Are Bushnell Scopes Junk???

[montec]

Last 2 weeks I posted a topic call "Moving point of aim" I thought I had my problem solved but it's back. No matter what I do, this scope/rifle combo will not hold it's POI. From factory, the rifle was a Rem 700 VSSF and the scope is a Baush&Luam Elite 4000 6-24 power. Here's a list of things i have had done and tried:
glass bedded action
rebarrelled rifle (less than 70 shots since I got it back)Action has been trued
lapped rings (years ago) and bedded bases. Changed bases and rings and scopes, both scopes are identical that I switched
tried different bullets,powders and primers (load is Win brass, CCI BR 2 primers, 36 grs Varget, 50 grn Ballistic tip )
Tried different seating depths
BEFORE I HAD ALL THIS DONE, THE RIFLE WAS BEHAVING THE SAME. I have come to the conclusion that the problem is both scopes since they are long on a short action. I hope I did this right , I have included 2 targets of 3 shot groups that were shot half an hour apart

 

[1000yardstare]

Your topic says "Bushnell". Did you mean Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24?

I have a Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24 on a Savage VLP in .308 as one of my F Class rifles. Shoot it out to 1000 yards and no problem with point of aim moving around.

Also have a Rem 700 VSSF in .220 Swift with a lowly Bushnell Banner 6-18 on it. No problem with point of aim moving.

Sorry I couldn`t be of any help. Sounds like you have a perplexing problem.

 

[SmokinJoe]

The only thing I can offer, montec, is that one of the best benchrest scopes I ever had was a B&L 4000 36X. I sold it to my friend, "Humble Henry" Rivers a few years ago, and have regretted it ever since. Henry now uses that scope as his "go to" scope when he is having problems and suspects the scope. You have made a lot of changes with no change in results, it appears. I would recommend that you make as objective an assessment as possible of the things that you have done, or had done. For instance, did you do your own glass bedding? If so, are you an expert at bedding? If not, have someone who is look at the rifle and make recommendations. If you run out of ideas, look at that guy in the mirror. Are you absolutely sure that you aren't making a setup or gun handling mistake. Get a good shooter friend to watch you set up and shoot. If you don't have anyone to do that, try to video the same thing, then review it with a critical eye. You may be surprised what you find. Remember,you are looking for very small things.

 

[montec]

Thanks for the advice Joe. To answer what you have suggested, I did the glass bedding myself and no I'm not an expert at it but the jobturned out every bit as good as what a professional gunsmith did on my 700 BDL 7MM Mag. I forgot to mention in my opening comments that I have this other rifle that I have switched the scopes with and that POI has moved only a click or two over the years, that rifle is a dream to shoot, 140 grn Accubonds inside 1/2". The guy in the mirror was the first thing I looked at. Now you may think this is comparing apples to oranges but I have been a 4 time provincial archery champ and a 2nd place national champ. I say this not to brag but to help one understand that I know about squeezing off the shot , breathing, etc, etc. These basic techniques can be carried over to shooting guns.

As far as a quality gunsmith in my area, there are only a couple that only do very basic stuff. The smith that did the re-barrelling and action truing is a 4 hr drive from me. I asked him about the bedding job and he saw nothing wrong and this guy builds police and military sniper rifles. I noticed I forgot to mention that the problem rifle is a 22-250. Why can I shoot the 7MM with no problems but the 22-250 is driving me crazy. I can look out my front and back windows and see coyotes and can't do a thing to them.

 

[tunered]

Is it possible that your loads are inconsistent? Do you load just when you are ready to go shooting? Just thinking of something not covered here, bedding will not change point of impact on different days, barrel bedding will, if barrel is floated, its not there. ed

 

[montec]

I load my rounds 100 at a time, weigh every powder charge. Primers are .003 below flush, bullet runout of a finished round may be .002 max. I check all finished rounds with a comparator, they are very consistant. Barrel is free floated with no contact

 

[750k2]

What is the stock made of?
Swap the stock out?
Torque your action screws?

Puzzles are fun ???

 

[SmokinJoe]

I would not worry so much about the primers being .003 below as much as feel on seating. Also, different primers seem to take considerably different seating feel.

Have you done a rocker test to check the bedding? And, is it just glass bedded, or pillar bedded? It can look good, but still be putting the action under stress. The barrel is graciously free floated, right?

 

[montec]

With the action screws out,there is no lateral or rocking movement. Just to make sure, this morning I sanded out more from the barrel channel. The action is just glass bedded. I asked Darrel Holland about bedding and he told me just to"bed right over the aluminum block'

 

[tunered]

I will say it again, even a bad bedding job will NOT change point of impact from day to day, it will cause larger groups than the gun may be capable of, I hate to say it but it has to be, scope, parallax, wind, or shooter. ed

 

[xring]

Montec , take the Scope off , give it to a buddy who has a great shooting Rifle and let him shoot a Target off the Bench . Quick way to find out if your Scope is a Lemon .

 

[tunered]

Montec , take the Scope off , give it to a buddy who has a great shooting Rifle and let him shoot a Target off the Bench . Quick way to find out if your Scope is a Lemon .

Then after that group knock the scope around a little bit, you dont have to beat it just bump it around, and shoot another. ed

 

[Erik Cortina]

...Why can I shoot the 7MM with no problems but the 22-250 is driving me crazy. I can look out my front and back windows and see coyotes and can't do a thing to them.

Newsflash!!! The 7mm can kill coyotes too! ;D

 

[montec]

Tried something else today, dropped the powder 2 grns, it shot a 5 shot group just a shade over 1/4"at 100 yds. I was loading 36 grns of Varget and according to all manuals I have access to, that was not a max load. I had shot that load for years with great results and yes I'm well aware that each rifle is different. An hour later, I shot another group very similar and the POI did NOT shift. I guess I won't need to let anyone try the scope out. BTW, would love to shoot coyotes with my 7MM but legally I can't in my area, regs say a rifle of greater calibre than .275 is unlawful for small game hunting. This even leaves out a 270 Win which many guys have been burned with.

 

[jm22250]

Glad to hear that you've worked your way thru your problem. Just one other thing I would look at. Make sure that the bolt handle is not touching the stock and do be generous with floating the barrell. The old dollar bill test is not near enough. That's only .004. I try for .020 at least. I've sold bushnell for years, mostly banners, and have never had a complaint. Good luck.