POI shift
- Thread starter Castin’Catchin’ 26
- Start date
I grabbed from the middle going to get torque here soon and check for loose ring mounts. As stated above i believe its going to be a dirty barrel from shooting heavier slugs
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Went through this about two weeks ago. Was shooting my 25 and could not hit starling to save my life even at 50 yards which the rifle is zeroed for.
Off to the bench and I was hitting left about 1.5”. Adjusted to zero and back after the starlings. Got a few then started to miss again. Went through the scope mount screws and they were tight then got to the screw in the rings found three loose ones. I had just mounted the scope several days before. Apparently I missed torquing those ones.
Eliminate the easy stuff first.
I agree with Motorhead. If you can’t pick your gun by your scope there is an issue with your mounting system. A quality scope mounting system is worth every penny it costs.
Off to the bench and I was hitting left about 1.5”. Adjusted to zero and back after the starlings. Got a few then started to miss again. Went through the scope mount screws and they were tight then got to the screw in the rings found three loose ones. I had just mounted the scope several days before. Apparently I missed torquing those ones.
Eliminate the easy stuff first.
I agree with Motorhead. If you can’t pick your gun by your scope there is an issue with your mounting system. A quality scope mounting system is worth every penny it costs.
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I agree to a point, I still find myself on occasion grabbing the gun using the scope as a handle no worries. But prior to that I would also manipulate the gun by the scope. For example grab horizontal rifle by scope, bring to vertical position using unnoticed torque by twisting and pulling up on the scope and rings. Do that enough times, (I handle and shoot it almost everyday). And you might introduce issues to the mounting system. Just another variable to eliminate.
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Come on people , he's a big boy he will figure it out .
Go back to basics , start from the bottom and retighten everything , then clean . We have all been threw this .
Go back to basics , start from the bottom and retighten everything , then clean . We have all been threw this .
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Given the assembly methods of most air rifles, the scope and it's mounting system probably contain the most robust connections in the rifle. Most of us use scopes that were designed to absorb .300 mag recoil without issue. If it's mounted securely, it's not going to move when used as a handle.
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@Castin’Catchin’ 26 from your brief description it appears all you did during the shooting session was adjust the scope and shoot at different ranges? When stretching out the yardages, did you simply hold over or did you use parallax and turret adjustments to focus and track up and down with that Athlon scope?
If you find that everything is tight with regards to the scope after cleaning the barrel, then the problem may be internal within the scope body. I had an Athlon Helos 6-24×50 gen1 where the internal parallax adjustment parts "stick" even after adjustment and then release, throwing everything off at different yardages and making two noticable different groups at different locations. With this particular scope you could actually feel the internal "thud" when it released into it's setting in cold weather. I googled the sticking issue to find that other's had this same problem. They replaced it and all seems good with the new scope.
If you find that everything is tight with regards to the scope after cleaning the barrel, then the problem may be internal within the scope body. I had an Athlon Helos 6-24×50 gen1 where the internal parallax adjustment parts "stick" even after adjustment and then release, throwing everything off at different yardages and making two noticable different groups at different locations. With this particular scope you could actually feel the internal "thud" when it released into it's setting in cold weather. I googled the sticking issue to find that other's had this same problem. They replaced it and all seems good with the new scope.
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I was using the turrets and parallax to adjust i was only holding for wind. Im definitely cleaning the barrel and investing in a bore camera as Tom suggested.
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Interesting thread!
I started using scopes back when the reticle followed the dialing and wasn't centered in the tube. Scopes were fragile (cross hairs broke, fogged internally) the "rings" were stamped out of sheet metal and the dovetails were poorly cut at best. Picking up a rifle by the scope would change to POI.
Fast forward to the present and the whole optical setup is robust enough to use the scope as a handle. Understand that, makes me more comfortable with the idea.
But, I still cringe every time I see it done. Old habits die hard - I'd never pick up a rifle by its scope.
I started using scopes back when the reticle followed the dialing and wasn't centered in the tube. Scopes were fragile (cross hairs broke, fogged internally) the "rings" were stamped out of sheet metal and the dovetails were poorly cut at best. Picking up a rifle by the scope would change to POI.
Fast forward to the present and the whole optical setup is robust enough to use the scope as a handle. Understand that, makes me more comfortable with the idea.
But, I still cringe every time I see it done. Old habits die hard - I'd never pick up a rifle by its scope.
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Rod with brass brush, use a crown guide or remove the barrel and clean from the breech, bore snake with embedded brass bristles. Patches and felt are not effective. Lead remover designed for lead pistol rounds is the only solvent worth using (Shooter's Choice) .
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I agree with Slayer. If my barrel can’t handle a brush, it belongs in a garbage can. But each barrel can be unique. It depends on the quality of the bore, what your chosen slugs recipe consists of, how you lube them and how aggressive the choke is if it has one. Learn your barrel and what it takes to keep it shooting properly. I have some barrels that a couple dry patches pulled through them every 100 shots or so keeps them chugging along fine.
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I had a big poi shift when shooting today . Turns out my scope is no longer tracking correct. Turn it 3 clicks and 5-6 shots later it jumps. It's a bummer because it's one of my older Bushnell elite scopes w Japanese glass. If it jumps around again it's getting sent back. Just one of many things that can cause poi shift.
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Some scope turrets are sticky for small changes. To overcome this I always add 5 clicks then subtract 5. So, instead of 3 up, I click 8 up then 5 down.
Worth a try.
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I have a BSA scope that had a sticky elevation turret. Sometimes it was fine, sometimes it would appear to stick at some point in an adjustment. It failed the box test initially. Overadjustment and turning back didn't always go as planned. However, being the gentleman that I am, I discovered a firm tap with a short piece of pine 1x2 would get it to move reliably after adjusting. A few more box tests and tapping of the scope, it loosened up and has been reliable ever since. I would only go so far with this before returning a scope as defective, but the scope in question responded well to it.
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I've tried doing that but it didn't help. But I only went 2-3 past then back. What was frustrating is it was shooting good took a break, tried again and it was both low and right. It didn't male sense that lighter pellets were shooting low and right. Went to grab the same pellets I was sighted in for and yup low and right. I still thump on the side of the scope to help them move also. But I will send in and get it fixed., there's enough variables all ready to be dealing with a sticky, jumpy scope . See if the lifetime warranty works. Thanks for the tip though.
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