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shot my ar 15 today

djh860djh860 Member Posts: 3,232 ✭✭✭
edited January 2012 in General Discussion
I really don't know much about shooting rifles but I laser bore sighted the scope and I was only off 2" low and 2" right. I still could only manage 4" groups. It was cold. Only shot 30 rounds. I think I may have to move the scope. I had a hard time getting a good look at the target.
IMG_0726.jpg

Comments

  • William81William81 Member Posts: 25,477 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    What distance were you shooting.....
  • djh860djh860 Member Posts: 3,232 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
  • txlawdogtxlawdog Member Posts: 10,039 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sure is a big scope...
  • grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 48,464 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Also what Ammo. Bullet weight has a lot to do with it.
  • midnightrunpaintballermidnightrunpaintballer Member Posts: 2,233 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    4" at 50 yds? With a scope that big? Please tell me you were shooting offhand in a 75mph wind and your teeth were chattering from the cold...[B)]

    That rifle should perform much better than that even without a scope.
  • laylandadlaylandad Member Posts: 961 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    You may want to try a riser mount to get that scope up a little.
  • 76k2076k20 Member Posts: 643 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    What brand ammo and bullet weight/type? Is front of the scope touching the hand guard?

    That scope is probably a bit large for 50 yd shooting, and I would try moving out to 100 yds to see how it groups. If you don't shoot rifles much and it is cold, that will certainly affect group size. It also looks like the scope is maybe mounted a little too far forward, which would create an eye relief issue. Just a couple of thoughts, hope this helps.
  • SWAT 50SWAT 50 Member Posts: 4,074 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It looks funny.
  • buckstarbuckstar Member Posts: 1,163 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Certainly be sure that the scope is nice and comfortable for your natural shooting position. When you pull your rifle up you want to not have to squirm around to get your sight picture. If you are sighting it in you may want to brace on something to make sure your body movement is not messing up your shots. Make sure the front of your scope is not touching the fore grip. Give your barrel the initial cleaning while you're at it if you haven't done that already.

    With my service rifle I put the ACOG eyepiece right up against the bridge of my issued glasses (the ugly turtleshell BCG ones). The recoil from .223 isn't bad so I would only start to get a headache after 30 rounds or so... Probably have brain damage now.

    Hold it like me here in some town that I will never know the name of.

    CSA-2005-07-11-085556.jpg
  • JnRockwallJnRockwall Member Posts: 16,350 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Looks like the scope is touching the handguard
  • djh860djh860 Member Posts: 3,232 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Barnaul steel case 55 gr soft point boat tail. Russian.
  • armilitearmilite Member Posts: 35,490 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by laylandad
    You may want to try a riser mount to get that scope up a little.



    I bet your having a hard time looking through that scope being mounted as low as it is. Your probably not getting a very good cheek weld either.
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by midnightrunpaintballer
    4" at 50 yds? With a scope that big? Please tell me you were shooting offhand in a 75mph wind and your teeth were chattering from the cold...[B)]

    That rifle should perform much better than that even without a scope.



    i was thinking similar but not as exaggerated


    bullet weight, and twist rate rated on the barrel is important, but if your getting 4moa at 50 yards i would say something else is involved, look at the twist rate 1:9 you should be ok with that 55grn, fork out for a few boxes of good ammo, and if possible get a second shooter to shoot it from a rest


    honestly ar's notoriously don't like steel cased ammo but that's a feeding issue
  • midnightrunpaintballermidnightrunpaintballer Member Posts: 2,233 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    quote:Originally posted by midnightrunpaintballer
    4" at 50 yds? With a scope that big? Please tell me you were shooting offhand in a 75mph wind and your teeth were chattering from the cold...[B)]

    That rifle should perform much better than that even without a scope.



    i was thinking similar but not as exaggerated


    bullet weight, and twist rate rated on the barrel is important, but if your getting 4moa at 50 yards i would say something else is involved, look at the twist rate 1:9 you should be ok with that 55grn, fork out for a few boxes of good ammo, and if possible get a second shooter to shoot it from a rest


    honestly ar's notoriously don't like steel cased ammo but that's a feeding issue


    1moa is roughly equal to 1" @ 100yds. If he's getting 4" @ 50yds, then he's shooting around 8moa, not 4. I can consistently shoot around 2 moa with my armalite, and I do not consider myself to be an expert shooter. I shoot a lot, and I shoot well. But I do not think I can shoot any better than many other shooters. I think there is a definite problem here with the rifle, ammo, scope, scope mount, rest, shooting conditions, or a combination of several or all of these things. I cannot tell from the photos what manufacturer produced this rifle, but I would expect far better performance even from the lowest ranking manufacturer.

