I'm at a loss

[Texas Solo]

Today was the worst day of shooting I've ever had. I can't figure out what's wrong.
3 weeks ago I shot a 598 with lots of X's and took 2nd place. Came home, did the normal
cleaning routine and put rifle in safe. Took it out this AM and went to a new range. Shooting steel
at 600, 800, 900 & 1000. I was excited as I've never shot past 600. I had dope off a ballistic app to get me started.
Started at 600 with my normal 600 dope. ???? Missed the whole 24" piece of steel. shot 3 more with the same result.
OK, now I'm worried. Checked scope and base, all tight. Checked action screws, all good. I didn't even bother to try 800 or beyond, what's the point? Something is seriously wrong.
Came home and checked headspace, thinking the barrel nut could have loosened. (Savage #12 target action) Nope, head space was exactly where I initially set it at .002". I also bore scoped it, didn't see anything crazy. PLEASE, DON'T EVERYONE JUMP ON THE CARBON RING WAGON . So what's left? Possibly the scope has died internally. I did check and the crosshairs are moving in all 4 directions as they should. Possible that it's just not holding zero??
I'm going to my home range in the AM and will shoot at 100 yds. At that distance, it's a 1/4 MOA rifle. 6 Dasher.
Shillen barrel 28" 1/7.5 105 Berger Hybrids, Varget.

Any thoughts other than a bad scope that could do this? You don't go from 1/2moa at 600 to totally missing a 24" piece of steel.

 

[joshb]

Too much coffee?

 

[DHuffman]

Where were you hitting in relation to the 600 yards steel?

Most ranges I go to I put a couple three in the berm to get my wind and elevation. Doesn't take much of a wrong wind call at 600 to be off a 24" x 24" plate.

 

[Clancy]

Leupold?

 

[Bill Norris]

Today was the worst day of shooting I've ever had. I can't figure out what's wrong.
3 weeks ago I shot a 598 with lots of X's and took 2nd place. Came home, did the normal
cleaning routine and put rifle in safe. Took it out this AM and went to a new range. Shooting steel
at 600, 800, 900 & 1000. I was excited as I've never shot past 600. I had dope off a ballistic app to get me started.
Started at 600 with my normal 600 dope. ???? Missed the whole 24" piece of steel. shot 3 more with the same result.
OK, now I'm worried. Checked scope and base, all tight. Checked action screws, all good. I didn't even bother to try 800 or beyond, what's the point? Something is seriously wrong.
Came home and checked headspace, thinking the barrel nut could have loosened. (Savage #12 target action) Nope, head space was exactly where I initially set it at .002". I also bore scoped it, didn't see anything crazy. PLEASE, DON'T EVERYONE JUMP ON THE CARBON RING WAGON . So what's left? Possibly the scope has died internally. I did check and the crosshairs are moving in all 4 directions as they should. Possible that it's just not holding zero??
I'm going to my home range in the AM and will shoot at 100 yds. At that distance, it's a 1/4 MOA rifle. 6 Dasher.
Shillen barrel 28" 1/7.5 105 Berger Hybrids, Varget.

Any thoughts other than a bad scope that could do this? You don't go from 1/2moa at 600 to totally missing a 24" piece of steel.
View attachment 1696295

For it to be that far off and you checking everything else there almost has to be something amiss with the scope.

 

[Texas Solo]

Too much coffee?

Nope. Only had one 3 hrs before shooting.

 

[DHuffman]

A 4 mph full switch will move a 103 close to 17" I think.

If I had to bet on it though I bet you dialed the wrong dope or didn't zero the turret after your last outing and put the new dope on top of the old dope.
Pretty easy to do.

 

[Texas Solo]

Where were you hitting in relation to the 600 yards steel?

Most ranges I go to I put a couple three in the berm to get my wind and elevation. Doesn't take much of a wrong wind call at 600 to be off a 24" x 24" plate.

Couldn't do that. The targets were set up on old 55gal drums.. no berms until 1000yds. Have no idea where bullets were going.
Also, no wind!

 

[DHuffman]

I do it all the time shooting steel with PRS type guns

 

[DHuffman]

Couldn't do that. The targets were set up on old 55gal drums.. no berms until 1000yds. Have no idea where bullets were going.
Also, no wind!

So what kind of scope? Zero stop?

 

[Texas Solo]

A 4 mph full switch will move a 103 close to 17" I think.

If I had to bet on it though I bet you dialed the wrong dope or didn't zero the turret after your last outing and put the new dope on top of the old dope.
Pretty easy to do.

Zero wind today.
I thought about the dope, but went back to zero and then came up to 600 dope.

 

[Texas Solo]

So what kind of scope? Zero stop?

No zero stop. Vortex Golden Eagle.
I do use the hash marks on turret to verify if I'm off by a full turn. I wasn't.

 

[DHuffman]

Zero wind today.
I thought about the dope, but went back to zero and then came up to 600 dope.

So no wind and double checked the dope I'd say your scope is toast but I bet you're overlooking something about your dope.
Could you have been a turn off on your windage turret?
Again, easy to do.

 

[Texas Solo]

I do it all the time shooting steel with PRS type guns

This is my F Class gun.
I'm High Master Midrange.

