

Seekins element with NF Atacr on it. Chance I ****** the scope up setting the zero? I think it has to be ammo based or me. Let me know your thoughts.

Total shots were 26 shots :
11 in first set and 15 once shit fell apart.

Took a minute between each shot and barrel and suppressor were warm but not hot.

Thanks for the help

 

[RockAndSage]

This entire thread, read from the beginning, is some of the best info you can get on this:

Post in thread 'Cold bore zero versus (very) Hot bore zero “test”'

Nov 22, 2025

@Formidilosus , trying to get a really solid understanding of the key points you've made here in running these experiments, and explaining them. Trying to summarize them in a way that I can easily remember, and as I would explain to a new shooter with zero prior knowledge/bias/fudd-lore...

Would this be a fair translation?

• A gun's inherent accuracy is best discerned through establishing its "cone-of-fire".
• Establishing its cone-of-fire also needs to be done first, in order to properly zero the gun.
• Establishing a cone-of-fire is a volume event, with each shot being an...

• RockAndSage

• 

 

[CoHunter1991]

Thanks for pointing me to the thread and I’ll get reading. But just surface level looking at the worse groupings is it possible that the the slight increase in air temp caused the wide groups? Or is it likely my shooting?
Is an 1.5” cone at 50 yards normal for a good rifle?

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Thanks for pointing me to the thread and I’ll get reading. But just surface level looking at the worse groupings is it possible that the the slight increase in air temp caused the wide groups? Or is it likely my shooting?
Is an 1.5” cone at 50 yards normal for a good rifle?

No, it’s not the slight increase in air temperature.

Yes, it is likely your shooting.

No, a 1.5” cone at 50 yards is not normal for a good rifle. A 1.5” 10-shot group at 100 yards would be acceptable to me.

 

[OneShot]

Is the factory ammo different lot numbers? I’ve had the same ammo in different lot numbers change MV by 75 fps and have gone from small groups to big groups. Recently ive seen some big spreads in velocity in Hornady ammo.

 

[peterk123]

Make sure you did not start getting baffle strikes and that the suppressor did not loosen.

 

[elsb0048]

Make sure you did not start getting baffle strikes and that the suppressor did not loosen.

I've had the suppressor loosen on me quite bit lately. Last couple times has been around shot # 8-10. It's taken a while for me to remember to check it regularly.

 

[LaHunter]

Did you actually shoot an 11 shot group that was .5" - .75", or are those pics of different groups that you are calling .5-0.75?
Shoot a 10 shot group at the same target / same dot and that will tell you your group size.

 

[CoHunter1991]

Is the factory ammo different lot numbers? I’ve had the same ammo in different lot numbers change MV by 75 fps and have gone from small groups to big groups. Recently ive seen some big spreads in velocity in Hornady ammo.

No it’s all the same lot

 

[CoHunter1991]

Make sure you did not start getting baffle strikes and that the suppressor did not loosen.

I checked the can throughout snd it was tight. I look at the baffles

 

[grfox92]

How many shots are your groups?

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

 

[CoHunter1991]

Did you actually shoot an 11 shot group that was .5" - .75", or are those pics of different groups that you are calling .5-0.75?
Shoot a 10 shot group at the same target / same dot and that will tell you your group size.

No I shot a few 3 and 4 shot groups in the first batch working in my zero.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

No I shot a few 3 and 4 shot groups in the first batch working in my zero.

To have any idea how well you shoot that rifle and how well your rifle shoots that load, you need to put a larger number of shots into the same POI or create a true composite of smaller groups (shoot multiple smaller groups and match up the POIs before measuring the group size). I typically shoot a 10-shot group, make my adjustment off that, then shoot another 10-shot group. If anything “strange” happens after that, I generally have a good baseline.

And, statistically, even my 10-shot groups are at the lower end of being reliable.

 

[Speaks]

Yea a 3-4 shit group tells you nothing about how it groups.

 

[NW Hunt€r]

Retorque your stock and ring bolts