Hitting right at long range ?

[Kalashnikov]

I shoot a 300 RUM Sendero with muzzle brake that shoots less than 1/2 MOA with my 180 grain Accubond handloads at 3350 fps.

I have dialed in and confirmed the leupold varmint reticle scope is close to dead-on at 400 m, 500 and 600 m when zeroed at 3.7 inches high at 100 m and 0.7 inches high at 300 metres.

My problems is that I commonly throw the shot right, often 8 inches or more right of target. This happens often. I do not think it is the rifle set-up as I have been meticulous in getting it zeroed and dialed. I also take wind into consideration. I suspect my form is the problem, although I do not believe I have a flinch. Any advice ?

 

[edge]

How heavy of a trigger?

Try squeezing the trigger with your thumb behind the trigger guard.

If I wrap my thumb around the stock I have a horizontal spread ( with a hunting trigger ). With a target trigger setting, or with my thumb resting on the safety the horizontal dispersion is greatly reduced.

edge.

P.S. Horizontal almost always means to the right, and I am a right handed shooter.

 

[Kalashnikov]

The trigger is 3 lbs. I should add it is 8 inches or more at 500 m plus.

 

[Hired Gun]

Any way to set up and shoot the opppsite direction? This would rule out any wind deflection.

 

[Jerry Ricker]

You may be suffering from a very common problem known as canting. As little as a 3 degree tilt will throw your shot 1/2 moa per 100 yd. It doesn't sound like much until you consider that it equates to about 18 inches at 600yd. Try a base mounted level or one of Sinclairs scope mounted versions.

 

[barm]

I had the same problem when I shot at distances longer than 100 yards as well. Make sure the butt of the rifle is not hitting the top of your humerus(upper arm bone) when you are shooting. Assuming your shooting right handed, make sure you pull the rifle into the "pocket" to the left of the upper arm bone and below your collar bone. I had originally thought canting was my problem, but my hold was bad. Groups at 100 yards were great and dead center, but I drifted to the right at 200 and 300 yards. I hope this helps.

 

[Bart B]

If you're right handed, your trigger finger may be placed too far to the left on the trigger's finger lever. Try putting your trigger finger's first pad well centered on the trigger.

You can test to see if this is happening by aiming an unloaded rifle in your shooting positions, then putting the sights on a target. Keep pulling the trigger back until it fires. If the reticule jumps to the right, your trigger finger's too far to the left. If it jumps to the left, your finger ain't far enough on the trigger. The objective is to have the rifle stay still when it dry fires.

If the trigger pull weight is more than one pound, you also need to hold the pistol grip tighter. Heavier trigger pulls require a more firm grip on the rifle else the impact of your trigger finger stopping at the end of the trigger over travel will move the rifle enough to cause a bad shot.

Canting produces a non-linear horizontal bullet displacement as range increases and is not a linear amount such as 1/2 MOA for each 100 yards of range. It's equal to the sine of the cant angle in degrees multiplied by the bullet drop at the target range. If your bullets drop 300 inches at 1000 yards and the cant angle's 3 degrees to the right, the bullet will strike about 16 inches to the right; that's 1.6 MOA. This aside, you may be canting the rifle.

 

[Bart B]

[ QUOTE ]
As little as a 3 degree tilt will throw your shot 1/2 moa per 100 yd. It doesn't sound like much until you consider that it equates to about 18 inches at 600yd.

[/ QUOTE ]Horizontal bullet displacement caused by cant is equal to the sine of the cant angle multiplied by the bullet's drop at the target. For a 600 yard target with a 18 inch horizontal error from a 3 degree cant angle, bullet drop has to be about 344 inches. A .30-06 shooting a 180-gr. bullet has a drop at 600 yards of about 130 inches; a 3 degree cant moves its impact about 7 inches sideways.