scope adjustments/load testing/new barrel ???'s

[wallypedal]

I haven't posted on this forum before, but spend a lot of time on a couple of the rifle forums. The question is: how common is it to have a scope that won't adjust, or seems to play catch-up with adjustments?  This is a recently acquired Swift scope on a 7mm-08 encore. It just seems like it isn't consistent. I have old and newer scopes, click adjustments and friction adjustments, a bunch of rifles and a fair amount of experience. One of my old mentors always tapped the turret area with a screwdriver handle after adjusting. Another one always went past the adjustment by 4-5 clicks then brought it back to the new setting. Both said something about "making sure they moved". I'm beginning to think they were onto something.  This rifle is for a standard distance hunting, and once set won't be getting adjusted much, unless I mess with some different loads and bullets in the future. Certainly not for match shooting or the super long distance stuff where adjustments have to be precise and repeatable.

The barrel is new, and I don't want to burn through much more components if I don't have to. It is for my wife, and we had it shooting pretty well, but she needed less eye relief, so I loosened up the rings and set it to her liking. Didn't expect it to retain zero and it didn't, but when I went to adjust it the "1/4" clicks didn't move it that much. Or I tried to move it 3" right, and it dropped 2" in the process, all with the same <moa load. Just weird. Shot 6 rounds through it after cleaning, all graduated in 1/2 grain powder increments each, and well below max. About half way through the set, the poi moved up vertically about 5 1/2 inches with the next 1/2 grain addition. I don't think so!!

I am going to put a proven scope on there and see if zero adjusts and stays put. I know the rifle, base rings, etc. are all good and screws tight. Just wondering when scopes are bad or adjusting 'goes bad' what are the symptoms and what is going on, and how common it is?  Thanks!

[Sourdough]

Never heard of a Swift Scope.  anyway try the trick of lightly tapping the turrents after each adjustment.  I had a nice looking Winchester Brand scope that did the same thing.  I ended up turning it past four or five clicks, then coming back.  That worked.  Once I got the scope set I used the same loads in it, and it never needed readjusting, till the scope came apart. 

[digs68]

Sounds like your scope may be defective or unable to hold a zero. I'm sure you've thought of that. I've seen all kinds of things. I've seen guns that will throw bullets everywhere unless you use a certain size (150 grains it's a tack-driver, 180 and they're all over the place.) or brand, etc.
Once again, you may have thought of that.
Good luck!
Chris

[Huffmanite]

Wallypedal, I have a couple of the same model Swift Premier scopes on centerfire rifles I regularly shoot at range.  I've not had the problems you've experienced with yours.  One is about a year old and other is about 6 months old.  I'd suggest you call Swift and discuss your problem, especially if you bought the scope new.  My Swift scope has a lifetime warranty, perhaps yours does too.   By the way, I've read they will accept a written letter sent with scope, saying you are the original owner.

For what its worth, just remembered comment made by an Encore shooter one day who was shooting next to me at range about a year ago.  He had been experimenting with various loads/bulletspowder trying to find a combination that shot accurately in his recently acquired new Encore and had made several trips to range with rifle.  Forget caliber of rifle.   That day he was shocked to discover his reloads were a lot more accurate, with tighter groups, the further he moved the bullet back from the lands.  Something that is contrary to general thinking on accurate reloading.   Guy laughed when he remembered a close friend who had bought a new Encore rifle a couple of months before him that had same inaccurate problems with his and put another new barrel on the rifle trying to get it to shoot more accurately.   He couldn't wait to call his friend to let him know what he'd discovered. 

Sourdough,

not surprised you'd not heard of Swift.  For a scope maker that been around for a long time, not a brand commonly talked about/mentioned in Optics forums on gun sites. 

Swift is a scope made by an American company thats been in optics business since 1920s making microscopes, binoculars.   Don't know when they began making rifle scopes, but remember Swift scopes were available back in the 1960s and seem to recall they had a decent reputation even back then.   If you visit their website, you'll find they have a fairly broad line of scopes, discover they make their own glass and scopes in the USA, and better models have a life time warranty.   Based on the 2 Swift scopes I own, I'm of the opinion while they are not as good as the higher priced better known brands, they certainly have good optics comparable to them for a lot less money.

[wallypedal]

Huffmanite,
Thanks for taking the time for the thorough and informative response. Yep, Swift has been around for quite awhile - I've got a decent old pair of 7x50 binocs that my grandmother used birdwatching!

My scope is one of the pre-Premier models (a 2-7 I think). We like the overall size and clarity. I'm tempted to just drop it by them in Denver as their place is on the way to my son's in Colorado Springs. I don't have a ton of money in it, just never had poi jump around like that. BTW, horizontal adjusts & sticks just fine, and all the bullets hit within an inch L-R even though they spread vertically and wouldn't adjust in a logical way vertically.

I'm going to put another scope on it and start over. I know that one is good. Interesting what you say about Encore seating depth. I have several barrels but never found them overly sensitive to seating depth like you described. I don't doubt it though. The reloading web gurus I read are saying there are "nodes" for seating depth and it's not uncommon to find a good one quite a distance from the lands. I do know that with their quirks vertical stringing is more likely to show up and you have to pay more attention to things like headspace, stock tightness, forend fit, forend and buttstock restpoints and padding in mechanical rests. At least that's been my experience vs. my bolt actions. I did get to burn up some components finding all that out!!
Wallypedal

[wallypedal]

Today I clamped the rifle in a vise and sighted on a point about 400 yds. away. Then I started adjusting the vertical setting. Nothing moved, crosshairs, image, nothing when adjusted about 20 clicks. Then I adjusted to move the crosshairs down (poi up) until it ran out of adjustment, and the crosshairs did drop quite a ways. But when I went to move back up to the original point of aim, it wouldn't adjust back there and the number of clicks seemed limited. Didn't try to force it. Then adjusted all the way L and R no problem, and the crosshairs did move. Counted the clicks and there are twice as many L-R as U-D. So it's going back to the manufacturer.

Put a Leupy on with some Durasight z-2 rings and bases. I'm thinking sighting and group checking will go much better.
Wallypedal

[Huffmanite]

wallypedal, glad you determined the problem, sorry it happened.   

Gent I shoot next to on a regular basis at range spent around $1200 on  a new 308 rifle, varmit barrel and etc., should have been the proverbial tack driver.  He took a nice Burris scope off another rifle and put it on his new one.   Well, each Sunday over at least a two month period of shooting next to me, he tried to find the magic load for the rifle.  He had resigned himself to accept the rifle would be OK for deer hunting, but was no target rifle.  Guy just couldn't get a consistently really good group at 100 yards, no matter what powder, its charge or bullet combination.    Finally, I asked him one day, if possibly it could be the scope, not the rifle.  Nope, he quickly answered, must be me or the rifle.....not the scope.

By next weekend, he'd discovered it was the scope and sent it in to Burris for warranty.  In the meantime, he put another Burris from another rifle on the $1200 rifle and continued his quest for the magic load with no good results.  Again he couldn't get consistently good groups.  LOL, the second Burris's internal adjustments for windage or elevation had gone bad, which was same problem with the first Burris.  Burris will send him a new scope for the first one he'd returned and repaired the second one.

Leastways, you didn't spend the number of days this guy did and waste as much ammo as him.