Went to range with mod 10 Tactical, not a good day :-(

[wlleven]

It had a Leopold 3x10 Vari x III ..... That gun would not shoot at all, not at all. Yes I was using American Eagle 147gr but it should be better than that ! It is a nice gun, has a HS Precision stock, 24inch heavy tactical barrel and has been fired less than 50 rounds !

The scope has no parallax correction, just horrible. I moved my head from side to side and watched the cross hairs move .... What a POS !

I'm going back to the range tomorrow as I put another Leupold scope on it that has parallax at 50 yds......it has to shoot one raged hole, more or less at 50 yds ! It's a 12 power so I should be able to see my bullet holes at 50 yds !!!!!

The gun did not recoil bad as it is pretty heavy, I kept the x hairs on the center, I was in shock to see where some the rounds went :-( .... (Group was about 2.5 inches, I can do that with a bow).



wll

[masterblaster]

try some 175 smk bullets.

[sniper15545]

Did you check to see if the rear tang and barrel were free floated?

[wlleven]

Did you check to see if the rear tang and barrel were free floated?

No , but I don't think that is the issue. the fact that I can move my head a bit while on target at 50 Yds and have the cross hairs move over an 1 inch in any direction is the problem ! I can't believe this scope !

wll

[thomae]

First of all, I presume you checked your front scope base screws to make sure they are not bottoming out against the barrel threads (this would make the screw feel tight, but your scope mount would not actually be tight.)

Do you have a place to shoot 100 yards? I would try that next.

I am not surprised that you have parallax error at 50 yards with that scope.

Many (most?) centerfire scopes without an adjustable parallax are preset to 100 yards. (Many rimfire scopes are set to 50 yards) If this is the case with your scope, it would make sense that you would have parallax errors at only 50 yards.

If you really wish to be sure of the preset parallax, contact Leupold and ask them about that specific scope.
Your scope could be bad, but, on the other hand, your problems could be simply a combination of parallax and inconsistent cheek weld/eye position.

I would not throw the scope away just yet.

I hope this helps you with your troubleshooting.

[tyler.woodard04]

Where did you buy the scope. There are fake leupolds out there. As for the " nice gun " it may look mice but is the action installed correct in the stock? Crown of the barrel in damaged? Like above the mounts and rings tight? What was you rest? What size group was it shooting anyway?

[masterblaster]

thomae, what is the depth of the screw for the front mounting hole?


First of all, I presume you checked your front scope base screws to make sure they are not bottoming out against the barrel threads (this would make the screw feel tight, but your scope mount would not actually be tight.)

Do you have a place to shoot 100 yards? I would try that next.

I am not surprised that you have parallax error at 50 yards with that scope.

Many (most?) centerfire scopes without an adjustable parallax are preset to 100 yards. (Many rimfire scopes are set to 50 yards) If this is the case with your scope, it would make sense that you would have parallax errors at only 50 yards.

If you really wish to be sure of the preset parallax, contact Leupold and ask them about that specific scope.
Your scope could be bad, but, on the other hand, your problems could be simply a combination of parallax and inconsistent cheek weld/eye position.

I would not throw the scope away just yet.

I hope this helps you with your troubleshooting.

[BoilerUP]

Scope problems aside, expecting "one ragged hole" with 147gr blasting ammo just isn't reasonable IMO.

[LoneWolf]

Scope problems aside, expecting "one ragged hole" with 147gr blasting ammo just isn't reasonable IMO.

I agree. I used that stuff just to put something down the tube to break in a barrel before I started grouping with 168gr Nosler Custom Competition ammo. Try some quality ammo if you want to see quality accuracy.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2

[bluealtered]

That barrel and that stock combo will shoot one ragged hole, if the action is seated correctly and everything is free floated correctly. Most importantly is, has the rifle been broken in correctly with only 50rds of any grain weight through it?

Yes that model of scope isn't very good and there are many scopes out there that are better and cheaper as well. The thing with scopes is that what works for one persons eyes may not work for someone else. Before buying a scope a person should try out every single one they can to see what works for them, Good luck.

[thomae]

thomae, what is the depth of the screw for the front mounting hole?I don't have an action open to measure the depth, and the length of the screw can vary depending on the thickness of the mount.

There are several ways I would troubleshoot to see if this actually is an issue:
- One way is to remove all the other screws in the mount, firm up (If the screw is too long and you really tighten it up, it will booger up the barrel thread. Not an insurmountable issue, but if you want to remove the barrel, it makes it a little harder to do so.) the screw I am worried about, and see if the mount moves or not. If the mount moves at all, the screw is probably too long.
- Another way is to remove the scope mount, insert the screw into the empty hole and count how many revolutions it takes that screw to bottom out. Then replace the mount, insert the same screw in the same hole and count the revolutions as I tighten it up.
- If I were to remove the mount and look carefully at all four screws, and saw that two screws were shorter than the other two screws, I would make sure I was using the shorter screws for the front mounting holes.

