Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Ever have one of those days at the range?

Last week 6 different loads in the 25/06 all print 1" and the same POI, 1 1/4" high, perfect 200 yard zero. This week, with no scope adjustments whatsoever, all three three shot groups went first one in the bullseye, next shot 2" high and 1" left, and last in the bullseye again. WTF?

Opened up the scope covers on a 1949 250 EG to adjust the old Weaver scope and it was missing a screw on the windage dial, and both windage and elevation dials were locked solid they hadn't been moved in so long. Back in the case with that one.

Three rifles I had sighted in perfectly last fall were off by 1-5". ??? All had to be re-sighted.

And finally, I had mounted a scope on another rifle and could not get it to behave. Threw bullets all over the place. Turns out the offset Weaver ring on the front was a different height than the one on the back. Not visible without close scrutiny, and I didn't! What a rookie trick.

All part of shooting but not feeling comfortable about all the rifles losing zero. May just hunt with the iron sighted 38-55 this year!

* The 38-55 shot two in the same round hole at 45 yards!

I'll have to turn this question over to my cousin. His scope is off 5-6 inches every year, at 50 yards. I asked him what he did with it in the off season? Drive fence posts with it because he was too cheap to buy a sledge hammer? He shows up at the shooting bench with different loads too, 1 Rem 180 RN, 1 Win 150 Silver Tip, a hand full of Federals. His son works for ATK and used to get a deal on Fed ammo. He always has such a good selection now because he gets them in loose boxes at auctions for $1. He even found that the ones with dents cycle through his 30-06 AAR fine. It's a 60's vintage AAR with all wood stocks, one of the ones you see in the PA dutch country, in the back window of a black buggy. Anyway, he can get that pattern fixed for you. He'll have it so anything in a 20 foot circle around the deer is dead meat. I'll give him your number.

Did you clean the bores between seasons?

Did you drink a jumbo cup of coffee at the fillin' station on your way to the range? Thinking about the dynamite redhead you saw at the diner? Heavy metal music(?) jangled your nerves as you drove up the road? Perhaps all three, in which case perhaps you should've turned around and spent the day contemplating your navel instead of shooting.

Yeah, I've had range days like that. There's no explanation for it. Best not to dwell on it, there's always next time. Keep the faith, baby!

I used to shoot smallbore silhouette with a little wiry guy. You know the type- nervous as heck and always moving to a Buddy Rich drum beat even when standing still. He couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a scoop shovel when shooting offhand but moments before his relay was called to the line he would sneak into the trunk of his car and take a healthy slug of cheap jug wine. At that point he would step up to shoot and calmly clean all of our clocks. I always figured that swallow of wine was more of a mental crutch than an actual physical calmer. Either way, it worked (until the range officers got wise to him).

Are the rifles bedded?

I haven't pulled the 25/06 out of the stock to check it. First time I've had opportunity to shoot it was last weekend, this was the second. That was the weirdest one. 6 perfect groups last week 1 1/4" high, this week one in bullseye, one out 2", one in, all three groups. I'll pull it apart and check bedding.

On the rest, honestly, Savage 99's, I'm left with the scopes. All Leupolds btw.

difference in last week and this weeks temps?

Yes, about 30 degrees cooler this week.

Hey! Hello???

And wind?

OK, temp difference of 30, isn't that everyday stuff? Why would a rifle group on a warm day then not group at 60 degrees another day? We're not talking 110 degrees vs. 37. More like 70-75 and 50-55.

As for wind, yes to the right, but fliers went up and left. Shot the 22 at 100 yards and did great, with the same wind so I really can't see that being a factor with a 25/06 doing 3200 fps.

Roy could it Be the Savage Gods, trying to tell you something!

Roy, i was thinking more of temp sensitivity of your powder. got to blame it on something! what powder were you using?
my day today at the range was great.
load development for my EG 300 led me to 27.3 g imr 3031 primed with winchester large primers, with a 150 hornady interlok. 1.5 inch five shot groups.
i had the same load with CCI primers and had 6 inch groups, that was disappointing . switched primers and am happy.
let the critters tremble!

Wow, from 6 inches to 1.5 inches with a primer change. Have never played much with primers, always used Winchester. Life was complicated enough with seating depth, bullet make and weight, powder, powder weight, and case. Always thought primers were pretty much the same. I'm in trouble, wife already thinks I spend way to much time at the loading bench.

Hmmm. Go spend a couple late nights at the bar, then see if she changes her tune about the reloading bench.

One of the 'primers' Is or was 'short' I was getting misfires and put a mic. on an anvil and base and found it low!

I am trying to remember what brand it was? I could have been Winchester. I must have HAD some here. There are no Winchester primers here now.

Only CCI. I have been handloading since 1953.

I made a post on this short primer problem. LOOK IT UP

I have rifles that hold their zero real well. Therefore, they get out a little more often in hunting season.

Out of my 99s,....my 250 post war R, 303 Salesman and the 284 C are ones that behave the most.

Well, here's what I found.

Changed from .070" off rifling to .077", Barnes tsx and ttsx 100 grain .257 in the 25/06, and swapped scopes to an IOR Valdada 6x fixed from Leupold variable 2.5-8. Fired five shots factory ammo to get it zeroed, scope walked it right in just like it's supposed to. Then switched to Barnes loads, 3 shots each load x 2 loads. Same powder charge, same seating depth, only difference is tipped vs. untipped.

Breezy, yellow jackets were all over my legs and I was sure I was going to get stung any second, so I could not relax! Still, here you go-

6X scope at 105 yards, Barnes tsx (untipped), 52 grains RL17




ttsx (tipped), 52 grains RL17




That's as good as I can shoot under these conditions with just a 6x scope! If conditions were better I'm pretty sure that gun would print a better group yet.




I think I'm about to have a bunch of Leupold scopes for sale.

Send those Leupolds back to the factory and get them rebuilt. I've not owned a lot of them but never had a problem with one.

They're great if you don't mind herding bullet holes.