Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns Scope problem

A Hawke 4X was suggested by dealer for RWS Model 48. Sight it in works fine. Leave it a month and zero changes a lot, like 3".
After 10 shots, it still is off. What can I do ?

Is the group still tight and it's just moved 3" or does it look like a shot gun pattern?

There are things to look at before you panic.

Could be any of several things but with air guns scope slippage is very often the issue. That's probably the first thing to determine.

Thanks.
group is still tight.
scope is not slipping.

Okay, group is tight, just moved 3"

I will suggest that it's your hold of the gun or the rest you're using. This is the first thing to solve. With the amount of power that rifle has and the way the spring moves inside the gun there is an inherent moving inertia that takes place before the pellet can leave the barrel.

Your absolute solid hold one day may be different but no less consistent the next day. Which is why your group is tight but shifted to another location. The tightness of the group seems to imply the scope is holding zero, the same can be said for your ability to hold steady and make good shots. The gap is in the way the gun is held and moves during the shot.

It needs to be held so that the recoil is exactly the same too. I can guarantee that if you lock that gun in a vice and shoot with a dead solid locked down hold. Then you make the same shot with a dead solid hold but not locked down, the impact point will be different. That is because the gun is moving from recoil before the pellet leaves the barrel.

I think your scope rings and gun are fine. It's your shooting style or hold that needs some further refinement. One other thought I have seen with this before. Are you using really light weight pellets? Switching to the heavier pellets will help with the way the run fires and recoils. They also carry much more power down range. You're shooting one of the most powerful air rifles made, it will tend to be more finicky then a lower powered rifle. This is due to the massive amount of spring power and piston mass slamming that air out of the barrel.

You can tame that a bit with a heavy pellet.

I have the same issue with my rws 48.
Solved problem by going to a .25 marauder.

Good luck

No doubt.

Thanks, I'll get some heavier pellets and see.

THIS and never look back, no POI change with either my 22 or 25 Marauder

I bought a slightly used Model 52 with a Bushnell A.O. scope that hasn't budged in the 7-8 years I've had it.

I suspect a scope problem.

Still haven't found a springer lacking for my needs.

IF you get it sighted in after much shooting and then let it set, I think it may have to have to do with gun temperature.
There is some heat generated compressing air like that.

Then of course I could be completely wrong.

Like others have said, little or no shift with PCP guns.

Right now, even my Disco is using last years zero.

Course they come with their own set of issues.

Heavier pellets did help some, but issue of changing zero has baffled me with this gun for almost 30 years and 1000's of rounds. Different scopes also did not help.

would like to think it wasn't me doing it, but can't rule it out. Good luck

Next time out shoot a few in the dirt then go to the target. See if it just needs to 'warm up' a bit. I usually shoot a couple into my case polishing media bucket every month or so to keep things lubed and working when not in use much over the winter. POI has been very consistent with it for the 4 years I have had it.

Has to be the mount moving.

I think your scope is blowed out. I could not keep scopes on my RWS 48. I bought a .22 caliber Benjamin Marauder. It is so quiet and extremely accurate out to 65 yards. I will never go back to a spring gun. Good shooting