What do you do when SHTF at a match.

[Cascade Precision]

Had an issue at a match this weekend that I wanted to run by you.

Day one went fine as far as equipment was concerned.

Day 2, three rounds into stage 1 my zero jumped. I could not go back and rezero as the line was hot. Took me 4 stages to find my zero. Ground was wet and had a hard time finding splash. Finally got it sorted out and my zero shifted .5 Mils high.

Once that was discovered, basically went back to normal after I updated my calculator.

What does a guy do is that happens? Besides get flawless gear. ?

Was running a Bushnell 3.5-21 G3.

 

[acudaowner]

Sorry that happened . I'd like to think i would laugh it off as it sh_ _ happens and hope next time it does not happen again . Murphy's law be damed .

 

[Cascade Precision]

Usually my wife joins me at my events, but she wanted to hang out with her sister whom we rarely see. Quite frankly, u think if she'd been there, I would have cried. Without her, without anyone for sympathy, I said fu-- it.

I'm sending it back to Bushnell, they said that shouldn't happen. I'll give it one more go after they verify it fix whatever happened. If I get a brand new one back, I may sell my stock of Bushnell and buy a US optics. Will see...

 

[Deleted member 10043]

Yeah, that's the ticket. It's the equipment.

 

[gconnoyer]

Had an issue at a match this weekend that I wanted to run by you.

Day one went fine as far as equipment was concerned.

Day 2, three rounds into stage 1 my zero jumped. I could not go back and rezero as the line was hot. Took me 4 stages to find my zero. Ground was wet and had a hard time finding splash. Finally got it sorted out and my zero shifted .5 Mils high.

Once that was discovered, basically went back to normal after I updated my calculator.

What does a guy do is that happens? Besides get flawless gear. ?

Was running a Bushnell 3.5-21 G3.

What was the difference in day 1 and day 2?
What sort of round count on the barrel did you have?
How did you determine that your zero was .5 high...was it .5 high at distance or did you get to check it on a 100y range.

I wont say that mechanical failures dont happen, because they definitely do. But its pretty rare that it breaks and then fixes itself at a consistent .5 the rest of the day.
Maybe it moved in the rings, got bumped, change in ballistics, etc....

 

[Deleted member 113831]

What were the lighting conditions on day 1 vs. day 2? What were the lighting conditions the rifle was zero'd in?

 

[MarinePMI]

Just had the same thing happen to me at the Bighorn Steel match...turns out it wasn't the scope at all. It was the rings shifting in the pic rail (hence the +.5mil/-.5mil changes I was chasing the whole 2 day match). 25in lbs isn't enough to hold these bigger (heavier) scopes that we have these days (I have a Gen II Razor).

Easy way to check this (props to Scott @ Vortex) is to pull the rings, and look for rub marks on the rail. If there are rub marks, your rings are slipping forwards and backwards in the rail slots. Frustrating for me, but a lesson well learned (especially coming from a warm SoCal environment, to a sub freezing Nebraska environment). Metal expands and contracts, so even if I had stayed in SoCal they probably would shifted eventually.

Now they're on at 50 in lbs, and will get checked regularly to account for any loosening due to thermal shifts.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Just had the same thing happen to me at the Bighorn Steel match...turns out it wasn't the scope at all. It was the rings shifting in the pic rail (hence the +.5mil/-.5mil changes I was chasing the whole 2 day match). 25in lbs isn't enough to hold these bigger (heavier) scopes that we have these days (I have a Gen II Razor).

Easy way to check this (props to Scott @ Vortex) is to pull the rings, and look for rub marks on the rail. If there are rub marks, your rings are slipping forwards and backwards in the rail slots. Frustrating for me, but a lesson well learned (especially coming from a warm SoCal environment, to a sub freezing Nebraska environment). Metal expands and contracts, so even if I had stayed in SoCal they probably would shifted eventually.

Now they're on at 50 in lbs, and will get checked regularly to account for any loosening due to thermal shifts.

Great tip.

 

[gconnoyer]

Just had the same thing happen to me at the Bighorn Steel match...turns out it wasn't the scope at all. It was the rings shifting in the pic rail (hence the +.5mil/-.5mil changes I was chasing the whole 2 day match). 25in lbs isn't enough to hold these bigger (heavier) scopes that we have these days (I have a Gen II Razor).

25inlbs on the side bolts? I'm assuming Vortex/Seekins rings?
Also, are you running them forward against the rail when you tighten them and they were just sliding back and forth?

