Bore sighting a questionable scope

[hemiford]

I have one rifle shooting "funny".

I bore sight it in at 20 yards or so with my present scope.

Question: Even if the scope has gone "off" internally, if I bore sight with it and then don't touch the adjustments,
it should still shoot to that zeroed condition, correct ?

Isn't this just like the scope mounting being crooked but then you compensate with the adjustments, then not touch the adjustments again ?

Of course this is not an ideal situation.

Like my scenario, if you pick up an unfamiliar rifle and shoot it to check zero, and it checks out, how would you know the scope does not have a problem ?
Or that you have two problems cancelling each other out ?

 

[jseandsje]

Tracking test.

 

[hemiford]

OK, I didn't think of that. I have capped turrets.

 

[Olfisher9]

Bore sighting tells you if the scope and bore are roughly aligned. It tells you nothing about whether the scope is tracking correctly, returning to zero after recoil, or holding together internally.

If your rifle is shooting funny and you've eliminated the obvious stuff, rings, bases, action screws, crown, the scope is the next suspect. Don't let a bore sight alignment convince you the scope is fine. I've made that mistake. It cost me a season of wondering why my groups were doing things that didn't make sense.

Swap it, Test it, Prove it, Then you'll know.