Help needed

[palmer_mike]

Get someone else to shoot it and see if it’s the same for them? (3rd time I’ve suggested that on this thread).

 

[Hoppy]

Get someone else to shoot it and see if it’s the same for them? (3rd time I’ve suggested that on this thread).

Already done that and no difference

 

[BenBhoy]

Is everything as tight as it should be?

 

[Hairysausagefingers]

Has the crown been dinged perhaps?
I would have said a loose screw somewhere, but you've had it in bits and put it back together, so it seems unlikely unless the torques are seriously out of kilter.

 

[Hook'N'Bullet]

Might have already been said. Is your bipod bouncing around?

I'm by no means a target shooter but I was on the range shooting .308 out to 300 a week or 2 ago. New spartan bipod fitted and the legs were actually lifting off the table on the shot. I ended up standing the bipod on 2 small range bags and it closed my 300 meter group nicely to about 3.5 to 4 inch.

 

[Smellydog]

Bipods belong in the bloody bin. Pieces of junk....

 

[Klenchblaize]

Does the Op have a three-hundred yard 3 or 5-shot group target, as shot prior to the current 'issue', that we may see please?

K

 

[PEA]

Looking forward to the findings of the gunsmith.

 

[303British]

Your MPI at 100 looks to be right of centre so your 200 group will be further over to the right as the error is angular, if no wind, if any wind at all it wil be further, the group with a mod on will generally fall in a different place to no mod fitted as the harmonics will be different, zeroing off a bipod is going to sketchy though if you load your bipod as this can cause flex in the stock, if you then shoot off a bag, or kneeling that flex in the stock will likely not be there and the fall of shot will again be different.

If everything is secure and as it should be on the rifle I always think its the "nut behind the butt"! Could be back to basics time , like others have said, give someone else a shoot and see if results similar.

 

[jonny.c]

The group on the bottom right was with mod on, top left is 2 groups merged, shot with no moderator, one with factory the other is home loads, group opened up at 100m but still useable but as soon as you move out to 200m they get to a level that I wouldn’t be happy shooting at live game. Used to have very tight groups at 100 and good groups at 200m
Not going to mess with it anymore, going to run it to a professional and leave it with him to assess and I will go back to my fathers .270 which is on my certificate, until I find out what’s going on with it.

Ok so now do 3 shots with mod on home loads
& 3 shots with mod on one target centre point of aim at the little bullie mark these out with pen

Another target factory loads (not some cheap rubbish /state what you are using)
3shot groups one mod off 3shot group marked

Do this as you would normal shooting


Then do the same again but pulling the gun tight in to your shoulder and holding the front leg of the bipod to secure the shot but pull the leg and gun to the body mark target.

We will be waiting

 

[Hoppy]

Back from getting it looked at, Callum was very generous with his time and gave the rifle a look over scoped the barrel etc, his thoughts are:

• Barrel is fine and in good condition for its age/use
• Moderator is showing signs of wear but not completely gone yet
• he wants me to check the parallax is working properly on the scope, which i will do today on the range.
• he noted flattening of the primers and the starting signs of pressure on the rim of the case
• he noted some of the primers were showing slightly above flush
• he thinks i am perhaps being too fussy and looking for issues
• he thinks this is a zeroing issue (think someone on here said similar) i am not firing large enough groups to be conclusive.

So i have come away with more primers, a new tube of N160 and have uniformed the primer pockets and now have all my primers sitting fully in the primer pockets, i am now working on a completely new load (i had finished all my old powder anyway) and hoping to get to the range this afternoon.
i will keep you all posted.

 

[Hoppy]

Ok so now do 3 shots with mod on home loads
& 3 shots with mod on one target centre point of aim at the little bullie mark these out with pen

Another target factory loads (not some cheap rubbish /state what you are using)
3shot groups one mod off 3shot group marked

Do this as you would normal shooting


Then do the same again but pulling the gun tight in to your shoulder and holding the front leg of the bipod to secure the shot but pull the leg and gun to the body mark target.

We will be waiting

the factory ammo was Hornady 140gr SST which is the same as i am using in my home loads apart from bullet weight which they didnt have an exact match for

 

[gundog]

This might be of help

The contributor recommends a hunting. Scope with parallax not a Target
Good luck

 

[palmer_mike]

Back from getting it looked at, Callum was very generous with his time and gave the rifle a look over scoped the barrel etc, his thoughts are:

• Barrel is fine and in good condition for its age/use
• Moderator is showing signs of wear but not completely gone yet
• he wants me to check the parallax is working properly on the scope, which i will do today on the range.
• he noted flattening of the primers and the starting signs of pressure on the rim of the case
• he noted some of the primers were showing slightly above flush
• he thinks i am perhaps being too fussy and looking for issues
• he thinks this is a zeroing issue (think someone on here said similar) i am not firing large enough groups to be conclusive.

