# Scope problem



## Jerrodnrx (Oct 11, 2017)

Rifle season opens tomorrow, so my wife and I took our rifles up to a friends house (competition shooter) to sight them in. This will be our first hunt together. She hunted as a child with an open sight 30/30, and I was raised in a house in which guns were forbidden. I was not even allowed to fashion a gun out of a stick, or my fingers. My wife went first with her 6.8 SPC, and was all over the place. Our buddy ribbed her a bit, which got under my wifes skin a bit, and she told him to go ahead and do better. A few random shots later, and he concluded that there was something broken inside the scope, (a spring I think?) as each shot continually hit higher on the paper, by 1-2 inches at 100 yards. The scope is a Burris Timberline 3-9x, and Burris has a great warranty so I am going to ship it to them today. Turnaround time however is 4-6 weeks. I would rather not buy a new scope, when this one will be returned to me shortly, yet we need to get out hunting. I have a .50 Beowulf, with a Leupold 6X on it. I hadn't planned to deer hunt with it, but did plan to carry it on the hunt. (We are in grizz country) Should I just remove the scope from the Beowulf and pay to have someone mount it on the 6.8 (Or for that matter, is it something that I could do myself? I have limited skills, but enough to assemble both lowers without problem) or just rely on getting closer and blasting the hell out of them with the .50?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Jerrodnrx said:


> Should I just remove the scope from the Beowulf and pay to have someone mount it on the 6.8


It's very easy to mount scopes.
All it involves is turning some screws, and there are countless Youtubes showing the entire process.

*BUT before you start changing scopes*, fire some carefully aimed 3-5 shot groups, giving the barrel a few minutes to cool between shots. 

It may be a rifle issue instead of a scope issue.
You can also check to make sure the bases and rings are properly tightened.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I have never found having a good spare scope around to be undesirable Nikon or Vortex both make a very good 2-7x32 around 130 dollars but the quality is better than the price might suggest and they are very easy to mount on an AR presuming her 6.8spc and your 50BW are bot AR platform.

for AR mounting I am really liking the Nikon P series 2 piece mount very secure very easy to get the scope mounted and eye relief correct

but I do think 6x on your bear gun is way to much power , if your going to be shooting a problem bear I wouldn't want anything over 2x

so yes putting your 6x on her deer gun would be the way to do it on the cheap and you use irons.

unless your going to be shooting longer range lower power scopes are lighter , smaller let as much light through as a larger scope bell and you can shoot very well on game to 250 yards with a 7x which is well beyond where most people should be shooting game , if your that far away you have time to turn the ring.
leave it on 2x because you can still shoot running deer up close well when you don't have time to reduce magnification.

but I agree check to make sure mounts , ring and base are tight fire some groups if it is still moving replace.


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Very good suggestions before swapping scopes. I would also recommend if you do mount your own scope and do not have an inch pound torque driver use very short Allen keys or torx, whichever it may be and do not go nuts on them. As BFF said there are tons of videos out there, try to be consistent with the torque on each screw as well. If you decide to buy a torque driver, you don’t necessarily have to buy the most expensive the idea is to get them all the same so the scope is not being tweaked in any way. Good luck and have fun hunting.


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

Before shipping anything off I'd verify or try to eliminate other possible issues such as the current scope mounting system is loose. Only takes a few minutes to verify and tighten stuff down with lock-tight. A proper torque driver with the correct heads is pretty much a requirement for gun enthusiasts along with a decent boresighter. Your scope mount manufacturer should be able to tell you the correct torque value for their mount/rings. 

Once you've verified all is well with the mounts, then I'd take Bearfootfarm's suggestion of testing the scope again and running a tracking test. IF it won't hold a group or won't track, then I'd send it in for repair.

Chuck


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## Jerrodnrx (Oct 11, 2017)

I’ll give that a try. The scope was professionally mounted, but who knows I guess.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Jerrodnrx said:


> The scope was professionally mounted


That's no guarantee it was done correctly.
I wouldn't use any Locktite though.
Just degrease all the screws and holes first.

I'd also say most scopes mounted are done without a torque wrench, so that's not a necessity either. Just getting the screws tight will suffice. 

Using a typical "L" shaped Allen wrench can give good consistency if you insert the short leg in the screw and watch how much the long leg flexes when held at the end as it's tightened.

When shooting for groups, it's very important that each shot be identical.
*Any* changes in the way the rifle is held can affect the point of impact.
Fire 3 *controlled* shots then adjust to center the groups instead of chasing individual shots around the target.

Unless you know the load will consistently shoot tight groups, you may be expecting too much.

Another option is to just hunt with the 50 Beowulf.
About 90% of deer are taken at less than 100 yards anyway.


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## Chuck R. (Apr 24, 2008)

To each his own, but I've used blue Loctite when mounting scopes for years for those mounts that don't come with their own, such as Larue Tactical and AMD. 



> Loctite Threadlocker Blue 242 is designed for the locking and sealing of threaded fasteners which require normal disassembly with standard hand tools. The product cures when confined in the absence of air between close fitting metal surfaces. It protects threads from rust and corrosion and prevents loosening from shock and vibration. Loctite® Threadlocker Blue 242 is particularly suited for applications on less active substrates such as stainless steel and plated surfaces, where disassembly is required for servicing.


http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/t_lkr_blue/overview/Loctite-Threadlocker-Blue-242.htm

Chuck


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

I use blue loctite on all my mounts and bases, as well as a torque driver. I get that many don’t do it that way but I’m not risking a high dollar scope or being off by not torquing them properly and then should you remove the scope and retorque to the same generally your scope will be right on if not extremely close to it.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Loctite Threadlocker Blue 242 is designed for the locking and sealing of threaded fasteners *which require normal disassembly* with standard hand tools.


I don't consider scopes and mounts something which "requires normal disasembly".
Some of mine haven't been disassembled in decades.


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Our thread opener said an experienced competition shooter fired for group and the group was quite bad. The shots were stringing vertical. I've seen bad barrels do that as they heated up...In fact, my Model 70 FW will throw string them after a half dozen quick rounds, even though the first three are money.

I'd double check the mounts and fire. If that doesn't fix the problem...Then I'd change scopes and fire. That should let one know definitely if it's barrel or scope. Firing would of course be done in three or five shot groups from a cool barrel. I'd then address my problem from there.

As for Loctite, I've used it for years after I had a set of weaver bases get a bit loose on me, while banging around during hunting season. It's worked for me.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

If it is indeed a bad scope, I'd just buy a new one and stick it on the gun. Then when your Burris comes back repaired, find a new rifle to stick under it


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## Texaspredatorhu (Sep 15, 2015)

Fishindude said:


> If it is indeed a bad scope, I'd just buy a new one and stick it on the gun. Then when your Burris comes back repaired, find a new rifle to stick under it


That is the best idea yet!!!


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## Jerrodnrx (Oct 11, 2017)

So, to try and see if it was a scope or rifle issue, we took the 6X off my Beowulf and on her 6.8 and it got sighted in within minutes. Thanks for all the suggestions, and thanks to Burris having a great warranty.


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

Glad to hear you got it. Hope she does OK, 6x fixed is a bit tough for a 6.8 IMHO, brings it in way too close for the round. Something like a 1.5 to 3x or 2 to 5x wideview would be hard to beat.


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