If anyone knows offhand how thick the action metal is on top, or if it differs for any of the different configurations, it would be forum member Sharpshooter.

I hope this helps.

[stangfish]

Garbage in garbage out. I bet it shoots better with FGMM. I personally have never been able to get a 1:10 twist gun to shoot 147 FMJ accurately. Model to Tactical, Leopold scope, American Eagle 147gr. One of these things just doesn't belong here(In my sesame street singing voice).

Screw depth

Action Diameter 1.350
Barrel Diameter 1.055
Divide by 2
Distance for action OD to barrel thread major diameter .1475 in approximation contingent on threads being concentric with the OD. Roughly between 9/64ths and 5/32nds. One could put the screw in the front hole of the base and measure protrusion on the underside. Looking for a number not much more than an 1/8th.

[wlleven]

Well when I took off the scope I checked everything, the mounts were tight and the rings tight also, no movement. The mounts are steel and the rings are steel Burris with the nylon inserts. After today the 12x Leupold will be taken off, the rings and mounts taken off also. the one piece mount is high and with the rings, the scope sits about .5+ from bell to barrel ...... way to much for my liking. i will put on a low one piece that is half cut for a right hand shooter, and then instal low rings, I will get a 30mm tube for this gun and will probable get FFP model 44mm objective is fine. Not sure of the brand yet, but 4x14 or so works for me, I'm leaning towards the Primary Arms 4x14 FFP, their lens shade and low rings. Those scopes are supposed to come in around mid November !

The barrel is very well free floated. The rear tang is free floated but a little close, it may need a little opening up, and the crown is beautiful.

Even though the ammo is cheap stuff, it is what he had when he bought the gun from a reliable gun shop, so the scope is the real deal.

The gun has sit in a Pelican hard case cut out specially for this gun since 2008, I did not shoot it and he did not. It was bought as a kit from Savage I believe a few years before. The gun, scope, mounts, etc, etc had no signs of wear and I opened the bag that holds the instruction book, Accu-Trigger adjustment key, etc, etc.

I will sight it in using a large 15 inch Bulls Bag today and not the Harris bi-pod that was on the gun.

We will see how it does today, 2.5 inches at 50 yards if way, way off !

On my way to range now ;- )

wll

[stangfish]

I will sight it in using a large 15 inch Bulls Bag today and not the Harris bi-pod that was on the gun.

Ahhhh, More information!


so the scope is the real deal.

Wll, I trust your ability to tighten the mount and the rings. Unless there is something we don't know about the Leopold I trust them. What I don't agree with is a trustworthy gun shop owner being accountable for the accuracy of ammo he has on his shelf(in these times) in your gun. I hope you see some improvement today but if not, you are actually in a great place. Change the ammo. If you can't find anything, PM me and I can help you find something better.

[masterblaster]

Get some 175's, if you were here in Fla, I'd bring you some good quality loads to try, you cant trust factory ammo, but it should do better than 2.5 inches at 50 yds. Ina 10 twist its better to shoot heavier bullets. 168's - 175s. Lets us know how things turn out.

[wlleven]

Well instead of getting 2.5 inch groups at 50 yds I'm getting .650ctc, yea I know not good but not 2.5 inches either ;- )

The parallax issue was a major problem, with my old Leupold 12x and AO with dot mounted, it made all the difference in the world. I could move my head from side to side, up and down and the dot stayed perfectly centered !

Came home took the rings and mount off, the mount was on rock solid. ....

The rings were on very, very tight, a good thing, but the design is such that the screw that tightens/clamps the ring on the mount is also the screw that goes through the Picitinny mount. This screw is very thin and leaves lots of room for the scope to shift, that set of rings is out a here, very bad design I believe ! As far as the back tang, when I take off the stock and re-torque the screws, at that time I will make sure the tang is free floated.

The other issue is since I moved up to Lancaster, CA I can't find my bench rest stuff and one of the important things is my set of ears for my butt stock to rest in. I set it up each and every time, and although I'm not flinching I can tell the pressure is different.

The other thing I will do is get a torque screwdriver to set the screws in the bottom of my rifle.

When done she will be a shooter, I feel better today than yesterday for sure ! ....... and yes i need to find my reloading stuff and build up some loads.


wll

[masterblaster]

Glad to hear it, you probably need to locate a range that offers longer than 50 yards.

[wlleven]

Glad to hear it, you probably need to locate a range that offers longer than 50 yards.

My home range goes to 600 yds, but I been shooting at 50 just get a feel. Soon as I have her set up, 100 yds it is :-)


wll

[sortafast]

+1 on the AE ammo being crap. I don't buy that stuff any more in any caliber. I had a box of 380 shoot broad side of a barn at 10yds. Shot some rem UMC through the same gun, same distance and got a 3" group with out even trying. Had some of their 9mm do the same thing in a gun I used to have. I avoid that crap like the plague. I do have some 223, but it seems to be ok but I haven't really shot it to see what it can do.

[stangfish]

Great news! glad it worked out. Too bad the scope is giving you trouble. Send that thing back and let them look at it.