Scope Adjustments not working right

Okay,

I shoot a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 7mm Rem Mag. I don't claim to be the best shot in the world, and am not looking to win any contests, I just want to hit pretty close to what I'm aiming at when I'm in the woods. Generally that's what happens.

I went to check my gun to make sure it was sighted in over the weekend and shot a few rounds to get comfortable with it.

Shot 3 rounds at the target on the left at 100 yards with some 150 grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertips I had leftover just to check to see that I was close to what I wanted. They were just a touch high but not bad at all. I clicked the scope down 4 clicks and shot the target on the right. I had 2 left of the 150 grain Ballistic Silvertips and then started shooting Winchester 150 grain E-Tips. That's what I plan to use on my hunts this year.

Here's the targets (they are 1" squares):


Not sure what happened. 4 clicks should have been 1" down, but these all hit much lower.

Waited about 20 minutes for the barrel to cool an dthen clicked up 2 clicks and shot again. That's the target on the left in this picture. Not much change. These were the last 3 E-Tips of last years box. Clicked up 3 clicks and shot again. Had a flyer on this one, not sure what happened there, but again, the clicks didn't seem to do much. I quit after these.




Pretty sure I should have just left it alone after the first 3 shots!!

My scope is a Nikon Monarch 4-12x 42mm objective. I'm happy with it, but I've never had a lot of success with a click actually = 1/4" at 100 yards. I'm the kind of guy that sets his scope 2" high at 100 yards and sticks with that, I don't adjust the scope for windage or elevation, I adjust my aim.

I typically limit my shots to 300 yards on elk and 200 yards on deer so I'm probably in the ballpark of where I need to be but I'm curious if anyone has any suggestions on why my scope adjustments don't seem to work right. Someone told me I should tap on the turrets and that will help, anyone here ever heard of that?

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

I'm thinking a good cleaning and then clicking up 4 more clicks and shooting some more tonight or tomorrow. Going to have to buy another box of E-tips if I keep this up though!

Thanks, Nathan

I might suggest a vice. We did this year a few weeks ago actually, and it made a world of difference! I am like you, your process (i use 2) your limits and I have tried messing around with a few clicks here and there to no avail, and my paper typically will look like yours too. Crazy, anyway, the vice made the groups tight. Tapping the turrets may work, little old school trick not sure necessary with modern optics. If yer tapping them and it works, ya need a new scope. What power were ya on?

Scope was on full power. I had the paralax at 150 at first but then noticed and set it to 100.

Thinking it through I remember at first I wasn't getting a complete sight picture through the scope (enough to see the target and the crosshairs, but a little black around the edges) and at the end I was seeing the full scope so maybe I changed up my angle a little by doing that. Somehow I attribuited that to the sun starting to go down but not sure now.

Wind was pretty calm.

How did the e-tips shoot last year?

I've seen significant differences in point of impact between the leaded and unleaded versions of the same bullet weights, from the same manufacturer.

Check your scope rings too. Never know if they got loose.

e-tips shot fine last year. 2 elk and a muley died as a result! Thinking back though I think I had the scope zero'd at 100 yards instead of 2" high after pretty much the same exact thing happened except the 150 grain power points were shooting high.

I was thinking the 150 grain Ballistic Silvertips would shoot the same as the e-tips, but you are right, not a sure thing at all.

Still from the 3rd target to the 4th target I clicked up 3 clicks and it didn't really change much. I've got loctite on the rings but I'll double check the scope too.

I think I'll click up 8 clicks and punch some paper tonight.

Check to make sure everything is tight. had a buddy who's stock was coming loose and had pretty much the same experience.

Step 1: make sure all important screws are tight.

Step 2: did you clean your barrel? some barrels start to spray when they get a little dirty

Step 3: adjust your scope by shooting a group, then holding the rifle as still as possible, LOOKING through the scope and moving the crosshairs as needed WHILE looking through the scope. You watch the crosshairs move to where you want them...there's no counting clicks or anything like that. Keep in mind that you'll need to screw them the opposite way the turrets tell you (ex: want to move the crosshairs right...turn the scope towards the "L" on the turret)

Step 4: anytime you turn the scope counter-clockwise, go a little PAST where you want and then turn back to it clockwise. This takes any backlash out of the threads in the scope.

Well I think Step 2 was the problem. Got out there tonight and gave it a good cleaning and after 5 times through the patches were still black. I think when it was all said and done I used 10 patches.

I shot a Federal Ballistic Tip through in case the first one was a flier. It hit right where you would expect based on the Winchester SilverTips - about 3" high. I still clicked it up 8 clicks and shot a 3 shot group. MUCH better!



Looks like the E-tips shoot 2" or so lower than the Ballistic Tips somehow. One thing for sure, I think it is dead on from right to left! I think it might be my first sub MOA group out of this gun. A tiny bit higher than I wanted, but I'm not messing with it any more. Really at 3" high at 100 yards, that puts me in the kill zone out to 300 yards without even messing with the BDC reticle.

Amazing what a clean cold barrel can do for you!

I'd never heard of Step 4. I'll try to remember that one.

Thanks for the tips guys.

Nathan

Nice! Good shooting.

I can't seem to find good ballistics charts for the 150 grain e-tips. Seems Winchester thinks the only e-tips available for the 7mm Mag are 140 grain, but all I've seen for sale are the 150 grain.

Looking on Noslers site they list the 150 grain with a .498 Ballistic Coefficient which is the same BC that Winchester and Nikon list for the 140 grain.

Looking through all the specs it looks like if I'm 2.8" high at 100 that puts it topping out at 3.4" high at 150, 3" high at 200 and dead on at 275.

According to Nikon's site that would put the 1st BDC circle at 359 yards, 2nd circle at 457 yard and 3rd circle at 545 yards.

I think I'll aim a little low if they are close and dead on out to 300.

I am going through this at the moment with my Browning X-Bolt, but i did find the scope base mounts had come loose, i have also purchased some new mounts, dispensed with the warne and got some Leupold.
Will report back when i can try it out, too windy for the past few days.
I wiil clean the barell after 5 shots to try that out.

When you initially zero i put a target at 25 yards, its gets you in the ball park for 100 yards.

Cheers

Richard

A couple little tricks that have helped me when adjusting a scope:
1. Turn more than the required clicks and then back to where you want it. If I need to move it 4 clicks up, I turn 6 up and then two back down.
2. Using a screw driver handle or even my knuckle, I tap the turret a few times to help it settle in.

These two things have always seemed to help...YMMV.

There ya go. (As much as you shoot - you should get a vice, and drive tacks - they are a kick!