Would you bother to re-zero? (ammo change)

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Just to reiterate it all ammo in a given gun won’t hit the same spot at 100yd. The “zero”, can vary notably just due to the different bullet and ammo lot interacting with the barrel.

-The charts are about trajectory. But it requires knowing a zero point in your gun for that specific ammo to mean anything.

 

[Mtndawger]

Check zero. Numerous threads on RS to learn how to properly do it. Doing things right is usually more expensive up front but pays off long term with $ saved or aggravation minimized. Half assing almost anything is not a virtue

 

[Steve300xcw]

yes I'd re-zero.

I'm wouldnt worry too much about shooting a rokslide approved number of rounds.

Get three boxes of the new ammo and check your zero with a good sized group (10 shots). Make the required adjustments off that group. Then confirm it with another 10-shot group.

He's shooting 150yrds max.......

I usually buy 200 of the same lot, devote 20 to sighting in and confirming a good zero, then have the rest to hunt with for the rest of my life.

thats just sad

 

[Annapolis]

So if I’m reading the room, it sounds like people think I should rezero.

Really appreciate this, all.

 

[EdP]

I'm also in the check zero camp. Can you maybe do it at the hunt location?

 

[Annapolis]

I don’t think so—but I could probably ask around and find a farm or somewhere closer by where they’d let me do it.

 

[K9kodi]

Where in Maryland? Roughly?

 

[Annapolis]

Username says it all.

 

[Greenbelt]

I always check my zero even on a different box of same bullet as stated above. Personally I'm not gonna wait all year, put crazy time/effort into hunting, buying expensive gear, time away from family/work, to have it all go to shit over something that could have been worked out at the range in 10 min. I did it this morning on the same round I use every year but a new box. Also there never will be a waste of time at the range, no matter what.

 

[Macintosh]

I have had different lots of the same ammo be off by 4” at 100 yards, and thats with good sized groups. Usually it less difference, but you never know. So different bullets, yes, I always re-zero.
This is why people buy lots of ammo from a specific lot#. It matters less at 150 yards for sure, but it can still matter when you stack that difference on top of the guns precision and on top of your wobble.

 

[EastTX Jess]

@Annapolis something that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the need for a thorough cleaning. Use a good solvent and get all of the copper deposits from the old ammo out of the barrel before you sight in the copper impact ammo. You’ll save yourself some headache and tail chasing. The monometals have a tendency to group poorly when they follow gilding metal bullets without cleaning in between.

 

[Annapolis]

Appreciate that. I’m pretty rigorous about cleaning after each visit to the range, so it’s had a runthru with Hoppes and a bore snake, but it sounds like you’re talking about something more intensive?

 

[robtattoo]

Another thing to consider - and I'm surprised as hell nobody has mentioned it yet - monometal bullets of the same weight as traditional lead core bullets are significantly longer. They'll have a much longer shank (bearing surface) so don't be surprised at all if your rifle just doesn't shoot them well.
You may find that you'll need to try a couple of different loads & bullet weight before you find one you're happy with.

 

[EastTX Jess]

Appreciate that. I’m pretty rigorous about cleaning after each visit to the range, so it’s had a runthru with Hoppes and a bore snake, but it sounds like you’re talking about something more intensive?

It depends on the effectiveness of your usual routine, which should be enough. My wife’s 7-08 required two rounds of solvent and scrubbing with a brass brush. It had about 10 years of soft points through it before switching to 120 TTSX. Shoots great after the cleaning.

 

[Matt5266]

Find a load that shoots and quit cleaning all together. Its a waste of time and my groups stay more consistent when I don't. Also never use bore snakes. If it breaks off inside your barrel is trash at that point and you'll have to buy another.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

Nothing on paper is going to tell you what might happen with changes in ammo. Bottom line is, you need to re zero.

100%.

 

[SloppyJ]

First off, the point of impact WILL be different. I will bet money on that. You will need to re-zero the rifle with that ammo. The key is to know the difference between the two loads to facilitate switching back and forth between them in the future. Easier to do with handloads but a bit riskier with factory ammo as components could change from lot to lot.

Second off, two handicaps don't make a handicapible. Stacking a mono metal bullet with the already slow muzzle velocity is going to really suck for expansion. I hope it works out for you and I'm sure it will but it seems risky. Maybe that bullet is designed to open at much lower muzzle velocities?

 

[Ramem7mm]

go shoot the rifle and see what happens. If you don't and have issues later you would have wished you would have just went and shot and checked. Making sure its on will give you confidence that there wont be an issue with the gun and ruining a hunt or missed opportunity.

 

[bnewt3]

Always recheck zero.

The ballistics are similar AFTER zeroing. Your rifle may have a significant POI shift between the 2.

 

[bnewt3]

Also there's alot of anecdotal data(and possibly some empirical data) that says you need to clean the barrel to steel to get good groups when switching from lead core to monolithic copper.