So i have come away with more primers, a new tube of N160 and have uniformed the primer pockets and now have all my primers sitting fully in the primer pockets, i am now working on a completely new load (i had finished all my old powder anyway) and hoping to get to the range this afternoon.
i will keep you all posted.

So:
This is not a problem with your equipment.

Its probably to do with not holding your eye perfectly in line with the centre of the scope lense and not correcting the parallax.

Probably user error rather than equipment failure? Hope I’m not being too blunt

 

[Hoppy]

So:
This is not a problem with your equipment.

Its probably to do with not holding your eye perfectly in line with the centre of the scope lense and not correcting the parallax.

Probably user error rather than equipment failure? Hope I’m not being too blunt

I am fully aware of how the parallax adjustment works I have owned many scopes with adjustment over the years. The issue I am having is my groups are opening up on equipment I have used for a long time. I have sent the scope back to Swarovski for a service and am hoping that a spare scope arrives today (bought from this site) I will put this on then try it again. Eye relief has been getting harder and harder to obtain with the Swarovski.

 

[Smellydog]

Eye relief has been getting harder and harder to obtain with the Swarovski

Please explain?

 

[Hoppy]

Please explain?

Up until this scope I have only ever used Zeiss for scopes always found them great soon as your head hits the stock you have full sight picture with no need to move your head to get a clear ring of view, when I first got this Z8i I didn’t find it nearly as easy to get that immediate sight picture and when I took it out last week to check zero it seemed to take even more adjusting to get that clear sight / eye relief, as you know my groupings have opened up considerably as well, I assumed it would be me the rifle or bullets not the scope as it’s meant to be top end quality. I got my father onto the rifle (he has always been a Swarovski man) and he was surprised how difficult it was to get a clear picture through the scope. I have the synchro XT so it had the adjustable cheek and even moving that around you still can’t find that perfect cheek weld. I think either something is loosening off inside the scope or perhaps Swarovski scopes are just not for me. Either way it is back in Austria for a full check over if there is nothing wrong with it it will come back fully serviced and I will have to change it for something else or it is loosening off and problem solved.

 

[Stalker-of-the-deer]

From experience, It sounds like the shooters rather than the system. I had a sauer 404 and it was fantastic but a bit finiky to set up but a few things to watch.

Sum mount - make sure its tensioned properly. The throw leavers should cam over on the action. Last few mil.

Barrel clamp - make sure you have pushed the barrel all the way baack, close the bolt then tension the bolts properley.

cleaning - mine needed scrubbing out with copper solvent every 100 or so rounds.

Few things shooting wise.

- bipod pre load- sauer 404s dont like it. Use the bipod as a rest with no forward pressure and see what happens. Thats one thing that will throw your grouping all over the shop.

Cheek weld - how high is your scope, you need a consistent cheek weld to the sock each time.

Butt pressure - again varying pressure between shots mixed with the above make for inconsistent shooting.

300m starts showing the floors in people's technique. Its a good distance to dial in the skills.

Hopefully you get your issues rectified!

 

[Stalker-of-the-deer]

Up until this scope I have only ever used Zeiss for scopes always found them great soon as your head hits the stock you have full sight picture with no need to move your head to get a clear ring of view, when I first got this Z8i I didn’t find it nearly as easy to get that immediate sight picture and when I took it out last week to check zero it seemed to take even more adjusting to get that clear sight / eye relief, as you know my groupings have opened up considerably as well, I assumed it would be me the rifle or bullets not the scope as it’s meant to be top end quality. I got my father onto the rifle (he has always been a Swarovski man) and he was surprised how difficult it was to get a clear picture through the scope. I have the synchro XT so it had the adjustable cheek and even moving that around you still can’t find that perfect cheek weld. I think either something is loosening off inside the scope or perhaps Swarovski scopes are just not for me. Either way it is back in Austria for a full check over if there is nothing wrong with it it will come back fully serviced and I will have to change it for something else or it is loosening off and problem solved.

High mag scopes are notorious for eye relief/ postition. My ior crusader has a tiny eye box at high mag.

Same with my khales 525i

 

[palmer_mike]

I am fully aware of how the parallax adjustment works I have owned many scopes with adjustment over the years. The issue I am having is my groups are opening up on equipment I have used for a long time. I have sent the scope back to Swarovski for a service and am hoping that a spare scope arrives today (bought from this site) I will put this on then try it again. Eye relief has been getting harder and harder to obtain with the Swarovski.

Fine, well sounds like you know what the problem is then a don’t need any advice from us.