Rifle Help - couldn’t get on paper at 25 yards

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I’m all ears. I haven’t seen or heard about anyone bedding a scope base in over a decade.
Last one I did was with a seekins havak that wasn’t shooting well. Noticed that the seekins rail didn’t even fit the seekins action well, tightening it put stresses in it and bent it. It loosened up with use too. No further issues after bedding. I haven’t used many non integral rails but have seen others loose on the range too.

Seems like an easy step to help ensure things stay put and the rail is straight.
 

TaperPin

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No, I was 6 inches off for wind and elevation at 15 yards. I was able to bring in the elevation to even and the windage to 3 MOA at 100 yards.


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6” at 15 yards must be close to 40 moa. It’s so far from normal, I’d definitely swap scopes to rule that out. If you have a can or brake I’d take them off to rule that out. Grab the barrel firmly with two hands and try to unscrew it. Other than that I’m at a loss.
 
OP
ccoffey

ccoffey

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6” at 15 yards must be close to 40 moa. It’s so far from normal, I’d definitely swap scopes to rule that out. If you have a can or brake I’d take them off to rule that out. Grab the barrel firmly with two hands and try to unscrew it. Other than that I’m at a loss.
Tonight I swapped the rings and pic rail for some brand new ones I had on my bench. I took off the can and will put the stock brake back on in the morning.

Barrel wouldn’t budge by hand either.
 
OP
ccoffey

ccoffey

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Didn’t read all comments but do you have a second scope to try?
MtnW
I’ve got a buddy that’s gonna loan me an NX-8 later this week if I haven’t solved the problem. Based on process of elimination, that’s where I’m going next.
 

Tnc

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Pay closer attention. Most rails on factory rifles could use bedding.
Most? Now that’s just silly. Old Fudd lore. I’ve been paying attention for 25+ years. I’ve had factory rifles from countless manufacturers and exactly zero have required bedding of a scope base.
 
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Most? Now that’s just silly. Old Fudd lore. I’ve been paying attention for 25+ years. I’ve had factory rifles from countless manufacturers and exactly zero have required bedding of a scope base.
It’s not silly. He didn’t say any of them required it, just that they could use it. Any manufacturing process has tolerances, and depending how they stack, you may not have the best mating surfaces. Does it truly help, I have no idea. Does it help people feel better about their setups, absolutely.
 
OP
ccoffey

ccoffey

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OP, what rifle, rings and scope are we talking here?
Christensen 300 PRC (FFT version, but has been upgraded to an XLR chassis), leupold backcountry pic rail and rings, maven RS1.2
 

Macintosh

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If the rings arent different heights and on backwards, rail screws aren’t horrendously misaligned with bore, or something like that (?) then I dont see how its possible for the scope to run out of travel in any direction before hitting a 100 yard zero.

Is this setup new, ie have you previously zeroed this rifle/rings/scope etc, or is this the first setup?

From reading the thread, my guess for most likely culprit is the rail wasnt snugged up enough during bedding and this caused the bedded surface to become misaligned with the bore. If a solution doesnt become obvious soon I might remove all trace of that bedding and try it then. You can always re-bed the rail afterward if you want.
 
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Tonight I swapped the rings and pic rail for some brand new ones I had on my bench. I took off the can and will put the stock brake back on in the morning.

Barrel wouldn’t budge by hand either.
You didn't meantion in the OP that you are running a can.

Id bet my money on baffle strikes.
 
OP
ccoffey

ccoffey

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You didn't meantion in the OP that you are running a can.

Id bet my money on baffle strikes.

What do I look for in the can for baffle strikes? I took it apart last night and inspected the baffles and didn’t see any signs of contact.


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Harvey_NW

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Most? Now that’s just silly. Old Fudd lore. I’ve been paying attention for 25+ years. I’ve had factory rifles from countless manufacturers and exactly zero have required bedding of a scope base.
Scope bases and rails are not the same. It's not uncommon for a rail base to not match the action perfectly and need bedding.
 

TxLite

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Dumb question but I’m assuming you’ve made sure the barrel is not contacting the chassis?
 

Tnc

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Scope bases and rails are not the same. It's not uncommon for a rail base to not match the action perfectly and need bedding.
Agree to disagree. In this context, scope base and scope rail perform the same function. And neither should require bedding to get a rifle zeroed.
 

SDHNTR

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Most? Now that’s just silly. Old Fudd lore. I’ve been paying attention for 25+ years. I’ve had factory rifles from countless manufacturers and exactly zero have required bedding of a scope base.
absolutely most! Look closer. Snug up one end of the rail and look at the other end with a flashlight behind it.
 

Shortschaf

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Agree to disagree. In this context, scope base and scope rail perform the same function. And neither should require bedding to get a rifle zeroed.
I believe his meaning was that not all scope bases/rails are perfectly identical nor do they mate with actions perfectly.
Hence the bedding.

Believe and do whatever you want, but bedding increases mating surface area. May not be "needed" but it takes very little time and effort to do.
 

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