Nightforce problem

1eye

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
138
Location
Iowa
Has anyone had trouble with the 5.5 x 22 NF holding POI ? I was shooting yesterday and had it happen twice at 600 yds , clicked up to 44 and shot ,7inches high 2 shots, 3rd one settled in, dialed up to 700 yd shot dead on, moved back to 600 yd same thing 6in high. Last week scope was fine at 44 clicks at 600 yds. I have had trouble in the past with scopes not holding POI, but not the Nightforce ..................................................... Shooting in 0 wind cond.
 
I have never had a problem with any of mine. 6" high at 600 is 1 moa. Not to question your skill or rifle but you said it "settled in" The error factor of a good rifle is 1/2 moa, then ammo and shooter added in could easily make one go another 1/2 moa. As a combined team, do you, your rifle and ammo usually shot 1/2 moa or better at these distances? Again, no insult intended, just trying to help. Also I have seen many times a soft rear bag can let them go high under recoil. Tell us more about the rifle and ammo? Are you adjusting out all the paralex? Was there any mirage?

Jeff
 
I built this rifle this year.

Rifle : 338 Edge, Bat Action, Krieger Barrell, McMillen stock , Jewell trigger, Nightforce scope. load 93 gr h-1000 300 gr SMK.
best rifle will shoot at 500 yds is 2 1/2 in 3 shots on good cond day

I have a 1000 yd range 8 inch concrete bench (enclosed) with camera system on targets.

Shot benchrest competitively 15 years, shoot about 5000, 6000 rounds a year.

I have tested several top end scopes in a special rest unlimited style and found that about 50 percent will not return to point of inpact.
 
1eye,

Sounds like you have an excellent set up and know what you are doing.

I would dial up your 44 clicks, hold onto the target and then get someone else to dial your scope up and down while you hold the rifle still on the rest. Without shooting.

You should soon know if the scope does not return to its original setting. Not firing the rifle and doing it this way is a quick and effective way of checking a scope for function.

Doing it this way eliminated any recoil induced effect that may be playing with your scope mounts etc and tests only the scope.
 
I've got a few scopes that are currently questionable, but not yet proven bad. One of them is a Nightforce 5.5-22X50 pre zero-stop. The other two are both very high end Leupolds. I've only had the NF on one gun, but smallest group I could get was 3/4 moa. I tried two loads with 3 seating depths each and two types of factory ammo. That rifle is back at the gunsmith for review, because it didn't shoot any better with one of the Leupolds, but the problem could surely still be scope.?

I didn't shoot BR as long as you have, and I don't have a machine rest or rail gun, but I know I can shoot 1/4 minute on a good condition day from the bench with a good load and a known rifle.

Is there a possibility of putting your questionable scope on the rail gun?

I've been wanting to find someone with a similar setup to see if my questionable scopes will hold sub 1/4 minute. All the rifles I had that used to shoot that good have long since had the barrels shot out and getting re-done now, so I don't really have a super precise bench gun for testing scopes on just yet.
 
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A thought that's been going round in my head-following SBruce's, and other recent scope
postings: We are at the point where good-great smith's are comfortable guaranteeing their rifles to shoot .25-.5 moa. Does any scope maker express their accuracy expections, or potential? At what point is a given scope out of tolerances? Is it in the fine print, and I don't what I'm looking at/for?
Agree the variables of the rifle, ammo, shooter are numerous, and I'm not talking egregious scope issues. How do folks that have the equipment , and skills to reliably shoot in the .1 or .2's decide a scope is limiting them to .3-5?
Trying to become clearer by babbling on usually fails, I'll stop here and hope someone rescues me.
 
Harperc, I will try and answer your question. Most scopes hold zero just fine. It is dialing
them up and down for longer ranges and how well they repeat and return to zero.
 
I have a 5.5x22x50 NXS with Zero stop. I had problems with mine last year. POI would shift wildly at any given yardage.
After checking all the obvious and normal causes of this nothing was found.
I contacted Nightforce. They said to ship it to them so they could take a look at it and test it.
THEY FOUND A DEFECT IN THE BONDING AGENT that locks the ring that holds the objective lens in place. There was a void in it. Every time the temp. would change so would the POI due to expansion and contraction.
They corrected the problem and all seems good for now.
I lost a lot of confidence with this scope and will always wonder if it will repeat.
 
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