 

[Texas Solo]

So no wind and double checked the dope I'd say your scope is toast but I bet you're overlooking something about your dope.
Could you have been a turn off on your windage turret?
Again, easy to do.

I really doubt it. I know where my elevation and windage zeros are by looking at the hash marks on the turret.

 

[DHuffman]

No zero stop. Vortex Golden Eagle.
I do use the hash marks on turret to verify if I'm off by a full turn. I wasn't.

Pretty easy to go the wrong way on a Golden Eagle windage turret to get back to 0
I've had 5 of them at one time and have 3 of them currently.
I've shot them on everything from a 223 to a 338 LM and NEVER had one "go bad" for any reason.

Could happen I suppose but I'd be shocked if it just went bad

 

[DHuffman]

I really doubt it. I know where my elevation and windage zeros are by looking at the hash marks on the turret.

Yeah I do too but sometimes I make a mistake or overlook something.
So what's your definition of no wind? There's always some wind and you were at a new to you range so were there flags? If so how many and what distances?

 

[ELR LVR]

1. change your scope out and try again
2. barrel has went south
3. Accidentally used wrong powder (IE: 4198 4895)
4. Barrel speed up, now this last one is crazy
I only encountered it once ever to this degree
But I had a 6.5 barrel chambered in .260 Rem
out of the gate it printed 2 inch groups at 600, with POA=POI
Not just for me but for other shooters who tried the gun
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Needed 12.5 Moa for 600 yds
After approx 200 rounds I go out to shoot at 600 one day and am seeing my splash land like 6 foot high
I'm bewildered, did I crank up double my 12.5 moa? (loose zero)
I rezeroed scope, (vortex) tried again
sure enough suddenly for some reason I only need 6 moa now for 600 yds???
WTF
This is impossible for a 260 considering the velocity needed to do such a thing
Half the Elevation?
Checked scope, base etc as one would - all good
I decided maybe I have a tight bore driving up velocity but could not figure why it shot correctly for the first 200 rounds
I decided to lap the bore , maybe there is a tight spot
I lapped, then tested - showed improvement
Lapped more then tested again - getting closer to original 12.5 MOA needed for 600 yds
After approx 2 total hours of careful lapping and logging everything
The barrel shot correctly again???
I dont know the answer to this one, all I can say is I experienced it
I might add I clean my bores after shooting so it was not a build up of copper or carbon
I've heard of barrel speed up after break in... but not to the extent I needed half the moa for 600 yds
it was all over the place I might add but 6 foot high before I lapped it
The crack was also very different as if the bullet was coming apart, which gave me another clue as to the higher velocity, (I know the sound difference as I have over driven many bullets with overbore cartridges and can recognize the difference from a smooth release compared to a bullet blowing up)
(this was a quality Known cut rifled barrel)
I probably could have sent it back, I just wanted to do my own experimenting and see if I could figure a cure for the problem, based on my theory of what was causing it.
It still shoots good now

 

[DHuffman]

This is my F Class gun.
I'm High Master Midrange.

What does that have to do with anything? I do it with my BR guns as well... We don't have classifications in BR but I do OK myself LOL

Get done shooting leave the scope dialed for either 600 or 1000 and next time out I'm shooting at the other distance and whiff a couple before I figure it out.

 

[Steve Donlon]

1. change your scope out and try again
2. barrel has went south
3. Accidentally used wrong powder (IE: 4198 4895)
4. Barrel speed up, now this last one is crazy
I only encountered it once ever to this degree
But I had a 6.5 barrel chambered in .260 Rem
out of the gate it printed 2 inch groups at 600, with POA=POI
Not just for me but for other shooters who tried the gun
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Needed 12.5 Moa for 600 yds
After approx 200 rounds I go out to shoot at 600 one day and am seeing my splash land like 6 foot high
I'm bewildered, did I crank up double my 12.5 moa? (loose zero)
I rezeroed scope, (vortex) tried again
sure enough suddenly for some reason I only need 6 moa now for 600 yds???
WTF
This is impossible for a 260 considering the velocity needed to do such a thing
Half the Elevation?
Checked scope, base etc as one would - all good
I decided maybe I have a tight bore driving up velocity but could not figure why it shot correctly for the first 200 rounds
I decided to lap the bore , maybe there is a tight spot
I lapped, then tested - showed improvement
Lapped more then tested again - getting closer to original 12.5 MOA needed for 600 yds
After approx 2 total hours of careful lapping and logging everything
The barrel shot correctly again???
I dont know the answer to this one, all I can say is I experienced it
I might add I clean my bores after shooting so it was not a build up of copper or carbon
I've heard of barrel speed up after break in... but not to the extent I needed half the moa for 600 yds
it was all over the place I might add but 6 foot high before I lapped it
The crack was also very different as if the bullet was coming apart, which gave me another clue as to the higher velocity, (I know the sound difference as I have over driven many bullets with overbore cartridges and can recognize the difference from a smooth release compared to a bullet blowing up)
(this was a quality Known cut rifled barrel)
I probably could have sent it back, I just wanted to do my own experimenting and see if I could figure a cure for the problem, based on my theory of what was causing it.
It still shoots good now

I have seen some crazy stuff happen shooting in the mountains also. Bullets going much faster than they should be for one thing. Up drafts maybe causing them to hit higher, don't know.