Consitent groups, inconsitent zero

[75]

Relating to my question: Are you getting a consistent cheek weld on the stock while shooting or are you having to hold your head (more or less) erect?~Muir

I've not been shooting rifles for long so would be first to admit to my lack of experience, but as far as I'm aware I've got good cheek weld and head position. I had an experienced mate watch me shoot at the weekend and he couldn't see anything obvious wrong.

 

[devilishdave]

It would be worth getting your experianced mate to firee a few groups to see if he gets the same result that way you can pin it down to the rifle and not your self.

Dave

 

[75]

It would be worth getting your experianced mate to firee a few groups to see if he gets the same result that way you can pin it down to the rifle and not your self.

Dave

Trouble is that it shoots good groups on the day and then I'll go back a week later and things have moved. We both shot it on Saturday and got very similar groups. I'll go back out later in the week and if things have moved I'll get him to shoot it again and see if the group has also moved for him, or whether it's due to me doing something different from one day to the next.

I'm hoping the replacement moderator without the bits of swarf moving around everytime I unscrew it or move the rifle will have resolved the problem. If not, I'll put the mod to one side altogether to eliminate that from the equation. Could be a slow process as zero only seems to move with time (or with transporting the rifle or removing/refitting mod - haven't quite established which variable it is yet!).

Anyway, I'll keep plodding on and eliminating various factors until I solve the problem (or give up and buy something else!) - thanks for all the advice/guidance.

 

[snowstorm]

How quickly are you firing your groups? Even with a free loating barrel it will still wander a bit as it gets hotter due to the changing shape and size of the barrel as the temp increases.

I can shoot 15 rounds and I know that by the time I get to the last group the centre can move up to an inch. When the barrel has gone cold again the centre goes back to where it was.

It can take a loooong time for the barrel to get back to cold, not just 10 minutes.

Fire it cold, note the group, fire again. note the group etc.

Change nothing, then a week/day later do the same and see if it behaves the same. If the change is consistent it becomes predictable and is tied to a predictable change in your set up - most likely temp?

 

[75]

Looks like it was a duff moderator. I went out last night and shot a 3 shot group and, much to my relief, it was bang on compared to the group I shot on Saturday. Will try again later in the week just to confirm all is ok and before I shoot any deer, but fingers crossed that's it sorted.

 

[Para]

nice to hear you may have it sorted.
hopefully your self confidence has returned too.

 

[devilishdave]

Sounds like good news.

Dave