Problem with groupings after drop.

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Elk34
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#16

Post by Elk34 »

Ballistic Therapy wrote: April 23rd, 2020, 7:06 am
792mauser wrote: April 22nd, 2020, 10:29 pm A shooting buddy has a lead sled and loads it up with 2 35# weights.
Strapped in my Winny Laredo in 300 win mag dont move much at all.
It doesn't have to move much.
To do what Elk34 is proposing it would have to be almost welded into the vise.
There are vises that are made to hold a high powered rifle solid , but the gun is not in the stock when put in the vise.
The table it is mounted too has to be very solid and heavy or bolted to the floor for this to work also.
The concrete tables at Rio Salado would work. I could weld you up a light sled that would hook.to the front of the table and hold your rifle still with no problem


Elk34
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#17

Post by Elk34 »

Hullensian wrote: March 16th, 2020, 11:52 am Could us some help from the smart guys.

Got a TC 300WM synthetic stock stock gun vortex 30mm picatiny rings mounting a vortex diamondback 4-12x40 scope.

Last hunt I dropped it a couple times scrambling across hillsides. Nothing that felt like a big drop but it seems off now.

Always shot the same ammo and could count on sub 1 inch groups at 100 but even off a bench with a lead sled I can’t seem to get em under three inches now.

So the question is where do I start with the troubleshooting? 

 Thanks all.
I can build you a rig that will take care of your problems
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Delfuego
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#18

Post by Delfuego »

If you "dropped it a couple times" there are a bunch of thing that could have happened. I would pull it completely out of the stock and clean it. Make sure there is no rocks or gravel between the barrel and stock. That could cause big issue. verify the crown. Remove, clean and re-torque the scope base, rings and action screws. Then shoot it again with a few flavors of ammo (if you dont reload). If it's still squirrely, try a different scope. Still not better, send it to Thompson.

You could also take it to a reputable rifle smith locally and have it looked over and tested. Probably cheaper and a much better option than building some cockamamie vice like suggested above. A quick peak from a trained set of eyes (and maybe a bore scope), could give you much better info than an untested contraption recommended by somebody on the internet.
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redj
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#19

Post by redj »

I would have to agree with the above comment.
If someone say's you need a vise like that to sight in a rifle , I would say you need to ask someone else.
Then again it would be kind of humorous to see what kind of a contraption he comes up with.
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#20

Post by Markhpb01 »

I’m certain that you would have checked all the bolts already to make sure everything is snug and tight. If that is indeed the case I would try a different scope. When I was 10 years old I dropped my hunting rifle through a cattleguard and it actually broke the reticle loose inside the scope.
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xerts1191
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#21

Post by xerts1191 »

Test out the Vortex warranty
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leadman1
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#22

Post by leadman1 »

I would do all suggested above plus take the gun out of the stock and make sure nothing got between the stock and the gun.
I dropped a gun and it ended up with a tiny piece of gravel almost under the barrel. Took a bit to figure that out.
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#23

Post by Doc »

leadman1 wrote: December 14th, 2021, 7:16 pm I would do all suggested above plus take the gun out of the stock and make sure nothing got between the stock and the gun.
I dropped a gun and it ended up with a tiny piece of gravel almost under the barrel. Took a bit to figure that out.
This thread was over a year old.
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BigNate
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#24

Post by BigNate »

If it were me I would do the following in this order - and if you find "something" stop at that step, resolve the issue, and retest the rifle:
0) If by some chance you've not done so already, clean the rifle well including the bore. If there was grit in the bore, that could cause a temporary - or permanent - accuracy issue. If you think you shot it with grit in the bore I'd inspect it with a borescope - or have it inspected.
1) Check the crown of the barrel - use magnification - any damage there needs to be addressed...
2) Check the mounts for the scope is anything loose? Give it a gentle nudge - any shift? If so - fix that and retest...
3) If you have a different scope that you can swap in- do so and re-test. If not - then loosen and reset / retorque the scope rings... Retest
4) Remove the action and barrel from the stock... look for grit / dirt / material between the barrel and the stock. You said that the drops were out in the sticks while hunting - I've got no idea how tightly the stock aligns with the barrel - but if you got grit in between them and it is putting pressure on the barrel and shifting with recoil - I could see that causing a spread in the group.
5) If you did not have another scope to swap on, and none of the other things have resolved the issue, then I'd send the scope back.

Just my 2 cents.
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samnev
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#25

Post by samnev »

Thanks for the post.
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stomp442
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Re: Problem with groupings after drop.

#26

Post by stomp442 »

scrapes scratches and bones heal. I will do my damndest to make sure a part of me hits the ground before any part of my rifle does. That being said, scope and rings would be where I would start. Vortex scopes are renowned for failing even without being dropped. Double check base screws and send in that scope to get looked at. Won't cost you anything and if there is something wrong with it they will fix it or replace it.
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