Scope Zero Check Thread

Justin Crossley

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I got to thinking that a thread for posting zero checks would be awesome. It could end up being a great collection of data/information.

I'm thinking everyone posts a target whenever they check zero along with notes about shooting conditions and what the rifle has been through since the last zero check. I'm betting we could all learn a lot if we get this going.

#NightforceSucks #TikkaSucks

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T_Widdy

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Leupold mk4hd 2.5-10. Kept in the truck for a month just riding around on the back seat. Always held center and never held for wind. Winds are almost always right to left at 3-60mph where I shoot. I try and shoot on calm days if checking zero. All shot around 100yds.
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IMG_1617.jpeg Installed swfa 10x. Same rifle, same rings. Will continue to test
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mxgsfmdpx

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I met with the owner of an optics manufacturing company on Tuesday, who is currently focused in the “tactical” space. They are interested in getting more into hunting scopes.

He had heard of Maven but had never looked through one of their hunting scopes other than briefly indoors at a trade show. I ran out to the jeep and let him handle my .243 Tikka in a Rokstok with Maven RS1.2 mounted in UM Low rings.

We talked for a couple hours during which I had dropped the gun from waist high onto a padded mat, and mentioned that I doubt the guns zero had moved at all from that. (Helping to define some requirements).

On Thursday I went out to one of my normal shooting spots to check zero at 100 yards. Winds were steady 12-16 with gusts and swirls clocking over 30 MPH on the kestrel 7-9 o clock.

15 shots with right stringing being me sucking at wind holding between the steady wind versus gust values. On the first two shots I really worked hard to hold for the wind see the two bullseye shots. . On the rest I held center and let them fly. No barrel cool down all shot back to back, only rest time was swapping mags. Yes those are binder paper lines and a square that looks like it was drawn my 4 year old.


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huntnful

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Excellent concept Justin!

Just shot this to set initial zero on a rifle.

22 creed

20 shots. 5-10 MPH left wind.
IMG_8027.jpeg


Updating. 12/26/24. 300 rounds later. And many range trips. I just put it in my truck like this.
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Did a zero check (left) before doing 30 rounds of positional practice. And then did another zero check to finish the session (right).
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Macintosh

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Love it. I have a newish scope to check zero on after my seasons close here shortly to see if it shifted--will post before/after.

@T_Widdy, do you think your zero shifted? 11/6 + 11/7 looks like POI shifted higher than the 11/2 zero? Then 11/22 looks like a shift down? Or are you adjusting? I see some notes on some of the targets "^.1" , etc, but not sure how to interpret that.
 

T_Widdy

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Love it. I have a newish scope to check zero on after my seasons close here shortly to see if it shifted--will post before/after.

@T_Widdy, do you think your zero shifted? 11/6 + 11/7 looks like POI shifted higher than the 11/2 zero? Then 11/22 looks like a shift down? Or are you adjusting?
I think it’s moving, 11/7 I went to adjust it, adjusted down .2 and left .1. First shot after adjustment is the one about 2” low. I returned the elevation back to my 0 and continued to shoot the center target. Then I returned the windage back to my original zero and shot the top right so that target is back to the original zero zero setting. 11/8 cone was high again so I slipped the turret down .1 and left it from there. I feel every time I went to shoot that my elevation was either high or low and it wouldn’t adjust true to what it should. Swapped to the swfa and i think my elevation is now staying the same.
 

WKR

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This was after 10 days of hunting in November. First 5 days were up at 9000 feet in the snow. I fell 3-4 times and 2 of those times the rifle went down but not that hard.

The next 5 days was in a different spot that I could drive to from home and in order to get there, I would drive about 30 miles in and 30 miles out on washboard roads. So 300 miles all together with the rifle in the backseat of the truck.

Checked zero a couple days after I filled the tag.
Nightforce nx8 4-32x50. Conditions were calm that's day which is a miracle where I'm at.1000000019.jpg
 
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Justin Crossley

Justin Crossley

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Excellent concept Justin!

Just shot this to set initial zero on a rifle.

22 creed

20 shots. 5-10 MPH left wind.
View attachment 805861
Love the 20 round zero. It's amazing how much less I have issues when I zero from 10-20 round groups instead of 3-5 rounds as I used to do.
 
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I went on my first rifle elk hunt this year and had my gun “zeroed” off a 3 rd group, probably shot 25 rounds through the gun all summer (mostly because 270 wsm is expensive to shoot). Then I was in scheels a few weeks ago and the bergara b14 hmr caught my eye, purchased it, and the Maven CRS.3 just came out so I bought that too. “Zeroed” off another 5 round Group shortly after I got it. Now I’ve been listening to the shoot2hunt podcast and reading a bunch on here, went and shot a 10 round group to check/rezero (gun has been in the bed of a truck that traveled 1000 ish miles and dropped once when I forgot to clamp my arca mount down on my bipod). Group was half moa low but not sure I could call it zeroed before. Also just picked up a tripod so practiced with that. All this to say, I still don’t know what I’m doing. Gun hit 100 rds today.

