What am I doing wrong??

[Vazquezshell]

The last couple of weeks I have been trying to sight in/practice with my new 300 RUM but can't seem to get it there. I will shoot a group low and to the right and then correct for it, get one in the center and then the rest end up being high and to the left. What am I doing wrong because I doubt it is the gun; the people I bought it from sent me a three shot group which was sub-moa.

 

[rcairflr]

Scope is bad or mounting hardware is loose.

 

[Engineering101]

Sounds like a bad scope or setup to me too. What brand/model is the scope? Do you have a brake on the gun? What model is the rifle? What kind of bases/rings?

 

[Vazquezshell]

Sounds like a bad scope or setup to me too. What brand/model is the scope? Do you have a brake on the gun? What model is the rifle? What kind of bases/rings?

The rifle is a Remington model 700, it does have a break. The scope is a Vortex Viper PST with vortex precision rings and a EGW base. I set it up about three weeks ago and made sure all the screws were tight.

I bought the rifle a couple of years ago but never shot it, I have a hunting trip coming up so decided to start using it but it is going to be pretty useless if I can't get it sighted in. I don't know if it can be me since I'm not used to shooting a gun with so much recoil.

 

[Barrelnut]

Is the rifle custom? If so what are the components.
How much does the rifle weigh?
How long is the barrel and contour?
Factory trigger?
Handloads or factory ammo and what type?
Factory trigger? Pull weight?
How is marksmanship with regular hunting rifles?
Shooting from a bench with tripod or bags?
Can you post a pic of the rifle setup at the bench?
What distances are you shooting?

 

[Marble]

I would check the stock tightness. Probably not it but it's something to always keep in mind.

A moving zero is not good.

 

[Vazquezshell]

Is the rifle custom? If so what are the components.
How much does the rifle weigh?
How long is the barrel and contour?
Factory trigger?
Handloads or factory ammo and what type?
Factory trigger? Pull weight?
How is marksmanship with regular hunting rifles?
Shooting from a bench with tripod or bags?
Can you post a pic of the rifle setup at the bench?
What distances are you shooting?

This is the website from who I bought the rifle from.
Custom Fluted Alaskan RHR Remington 700 LA Stainless Rifle | Red Hawk Rifles

I added the Jewel trigger and I believe it is set around 2 lbs.

I am currently shooting Remington 180 gr. Swift Scirocco factory loads but will start hand loading this weekend.

My marksman ship is pretty good with regular rifles, I usually shoot a .270.

I was shooting 100 yards with a tripod and bag in the butt of the stock.

I do not have a pic of the rifle setup at the bench.

 

[Engineering101]

Sounds like you are doing a lot of things the right way. Factory ammo can be pretty bad though so hand loads are a much better idea but even bad factory ammo doesn't spray like you were describing. You might clamp the rifle in a holder and move the crosshairs around in the scope to make sure it all acts normal. Vortex has good customer support so if you did get a lemon they should help you out.

 

[Bigcat_hunter]

If you tighten the screws too much on vortex scopes it affects the adjustment big time.

 

[Vazquezshell]

Sounds like you are doing a lot of things the right way. Factory ammo can be pretty bad though so hand loads are a much better idea but even bad factory ammo doesn't spray like you were describing. You might clamp the rifle in a holder and move the crosshairs around in the scope to make sure it all acts normal. Vortex has good customer support so if you did get a lemon they should help you out.

I am thinking of getting a lead sled to try to take out the human factor as much as possible. Hopefully I can diagnose the problem as soon as possible.

On a side note can anybody point me in the right direction to some basic marksmanship articles maybe I can see through reading them if I am doing something wrong on my part.

 

[Bravo 4]

The last couple of weeks I have been trying to sight in/practice with my new 300 RUM but can't seem to get it there. I will shoot a group low and to the right and then correct for it, get one in the center and then the rest end up being high and to the left. What am I doing wrong because I doubt it is the gun; the people I bought it from sent me a three shot group which was sub-moa.

Was the target they sent you shot with the same load you are trying to zero? If not then you can't expect the same performance.
Or- Maybe you are heating the barrel up, let it cool between shots. For all you know it took them three days to shoot that group. If it is consistent and that's the load you are dead set on using then keep the data for any follow up shots ready in case the first round misses or isn't enough, the first round data is the most important because it should be the one that counts.

I am thinking of getting a lead sled to try to take out the human factor as much as possible. Hopefully I can diagnose the problem as soon as possible.

On a side note can anybody point me in the right direction to some basic marksmanship articles maybe I can see through reading them if I am doing something wrong on my part.

A couple things on this post:
A lead sled isn't gonna take out the all the human error, unless you have a bad recoil induced flinch. Even then i dont recommend them, plus I'm sure you don't plan on using it while hunting.
And reading about how to shoot might give you a few pointers but if you are not executing properly you are just setting bad habits. I hear guys (even instructors) tell people to practice dry firing and such, but if that person doesn't really know what they are doing I believe it can be a negative thing to do because they are just practicing bad habits. Practicing while under observation is better, especially while under a trained eye.

 

[Engineering101]

If bigcat is right and the screws are down too tight on the scope, and easy way to test that is to put some golf grip tape (or similar double stick tape) on the underside of the top ring half on both rings. Then you don't have to cinch down on the screws to keep the scope from moving.

I wasn't aware that Vortex PSTs were subject to this problem. Good to know.

 

[Bravo 4]

The way I understand it, ring position and tightness can potentially effect any scope.

 

[MMERSS]

My comments have already been mentioned but want to reiterate their great points.

No lead sled, they have a purpose but for what I think you are asking this is not the time or place for use to correct other issues/problems.

Marksmanship- A heavy RUM is best used to place an exclamation mark on good marksmanship, not the other way around (using the BC and velocity advantage to minimize unwanted marksmanship practices). Use another rifle with much more forgiving recoil to perfect marksmanship. Ask a friend and borrow one if needed. Additionally there is nothing wrong with a 22lr.

Mechanics- Have someone look over your scope and mounting mechanics. I've been there before with the 300 RUM. The shots started to walk. The scope and rings were removed and a different set of rings were installed correcting for this problem.

Good luck and I hope you isolate your problem and enjoy shooting your rifle.