Last Monday evening, I'm perusing a gunshop as is often my evening "wind-down" when traveling. This is a long-time in business gunshop with a good mix of new stuff and used stuff, and good used stuff, not just a bunch of junk. Based upon some of the products and packaging, the shop has been there a LONG time. Man in his late-20's/early-30's says he can't get his rifle sighted in as he's run out of adjustment. Brings the rig into the store. They set it up in the vice, put a bore-sighting collimator in the dangerous end and get to lookin'. It's what looks to be a 700SPS in some sort of plastic stock that allows for an AR-10 style magazine. It's got a Nikon Buckmaster in bargain-basement AL rings on Weaver bases. The owner installed the scope himself.
Gun-shop kid says, "According to this, you should be shooting way to the right, not the left."
Rings are tight as I see him try to wiggle the scope.
Gun shop kid is confounded. Though in fairness, based upon what I've over-heard him yapping about for the previous 30min leads me to believe he's confounded by anything more complicated than getting a sandwich out of a ziplock.
They hem-haw around discussing potential causes and finally the gun-shop kid comes up with, wait for it............................... "Well, the only thing I can think of is that your barrel must be bent."
I was staying out of it, listening from an aisle away, not over anyone's shoulder, but, upon the bent barrel statement, I couldn't help myself.
I made 1 minor suggestion, that they oppose the scope rings so that the big screws that holds the clamp-blocks onto the bases were pulling one from each side. One gun-shop kid thinks that's a good idea and essentially there's "nothing to lose". Mr. "bent barrel" backs off of his claim and says it must be the scope because the bore-sighter says he should be shooting way right and he was actually shooting way left. I walked away as they discussed scopes. I did overhear a bunch of the conversation and they so confused the guy that he ended up walking out without anything.
I try really hard to stay out of that stuff, but, the "bent barrel" deal I just plain couldn't make myself ignore.