Bergara b14 HMR
Maven CRS.3 4-20x50 w/Warne maxima rings
Hornady eldm 140 factory loads
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Tanner

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Zero check at 100. Shot prone over a pack with my bino case as a rear bag.

8 rounds. 6 in the orange. The 2 out made the group 1.5”. Certainly shooter error.

T3x 6.5 CM 20”
NF 2.5-10
Hawkins Hybrid LR
140 ELDM, 4350, Lapua brass

Bottom target is 4 rounds of zero check (1.25” high zero with this rifle)
Barrett Fieldcraft 6CM
SWFA UL 2.5-10
105 BTHP, ‘17, lapua brass
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Tod osier

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I think it’s moving, 11/7 I went to adjust it, adjusted down .2 and left .1. First shot after adjustment is the one about 2” low. I returned the elevation back to my 0 and continued to shoot the center target. Then I returned the windage back to my original zero and shot the top right so that target is back to the original zero zero setting. 11/8 cone was high again so I slipped the turret down .1 and left it from there. I feel every time I went to shoot that my elevation was either high or low and it wouldn’t adjust true to what it should. Swapped to the swfa and i think my elevation is now staying the same.

That adjusting and then adjusting back to the original zero tracks perfectly (pun intended) with my experience when I've had problem scopes that worked "fine". Not adjusting to what you expect is a hallmark as well.
 

WKR

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This was after 10 days of hunting in November. First 5 days were up at 9000 feet in the snow. I fell 3-4 times and 2 of those times the rifle went down but not that hard.

The next 5 days was in a different spot that I could drive to from home and in order to get there, I would drive about 30 miles in and 30 miles out on washboard roads. So 300 miles all together with the rifle in the backseat of the truck.

Checked zero a couple days after I filled the tag.
Nightforce nx8 4-32x50. Conditions were calm that's day which is a miracle where I'm at.View attachment 805922
Great thread! Might be helpful to include type of rings as well.
I'm using ARC mbrace rings across-the-board on all my rifles now, I witness Mark and check my scopes for movement with a lead pencil.

After testing and shooting countless rounds behind the arc rings, I trust them and will continue to use them. Scope mounting isn't a pita anymore either and I'm not getting any installation introduced cant any longer. I just mounted a set up today actually.
 

T_Widdy

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Just assembled a NRL hunter rifle to see what these games are all about, tikka 20” ctr 6.5cm, Krg whiskey 3, NF nx8 4-32, NF rings. Hornady box 140eldm. Glued the action to the chassis and with the ctr “glued” scope rail Im hoping this one won’t need a zero check until the matches are over.IMG_1710.jpeg
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mxgsfmdpx

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Definitely agree with this.
Agree! I think most have done a great job posting up details so far. I think some detailed information like the following would be helpful...

Rifle: Tikka T3X Chambered in .223. Rokstok. Factory Tikka barrel. Shooting 77 TMK Factory Ammo.

Scope: Maven RS1.2 SHR MIL.

Scope Mounting: UM Tikka Low Rings and Bases (using the provided threaded pins).

Shooting Position: Prone from a Walmart sleeping pad (everything is rocky/sandy and sticks to clothing here). Heavy, lightly waxed front bag. Very low fill, lightweight rear field bag. Off hand controls the butt stock, bag used to "fill the void" is all.

shooting.jpg


Time/Activity Since Last Zero Check: Gun was last zero checked on 10/13/24. It has since shot hundreds of rounds and rode in backseat of my Jeep on a mix of highway and desert washboard/farm roads. It's also ridden around for hundreds of miles on off road trails and canyons getting to shooting and scouting spots here in Arizona. It's also been on two plane rides since then as well.

seat.jpg

Zero Check and Target Results: The idea for this morning wasn't to "shoot for a group"... The point was to lay down in a very stable position and fire 10 shots in a row at a 1" square at 100 yards. If I was "checking zero" for a new load, or new lot of ammo, or if the gun took a bad enough spill that I thought something may be "off", the process would be similar; but each shot would be very controlled with more "care" put into each trigger press.

Today was literally lay down, put the reticle dot in the middle of the square, and fire back to back shots for 10. I was fighting the sun pretty badly to my 9 o clock and had my hat in a weird position to try and block it. You can actually hear the bolt hit my hat off my head and I had to put it back on before the last shot of the second magazine. Winds were light and variable with gusts up to 8MPH from the 10 o clock position.

Sorry for the poor photo quality, it's a screen shot from a video of the shots. See video below.


target.jpg


Live Video of the Shots:



Results:

There is nothing concerning here at all. Gun is ready to keep on killing coyotes and rabbits here in the desert and ringing steel in hunting terrain all Winter.
 
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