Bad Scope or Frame Twist?
A couple of weeks ago, I sighted in my Talon SS by resting the forearm on a sand bag in a rest, and resting the back on another bag, just like I would any rifle. I had it shooting little cloverleaf groups at 20 yards, and it was dead on at 40. Today, I took a shot at a starling using my bipod, and instead of dropping it dead off it’s branch, I stripped bark off the tree next to it. So, I took a couple of shots at a stump at the same distance, and sure enough, it was hitting about an inch to the left. My first impulse was to blame the scope, as this is the second of this model of scope I have had. I had to return the first because it wouldn’t adjust, and this one was sent to me as a replacement. Anyhow, with the gun on the bipod, I adjusted the scope, and it was back to shooting tiny little groups. This got me thinking – Is it possible that when I sighted it in the first time, the bag, which has a slightly “grippy” surface, was grabbing the forearm and twisting it when I would align the gun with the target, throwing my groups to a different POI? Or, do you think I just need to come to grips with my scope being a POS and get something better?
Thanks in advance for the input,
Chris
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Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
I’ll second this notion.
If you’re going to shoot from the bipod, then you oughta site-in with the bipod. Apples to apples, so to speak.
You might also want to check into getting a scope level as well. I thought they were hokey until I tried one, but now I’m sold… scope cant does make a BIG difference. If your bipod legs are sitting on an uneven surface the gun is going to be tilted a little and throw shots wide.
yeah my airgun shoots way off when sighted in prone, after that you shoot while standing up or just resting it on anything, it’ll shoot way off I thought talons wouldn’t do that because they have no recoil
When Peter first mentioned that I need to check my position and make sure I am holding the gun the same every time, I could have kicked myself. With my other rifles, due to their ergonomics, it is easy to rest them on bags and shoot them from the same resting position as when I use them “for real”. With the Talon, the ergonomics are totally different, and when I shot them off the bags, I had both my body and head contorted. Looks like when I shoot off bags from here on out, I need to make sure I am actually shouldering the rifle, rather than letting the tank sit on bags. I am sure my head was positioned wrong, and that led to a poor line of sight through the scope.
Thanks for the help, guys. Hopefully I will figure out something so basic on my own next time!
Chris
My Talon will change POI depending weather I am shooting off sandbags or my bipod. I can shoot great groups either way but the groups don’t land in the same place.
If you don’t need mildot, an inexpensive scope that I am very happy with, especially for the price, is the Mueller APV. It’s clear and bright and won’t give you any problems. You can check them out at http://www.muelleroptics.com I also own the Mueller Eradicator and the Tactical w/ mildot but the cheaper APV’s eye relief isn’t as finicky and it’s just a great buy for the money. If you want mildot and as good in quality as you would ever need for your air rifle, I’d go with a Nikon Buckmaster or Bushnell Elite 3200. The Nikon has side focus.
If your parallax is off, your shot could be off especially if you don’t have a consistent head position when looking through your scope. When you sight your target in at 40 yards, move your head ever so slightly up and down or side to side while keeping everything else still. Your cross hairs and target should not move. If it does, your parallax is not set right. You can’t always go with what the scope setting says with the cheaper scopes. Just a thought.
If it isn’t your scope, it could also be your trigger pull. This can happen easily with the crappy stock trigger. I’d try these things and if it doesn’t help, mount a better scope and see if that works.
Great site for scopes http://www.swfa.com and then to get even better deals on refurbished scopes with the manufacturer’s warranty, choose the second from the last option from the menu and click on “The sample list”. It will bring you to http://www.samplelist.com
Put something on the tank to rest your cheek against when you shoot. Use this point as a constant when you shoot. Consistent head placement is key in accurate shooting.
BTW you need a Wokbutt 😉
what you wanna do is shoot the gun the same way you do every time… such as placing ur head on the gun at the same spot and hold the gun at the same position every time you shoot…it may just be you…
Tried the tapping thing, still shooting to POI. I’ll give it a couple of days and try again. If the POI shifts again, looks like a new scope, and I never go Leaper’s again.
Thanks again guys,
Chris
I have screwed up on an elk hunt because of a cheap scope on a 7mm rem mag. ($1500 trip, $700 rifle and a $150 cheap scope). Bad combo.
you have a $500 rifle(or more), get a decent scope. I shoot mine (condor) off of sand bags or any other rest I can find and do not think I have ever put enough stress on the frame to change my poi.
semper fi
Do this….
Tap your scope knobs firmly with your middle finger and see what happens.
I’d go with the scope being a POS…I had a bad scope on a springer once that would group well but change POI constantly. I put a decent scope on it and never had that problem again. Good Luck.
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are firearms the same way, like a .22 rimfire, will it shoot off if sighted in a different way?