Thread: What could cause this?

call it good...deer is deader than a dead thing....

Wouldn't hurt to check your scopes are mounted so the horizontal crosshairs are dead level relative to the bore. Being out a little can cause shots to land a bit to the side of vertical on target ( it bears on how the rifle is held whilst shot ). Usually it would show up more with highly accurate ammo as opposed to factory ammo. I don't think the breeze as you described it would cause that much drift of your shots although undoubtedly it can if strong enough.
Only if this really matters though. As others say with that accuracy you're good to go and kill stuff.

Originally Posted by 30.06king

Wouldn't hurt to check your scopes are mounted so the horizontal crosshairs are dead level relative to the bore. Being out a little can cause shots to land a bit to the side of vertical on target ( it bears on how the rifle is held whilst shot ). Usually it would show up more with highly accurate ammo as opposed to factory ammo. I don't think the breeze as you described it would cause that much drift of your shots although undoubtedly it can if strong enough.
Only if this really matters though. As others say with that accuracy you're good to go and kill stuff.

Thanks mate, appreciate that. This is the method I used: I checked a shops work with this method against. Gunsmiths work and and I thought the shop job was out slightly but gunsmiths was good. I could be wrong though.

Pointed the rifle away from a concrete wall in the garage. End of stock butt was about 3m away from the wall. Ensured the rifle was level with a high quality spirit level. Hung a plumb Bob from the ceiling so it was just sitting off said wall and in line with rifle.
Next I turned the lights off grabbed a strong little torch and pointed it down the muzzle end of the scope. Cross hairs lit up on the wall and adjusted the scope and rifle till it was spotty dick with the plum Bob.

Not sure if I read that method on here but I feel it works.
Thoughts?
*Had to turn the magnification up or down for the cross hairs to become sharp on the wal.

Originally Posted by JBNZ

Thanks mate, appreciate that. This is the method I used: I checked a shops work with this method against. Gunsmiths work and and I thought the shop job was out slightly but gunsmiths was good. I could be wrong though.

Pointed the rifle away from a concrete wall in the garage. End of stock butt was about 3m away from the wall. Ensured the rifle was level with a high quality spirit level. Hung a plumb Bob from the ceiling so it was just sitting off said wall and in line with rifle.
Next I turned the lights off grabbed a strong little torch and pointed it down the muzzle end of the scope. Cross hairs lit up on the wall and adjusted the scope and rifle till it was spotty dick with the plum Bob.

Not sure if I read that method on here but I feel it works.
Thoughts?
*Had to turn the magnification up or down for the cross hairs to become sharp on the wal.

@JBNZ I've learnt something new from this blog today, thanks. Getting my scopes dead plumb is something I really struggling with. I'm going to try "The Concrete Wall Method," which I had never heard of.... I also struggle with getting the rifle plumb in the vice (plywood packers), what part of the rifle do you put the spirit level on especially if the receiver is round with no flat surfaces? Is the iron rear sight (removed) dovetail accurately level? Alternatively, is the din rail accurately level? I know a couple of my scopes are not perfectly setup and it is irritating!

Originally Posted by Hugh Shields

@JBNZ I've learnt something new from this blog today, thanks. Getting my scopes dead plumb is something I really struggling with. I'm going to try "The Concrete Wall Method," which I had never heard of.... I also struggle with getting the rifle plumb in the vice (plywood packers), what part of the rifle do you put the spirit level on especially if the receiver is round with no flat surfaces? Is the iron rear sight (removed) dovetail accurately level? Alternatively, is the din rail accurately level? I know a couple of my scopes are not perfectly setup and it is irritating!

@hugh

In the absence of a flat top reciever, if you attach the bottom half of the rings, that gives you a good level surface to use to get the rifle level. If not you have other problems. If the rings you are using have a verticle split like warnes etc, you can fit one flat ring from spare parts collection and then remove it once the rifle is level and cinched in place as per below. Then fit the rings you will use.

To hold the rifle I put a rifle rest in an engineers vice, and then use a small tie down strop to hold the rifle tight in the rest. It takes a few goes sometimes to get it sitting right and level, but once the strop is tight it works well. No risk of crushing any part of the rifle in the vice.

@Hugh Shields Let us know how it goes for you.
I can’t really help with getting a rifle level without a flat top receiver.

I never used a vice. Just a bipod and backers under the feet in order to get it level.