Thread: Rookie mistake

Was shooting this afternoon. Thought all was going well first 2 shots around an inch apart. Then things got weird. Groups started jumping around in 2's.

Thinking something must be loose had a look over the rifle and realised I had the wrong Bush in my suppressor as I use it on 2 rifles and the other rifle has a bigger barrel so Bush was loose.
Wasted a few round and will have to head out again tomorrow. Hopefully out as simple as that.

I take it the thread wasnt tightly done up???? I have used mine without bush in place without issue.

Might be something else too. Check your stock action screws, bases and ring screw torques.

maybe the box was moving

Yea I'll go over everything. Missed me off as the groups were starting out nice and tight. Was a 200yard target. Black Square is a piece of insulation tape

Can't say I've seen that before. And I've made a few mistakes myself.
Were those each a consecutive pair of shots, with zero shifts of about 1 and 3 moa between each pair ?

If so, the most likely cause is a loose sight or reticle.

As said, you're supposed to be able to shoot without a bush at all. 3 MOA is more like what you's see taking a suppressor off altogether.

It could be double grouping but your descriptions not clear. Usually you fire 1 shot the next goes somewhere else and the third goes back near the first. A fourth ends up next to the second one so you get two groups hence the name.
Its caused by the action shifting between two rest points under recoil and is due to loose action screws or bedding. If the shots keep constantly walking with no aparrent pattern then its either a scope internal issue, possibly but unlikely the bases or the supressor unscrewing and changing the barrels harmonic

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

I take it the thread wasnt tightly done up???? I have used mine without bush in place without issue.

Same here, I run a suppressor between two rifles and brought the wrong bush to the range once. Used it without the bush instead and had no issues so long as it is screwed on firm.

Do you know how well the rifle (or you) has shot before ?

Is is more like:
1/4 MOA like the pairs of shot hint ?
1 MOA like the bottom 4 shots ?
3 MOA like the top 4 shots together ?

Not that many rifle/shooter combos will go straight out and shoot <2MOA at 200m

and did you adjust the sights/aiming point between shots ? Often overlooked.

Put the Bush back in today and torqued all the screws. One of the action screws did appear slightly under but not buy a lot. Rifle almost went exactly back to zero and this was the next three shots.

Thinking it was possibly the action screw but also the suppressor is an old mow hardy which is heavy and without the Bush it floats around a little

Not sure why but the picture is rotated 90 degrees

sorted...now fire a group at hundy WITHOUT suppressor and you will know where its going to go should you ever forget again....mine all are pretty much 3" higher than normal.....no biggie at spitting range bush stalking.....funny how reluctant Iam to fire a round without the makequietercan in place anymore,love the plurry things as my ears dont ring for days after a hunt.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

sorted...now fire a group at hundy WITHOUT suppressor and you will know where its going to go should you ever forget again....mine all are pretty much 3" higher than normal.....no biggie at spitting range bush stalking.....funny how reluctant Iam to fire a round without the makequietercan in place anymore,love the plurry things as my ears dont ring for days after a hunt.

Since I put the suppressor on I haven't fitted the rifle without it on and don't think I ever will again. Certainly make things nicer to shoot

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

I take it the thread wasnt tightly done up???? I have used mine without bush in place without issue.

I have literally never used a bush on my Bergara as it was already threaded so never had it sent of to be threaded. Shot 3 10 inch targets at 530 580, and 620 simultaneously the other day with the first three shots it might change poi but shouldnt really effect the group as much