jennageit wrote:The target rifle was set up by the guy teaching me. He placed it in the holder (if that's what you call it), had a quick look through the scope and then got me sorted out. I used the lever on the mounting of the holder to adjust where I was shooting. I didn't touch the scope at all, and only saw my instructor take the cover off each end of it, he didn't adjust it.
That would have been ad adjustable shooting rest. Something like this, yes?
- caldwell rock br 1,000
- caldwell-rock-br-1000.jpg (11.21 KiB) Viewed 3574 times
jennageit wrote:At one stage, when I looked through the scope, it was lined up way too high, and when I told my instructor, he fiddled with a dial at the front of the 'holder' to lower it down, asking me if that was okay, etc. At one stage he lowered it too much, so I asked for it to come up about half an inch. After that, with me using the lever to adjust it, I ended up with some pretty good shots, and my last two being two bullseyes on two separate target circles.
So there you're just moving the rifle around which has nothing to do with the scope. If the scope wasn't zeroed then you'd still not be hitting where the crosshairs appear.
From what you've said it sounds pretty clear to me that the scope just wasn't zeroed, and was half an inch to the right. It's hard to tell when you're only doing a single shot at each target because you have nothing to compare to.
Next time shoot some 4 shot groups. Not single shots. Assuming I'm right about the scope just being off, you would have got a 4 shot group about half an inch right of the target. Then you'd adjust your scope a few clicks to the left and shoot a new group at the next target. You'd have found the group was closer to the bulleyes. Repeat that process until the crosshair and the group lines up.
jennageit wrote:I probably sound like a real mop, but I'm still only learning
It's all good.
jennageit wrote:I've been told that I should learn to sight without a scope, as they can be sensitive and require constant readjustment out in the field if they are bumped or knocked. What's your take on that? Should I forego the scope for the time being and learn to shoot with the naked eye? or buy one with my rifle?
Learning to shoot with open sights is fine, but the thing about the scopes being 'sensitive' is nonsense. Any of the hunters here will back me up, I'm sure most of them never touch there scopes once they're zeroed. Maybe a click here or there after a few hunts just to confirm, but for the most part you won't touch it as any decent scope will hold zero even with a few bumps.
Watch this Video -
Bushnell Elite Tactical 6-24x50mm Rifle Scope Review Part 2. They drown it, freeze it, drop it on the grass and on concrete - scope down, with the weight of a rifle on top.
After the drowning, freezing and repeatedly dropping it on the grass from shoulder height the scope perfectly fine. Even after knocking it scope first onto the concrete and slightly damaging the turret the scope is only 1 MIL off (about 1" at 100m) and resets fine. They continue shooting with it after that no problems.
Don't ask me what your guy is doing that his scope requires "constant readjustment out in the field". As you can see from the above a decent scope is more than tough enough. If he's dropping his rifle onto the rocks every hour and buggering his scope who's fault is that...
Get a scope.