Tuning POI shifting on Dreamline

[Sqwirl57]

It seems some of ya'll clean your barrels too much. I cleaned my Dreamline barrel when I first got it and then cleaned it again when I noticed my groups opening up... that was around 10k pellets through it. I'm sitting somewhere around 15k now and still have only cleaned it twice. I've never shot slugs from my gun (I have a 22lr for that so never saw the point) do they require a cleaner barrel to shoot accurately?

 

[Khornet]

I honestly can't tell whether cleaning helps my rifle. I get crappy accuracy for 10-20 shots after cleaning. By then conditions have changed: wind, heat, mirage, my posture, etc.

 

[PlinkForFun]

What scope are you using and do you,"click"?

I had the same issue early on in my journey; It would shoot lights out, then the following day be off. So, I would re-zero and then the next day again, it was off. This was not a gradual drift, but black and white on one day then off the next. I usually case my guns after shooting, so tried leaving it out to eliminate barrel shift, same thing.

What I found was that my scope would drift overnight. it would hold for a bit while I was shooting, but then eventually settle. It drove me nuts.

+1

Over the years, I've found that some scope reticules suffer lag to adjustments. My solution is to over adjust then back up. So if I need 2 clicks left I'll adjust 5 left followed by 3 right. This seems to correct for sticky reticules.

This could quite possibly be part of the problem. Ive noticed that occasionally when i adjust the turrets on my scope, my POI stays the same, i was never sure if it was my scope or the gun, but now I know. Will over adjusting and then fine tuning it afterwards help eliminate that problem completely?

 

[Sqwirl57]

What scope are you running on your FX?

 

[Stone02]

What scope are you using and do you,"click"?

I had the same issue early on in my journey; It would shoot lights out, then the following day be off. So, I would re-zero and then the next day again, it was off. This was not a gradual drift, but black and white on one day then off the next. I usually case my guns after shooting, so tried leaving it out to eliminate barrel shift, same thing.

What I found was that my scope would drift overnight. it would hold for a bit while I was shooting, but then eventually settle. It drove me nuts.

+1

Over the years, I've found that some scope reticules suffer lag to adjustments. My solution is to over adjust then back up. So if I need 2 clicks left I'll adjust 5 left followed by 3 right. This seems to correct for sticky reticules.

This could quite possibly be part of the problem. Ive noticed that occasionally when i adjust the turrets on my scope, my POI stays the same, i was never sure if it was my scope or the gun, but now I know. Will over adjusting and then fine tuning it afterwards help eliminate that problem completely?

I think so, yes.

 

[PlinkForFun]

Plink, I would also like to add that if you are shooting with a bare barrel, you have a real wet noodle on your hands. Slugs don’t like wet noodle barrels. Things like temperature changes effect flimsy barrels. You should check to see if you are experiencing the same thing with pellets.

This also might be it as well. I do have a plain old superior barrel with no CF liner on it or orings either. I was planning on getting the FX CF liner things when they come out. I will try out pellets here in a bit and see what happens.

 

[Sqwirl57]

I honestly can't tell whether cleaning helps my rifle. I get crappy accuracy for 10-20 shots after cleaning. By then conditions have changed: wind, heat, mirage, my posture, etc.

All of my guns, whether air or firearm, suffer from poor accuracy after cleaning until the barrels foul up some. Some guns are good to go after 10 shots, while others take upwards of 100.

 

[PlinkForFun]

I agree about bronze brush. I do 4-5 passes with a regular .22 rifle brush, then it takes 3 or 4 tight patches pulled through and it's clean. I too think it's the choke where lead really matters, but I'm really still not certain that cleaning matters in my FX liners including Superior standard. I do replace my breech O-ring every time I clean, since the brush can be rough on it.

That said, in my case I think variations in hold are the cause of my POI shifts. I finally marked the positions of my bipod feet, rear bag, and chair feet, and sit so that my chest is just touching the edge of the bench. I place my center dot at 12:00 on the edge of my bull, then press my shoulder against the stock til it's centered. My POI wanders a lot less than before.

Warren Page, in The Accurate Rifle, says that when you're shooting a good card for God's sake don't get up from the bench until you're done. I think that says a lot.

Also is a copper brush all right? I have a .22 copper brush, but its pretty stiff and hard but im not sure if it will eat the barrel or not. I just cleaned out the barrel last night with a few passes with a nylon brush, a few wet patches with hoppes #9, and a few dry patches, and then a few with WD-40, and a few more dry ones afterwards. All the patches were very clean, with little lead on them.

 

[PlinkForFun]

What scope are you running on your FX?

