What the hell?

[salmonchaser]

Yesterday I went to the range because I hadn’t been since November. Fired a shot out of my bragging accurate 300HH. 3.5 high. That’s weird I thought. Next shot about 2.5 high. Must be me I thought. Five shots in a perfect vertical line from +3 to 0. Repeated four times with two different loads. No horizontal error. Again it started high and dropped with each shot and it was repeatable.
This rifle suffered a pretty damn hard fall on my last hunt, no dents or anything to the scope. Scope is a vx5 3-15.
Rifle was put away clean, that’s what I recall anyway.
Thoughts?

 

[gerry]

Sounds like your scope to me. Could be something else but that's where I would start.

 

[Blkram]

Vertical stringing usually indicates loose action screws, if I recall correctly...might want to check if they didn't loosen in the fall.
Otherwise, the reticle may have/be shifted...despite lack of outward appearances...
interesting that it starts high and then descends consistently with different loads...

I recall a hunt with DrMike, where his shoulder strap failed and the rifle swung down hitting the ground barrell first, that caused issues to the scope that had no outward damage, that had to be sent for repairs to correct.

 

[JD338]

I agree with Gerry. Send the scope in for a look-see.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

I agree with Gerry. Send the scope in for a look-see.

JD338

My thought to. Put a known good scope on it and try again.

I know you did a bunch of bedding work to your #1’s so I’d suspect scope before much else. Other than check screws for snugness.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Scope or the mounts would be my guess. Although usually (at least in my experience) a scope just throws random shots all over the place when it goes kaput. The consistent vertical stringing with several different load combos is definitely worrisome.

 

[salmonchaser]

I didn’t write this as well as I might have. I had a proven load from last fall. Five shots straight down about an inch apart. Repeated it about 10 minutes later. I tried a third group two through the same hole third shot out about 1/2 inch, got to thinking it was operator error next shot perfectly 3 inches high last shot of that load about an inch below,
This effort was out of the same box last fall that gave me as I recall a couple of sub 1/2 moa groups at 300.

This left me with some left over rounds from prior efforts. I saw the same vertical stringing but with a little horizontal dispersion as well, just not a perfect straight down. Four or five shots and then it would bounce back to +3. I should have tracked what was happening a little better but on reflection it would consistently drop to about my old zero and then bounce back up. It wasn’t an up down thing.
I’m thinking scope as well, if so this will be the second vx 5 that has taken a dump on me.

 

[Guy Miner]

It's frustrating! Time to time I run across a rifle/scope/load combo that just won't work! That doggone raises my hackles!

Then it's the whole routine of: Check the load, check the rifle, check the scope and of course, check the shooter...

Somewhere in there I usually find the truth and things start working better. Hang in there!

Guy

 

[PJGunner]

When my wwife was still alive we deer hunted together. Rifles of choice were the Ruger M77 RSI in .308. Both rifles had Simmons 1.5x4 scopes which worked fine on those rifles. One day, my wife slipped and used the rifle to keep from falling and the butt got banged pretty hard in the effort. Scope was way off when she missed as easy shot at a nice Mule Deer.. When we got home after the hunt and were rested up after butchering two deer, I took a day at the range to do some shooting, load testing and check the scope on her rifle. Sure enough it was way off so after resighting it it I shot a few more groups and it still didn't hold zero worth a damn. After that I let her use my M77 RSI and I'd take something else, usually a Remington M700 30-06 and hunt with that I put a different scope on her rifle but she didn't like it. I don't even remember what I used to replace that Simmons and the rifle is way in the back of a deep gun safe. I wouldn't mind replacing the scopes on those RSIs with Leupold 2x7 lightweights. I have one on a Winchester M70 Featherweight and it's a fairly decent scope that usually is set at 3 or 4 power most of the time except when sighting in or testing loads. Then I set it at 7X.
Paul B.

 

[xphunter]

I would check for loose stuff first.
Make sure nothing got down into the barrel channel (Not sure what happened in the fall), if your stock is free-floated.
If some piece of something hard, is putting pressure on the barrel/stock, it will surely change the harmonics.

If All Else Is Good, then check the scope.