 

[MarinePMI]

Yes, in the side bolts. And yes, they were sliding back and forth.

These were ARC M-10 rings, which I (incorrectly) assumed also took 25 in lbs. It appears from the website, that they are to be torqued to 50-55in lbs for top and bottom screws. To be clear, the rings didn't exactly "fail", I just didn't have them tight enough. But, that being said, it was also recommended that ANY rings being used with a heavy scope will likely require more than 25 in/lbs (even Seekins/Vortex rings).

Finally, yes, I always seat the rings forward against the slots before tightening.

 

[gconnoyer]

I always thought that was a really low torque number for those side bolts. Just not enough clamping force

 

[elmuzzlebreak]

SHTF at a match for me I just do what I can to get off the line and check gear. If that means I miss shooting a stage then I guess that's a call I have to make but I'd rather take a L on A stage than multiple.

My first PRS match was a local one I shot with a LaRue PredatOBR .308. Weather was not the greatest and the gun started to act up bad. I had failure to extracts, double feeds, and incompatibility with my trigger tech AR trigger. I just pushed through as best as I could and eventually pulled off the line to fix my set up through lunch. Swapped triggers, blasted the inside with gun scrubber, re oiled, and was back up and running.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

I've had and seen all kinds of things go south at matches.

Ironically enough, I had the zero shift at a match when I was running a Bushnell ERS with their goofy zero stop mechanism they were using at the time. Basically, when I checked zero and reset the stop before the match I had inadvertently changed my zero too. My first target of the day was a 900-something yard shot and I ended up being somewhere around 9-10 mils low even though I had dope dialed on. My options were limited on that particular range so I told the match director what was up and told him I was going to pack it in and go to the 100 yd range and sort it out. It was just a single day long range challenge, so nothing was really lost. After that incident I made sure to double check that zero stop and I kept using it for a while until I got a NF 5-25.

To me, having a simple set of tools can make all the difference if stuff goes sideways at a match. I have a small zippered pouch that has an Otis cleaning kit in it along with a Borka tools torque set and a few other things like duct tape. That kit has saved me and a few other competitors a lot of time and headache fixing issues out at the range and while it won't fix everything but it's a nice little bit of insurance.

 

[Sticks]

Keep a small collection of spare small screws (scope rings, m lock/key mod, grip panels, turret...) A wrench for every nut, bolt, screw plus a small cressent, a 12" brass rod .5mil smaller than your bore, small vial of blue locktite and a small butane crack torch.

Learn to use hold over instead of dialing in case a turret / scope goes south.

I always do an equip precheck the night before a shoot (match or practice day).

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

I had a scope mount come loose last year at the Spearpoint Shootout. I was able to fix it, but it cost me a lot of points that day.

From now on, I put Dykem Cross Check Torque Seal on my fasteners so I know if they have come loose. It's ugly, but not as ugly as going down for a loose fastener in the middle of a match.

 

[FishDr]

Had a similar situation in a shoot last year. Checked every fastener in the optic rings and bases. Nothing helped. Next stage I felt a “pop” when I loaded into bipod - that’s it right there. Bipod rail came loose. Removed bipod, tightened rail with an Allen key, reattached rail and good to go.
Zero didn’t shift, just accuracy went away quick.

 

[...]

shit happens during matches.....we adapt and overcome.

ive dislocated my ankle the night before matches...ive shot matches without a butstock on my rifle...ive shot matches without a zero...ive had sights come off and had to be remounted in within a string of fire...ive shot matches on borrowed guns/ammo.

you get used to dealing with the big problems as best you can, then that way the small problems you can deal with much easier.

if youve shot a match without any zero....then shooting a match with a rifle that took a hard hit and only bumped the zero 1MOA is a lot easier.

at the end of the day you are there to have fun....there will always be another match.

 

[86alaskan]

I do my best to have the extra small parts and tools necessary to fix them. there's only so much that can be done. I've also come to have a spare 223 backup in the truck. may not be the best for the long steel, but it'll cover most of a positional course of fire. I run all Tikka T3 rifles, so I carry extra triggers and bolts from other rifles as backup.

 

[Lowlight]

Carry a small boresighter, collimator and have the zero noted using the tool,

They are tiny and easy to use

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Apparently Leupold discontinued it, maybe find a used one or the Bushnell

This would be the easiest way to do it on the line,

But most for sale today are the lasers which suck< suppose you can get a Wheeler Magnetic boresighter / laser and see where it falls on the reticle at 25 yards and record that data, X Low at Y Number of Feet