Long range rifle takes a beating

[jdmecomber]

JD, When ever I come back from a trip I always go to the range and check 0 before I clean it and put it away. Sometimes it is not right. I don't remember bumping it. With my luck I am usually glad we both made it home in one piece.

yeah Sounds about right

 

[Korhil78]

I strap my rifle to my pack and stand up in the quad while riding.

 

[Wedgy]

I think we have all dealt with this situation or will at some point, but where in the seemingly solid connection between the scope and rifle does the movement happen ?
Or is it a shift inside the scope ?
The last time it happened to me was my 6.5x284 topped with my trusted NF 3.5-15x56, it hit about 10" right at 650 yards so I sent another one down that hit the same spot. At my 200 yard zero it was a l

 

[jdmecomber]

I strap my rifle to my pack and stand up in the quad while riding.

That could have been an option it was around an hour drive in though.

 

[jdmecomber]

I think we have all dealt with this situation or will at some point, but where in the seemingly solid connection between the scope and rifle does the movement happen ?
Or is it a shift inside the scope ?
The last time it happened to me was my 6.5x284 topped with my trusted NF 3.5-15x56, it hit about 10" right at 650 yards so I sent another one down that hit the same spot. At my 200 yard zero it was a l

That's what I was thinking. How does it shift? I could see constant vibration messing with maybe action screws, or maybe some weird contact vibration with the bedding/lug.

 

[dsculley]

I have a friend that was on a hunting trip. His rifle was on a pack mule that got startled by a bear and went tumbling down the mountain. When his gear arrived at the camp, his scope (Nikon) had a crease in the tube from the fall. He figured his hunt was over, but his rifle was still on zero. He was able to successfully complete the hunt. By the way, Nikon replaced the scope under their no fault lifetime warranty.

 

[Pdvdh]

Hey,
If your scope loses its zero after a tumble, bend the scope tube and see if zero returns.

 

[4xforfun]

I strap my rifle to my pack and stand up in the quad while riding.

We obviously don't ride the same trails. I find myself laying down on the seat with my head hitting the handlebars to get through the brush!! LOL

 

[shphtr]

There are multiple approaches to this problem. The one that I use is to have a detachable scope and carry two identical scopes. This is for horseback/backpack hunts over seas. I goes without saying that one has to test BOTH scopes MULTIPLE times after removal and reattachment to be assured that indeed the scope returns to zero after removal. This will depend on both the particular system one chooses as well as the operator's technique in remounting the scope after removal. Since Murphy"s Law holds no matter where you might find yourself hunting your rifle still needs to be checked on arrival to your destination. Since I am a mountain hunter, falls are common and I actually carry a target or two in my pack so that my rifle's zero can be rechecked in spike camp if need be. I have only had to do this once in 30 years ... but fortunately my scope was still zeroed.

 

[Korhil78]

We obviously don't ride the same trails. I find myself laying down on the seat with my head hitting the handlebars to get through the brush!! LOL

Haha...probably not. I'm in the wide open southwest.

 

[WildRose]

I think we have all dealt with this situation or will at some point, but where in the seemingly solid connection between the scope and rifle does the movement happen ?
Or is it a shift inside the scope ?
The last time it happened to me was my 6.5x284 topped with my trusted NF 3.5-15x56, it hit about 10" right at 650 yards so I sent another one down that hit the same spot. At my 200 yard zero it was a l

It can happen to either but if your scope is loose enough to move around in the mounts due to vibration/movement it would be shifting position with every shot as well.

It will nearly always be due to an internal shift.

 

[jdmecomber]

I rechecked torque on scope mounts and action screws. Maybe a 1/16th of a turn on action screws, but nothing on scope.

 

[WildRose]

I rechecked torque on scope mounts and action screws. Maybe a 1/16th of a turn on action screws, but nothing on scope.

I should have asked and just assumed you had them locktited. That's not enough however to induce any error.

 

[Pdvdh]

Expect zero to change if your rifle is jarred. Re-test zero as soon as possible following the known rifle jarring, and be happy if it doesn't.

There are too many hypothetical explanations to guesstimate the causes. Use the most rugged scope mounting equipment you can find. Nothing more one can do other than an exhaustive testing of many different scopes. I can't afford that and don't care to go the time, heartache, and headache of that exercise.