I have an old Simmons 44 Mag 6-21 x 44 and it works great. Clear glass for an old scope that ive used on some of my firearms. I havent ever have the reticle stick on me though, but otherwise, it has tons of adjustment, finger adjusting turrets, and parralax down to 15yds.

 

[Macros]

You might want to check your diopter adjustment isn't a little bit out if your target is out of focus when the scope is parallax free...

 

[Sqwirl57]

Have you run a box test on your scope to see how it handles turret adjustments? Its quick and easy to do and will give you an immediate answer. 

 

[Leatherman]

Been doing some reading up on the Dreamline guns. My first one , a GRS stocked .22 from Utah Airguns , is stuck in the Fed Ex Terminal since last Thursday just 20 miles from my house. Very anxious to get it. But There is a video by Ernie Rowe on putting tension on the barrel to help POI problems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4nu-77SZg0 . He uses a CF Shroud and cuts it slightly longer than the barrel so the front barrel locking bolt hits . Im going to try mine stock, then with the barrel band and then with the carbon fiber shroud just for the fun of it. Any one of the suggested fixes mentioned could be your answer though. good luck

 

[elh0102]

Plinkforfun, the brush you mention is bronze, I'm sure. And no, it will not damage the barrel, although sloppy rod handling may. If you are concerned, I've had equally good results with a nylon brush.

 

[darylm]

Definitely sounds like an optics issue. I’ve found that temperature has the greatest affect on POI shift with my scopes. Don’t let them over-heat in the summer sunshine. And in winter, I actually use a small space heater near my rifles to warm them up before shooting. I’ve found it makes a huge difference in accuracy. 

 

[PlinkForFun]

It could be an optics issue. I tested the vertical and horizontal tracking, and both were good, but for the last 2 turns on both dials is where the reticle stops moving. I repeated it a few times to make sure, and that was exactly what happened each time. I had my vertical dial almost adjusted to the point where it stops adjusting the reticle for my 40yd zero. Ive always thought it was really odd for my scope to be almost adj. to the max for a 40 yd zero for just about everything i have ever put through it. Is that normal for most scopes on airguns to hardly have any adjustment without a 20 MOA rail?

 

[JohanG]

Try not to handle the rifle by its barrel. These FX barrels are thin and even in the shroud they still have a lot of flex in them. This can cause POI shifts. I only handle my FX by the pistol grip and the shoulder butt, If necessary, it can be picked up by the scope. Never by the barrel.

 

[slush]

I too am having the same issue, with by Dreampup. I don't have the barrel band the connects to the dovetail mount. What I found out is, I was picking the gun from the moderator, as it was standing up in the safe. I found out that the barrel was moving left or right. SO, I adjusted the scope windage dial close to center. Then I set up a big sheet of cardboard. I loosened the aftermarket barrel band. I kept moving my barrel until I was grouping in the center again. Then I fined tuned my zero with the windage adjustment. Tighten down the barrel band, and went out 75 yards, and I was still centered. However, looking at barrel it looks pushed to the right some. Not sure if this a real problem, or that is how you have to do it on these guns. I am going to call FX and see what they say. Maybe I need the barrel band that attaches to the dovetail, to center my barrel correctly. I also will be careful on how I pick up my gun from now on.

 

[Emu]

Might be change in your possition of the eye in regard of the scope or delay in the reticle to rest in the right spot.

Give the correcting clicks and wait 15 minutes before keep on shooting.

A scope is not zeroed until the reticle is in rest where you want.

 

[slush]

,Might be change in your possition of the eye in regard of the scope or delay in the reticle to rest in the right spot.

Give the correcting clicks and wait 15 minutes before keep on shooting.

A scope is not zeroed until the reticle is in rest where you want.

True, trying to stay consistent is a key factor. But I could see the barrel move to the left or right, when it was given pressure in that direction. Once I was back center on the cardboard, I tighten my barrel band and the barrel seems a lot more secure. I found that it does not take much to move the barrel when it is free floating and not secured, by the barrel band. It seems like a poor designed that it can happen. I stated at 43 yards and moved back 75 yards, I dialed for elevation and the gun was grouping nice. But when I put it back in safe and I would grab it by the moderator, I did not realize that the barrel was moving. The one time I sighted in it and took it back out I was shooting all the to the end of my scope windage holdover at 40moa. I then centered the windage turret and moved the barrel in the direction to get me back on target. Seems like that will work if I be careful how I handle the gun. I Was able to hit the 1" circle at 75 yards. I could not ask more. But the barrel does not look completely center to the air cylinder.