    I would think some different ammo and/or a different shooter could help narrow down the problem. If it can be determined that the problem is the shooter and not the rifle, then that would be a good thing. Learning and practice are much cheaper than parts and repairs.

    The OP has said they are a new shooter (at least to rifles) and that it was cold, and it was difficult to see the target through the scope....

    With that scope, you should be able to see just about anything! [:D] Move it, adjust it, and play with it. There's no point having a scope mounted where it's unusable. Figure out where it needs to be for YOU. You should be able to find a pretty comfortable location. As already suggested, you may need to try some higher rings to bring it up to your eye with the proper cheek weld. And you DEFINITELY need higher rings if the scope is touching the handguard at all.

    Spend the money on at least one GOOD box of ammo. You won't need much to tell you if it's gonna shoot better than the ammo you're currently using.

    We don't know where you got the rifle. If you bought it new, you may disregard this. If you got it used, assume the previous owner never properly cleaned it. Clean the barrel. Use a good copper solvent like sweets to make sure all of the copper fouling is out. This is not a bad idea even if you did buy the rifle new. Copper fouling will kill accuracy regardless of what kind of ammo you're shooting.

    If it's cold enough that you're shivering and can't hold still, then you might as well enjoy shooting it, but wait until it's warm enough to sit still on the bench before trying accuracy tests.

    Most AR's come with either a 1:9 or a 1:7 twist. The faster 1:7 twist is designed to stabilize the heavier bullets like 62 grainers and heavier. For 55 grain bullets and lighter, the 1:9 is great. Again, as previously mentioned, the twist rate should be stamped on the barrel. If not, it's pretty easy to find out for yourself. There are several youtube videos available to show you how if you don't already know.
  • 11BravoCrunchie11BravoCrunchie Member Posts: 33,423 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My AR with a 16" barrel and iron sights does better than 4" groups at 100 yards...
  • FrancFFrancF Member Posts: 35,279 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My Colt Hbar loves Ultramax 55gn bt's. One ragged hole at 100, I have not been able to reload anything better.
  • JnRockwallJnRockwall Member Posts: 16,350 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    were you using the 20 rnd mag seen in the picture or a 3o rnd mag?

    you cant hardly sight a rifle with a mag that hits the table. I suggest using the 20, or a 10 is even better or getting soome sand bags that stack high enought to rest the gun on it's own.

    then all you need to do is adjust a little and squeeze the trigger. You have to set aside the fact it's cold outside, or the fact you are cold. You can do it, forget everything around you for a split second when you become a rock and the only part of your body that can move is your trigger finger.

    and one last thing, no disrespect. But is that an rimfire scope?
  • 25skinner25skinner Member Posts: 228 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    YOUR RINGS SHOULD BE AS FAR APART AS PRACTICAL ..And I would guess a scope riser block is needed
  • NeoBlackdogNeoBlackdog Member Posts: 17,271 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by armilite
    quote:Originally posted by laylandad
    You may want to try a riser mount to get that scope up a little.



    I bet your having a hard time looking through that scope being mounted as low as it is. Your probably not getting a very good cheek weld either.


    That's what I was thinking... Get a Burris P.E.P.R. mount or a Larue LT104. Either of those will get the scope up where it'll line up with your eye and get it off the front handguard if it's touching there.
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by midnightrunpaintballer
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    quote:Originally posted by midnightrunpaintballer
    4" at 50 yds? With a scope that big? Please tell me you were shooting offhand in a 75mph wind and your teeth were chattering from the cold...[B)]

    That rifle should perform much better than that even without a scope.



    i was thinking similar but not as exaggerated


    bullet weight, and twist rate rated on the barrel is important, but if your getting 4moa at 50 yards i would say something else is involved, look at the twist rate 1:9 you should be ok with that 55grn, fork out for a few boxes of good ammo, and if possible get a second shooter to shoot it from a rest


    honestly ar's notoriously don't like steel cased ammo but that's a feeding issue


    1moa is roughly equal to 1" @ 100yds. If he's getting 4" @ 50yds, then he's shooting around 8moa, not 4.


    yes the standard meaning of "moa" is at 100 yards, i should have know better than to post the slightest of error
  • midnightrunpaintballermidnightrunpaintballer Member Posts: 2,233 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by midnightrunpaintballer
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    quote:Originally posted by midnightrunpaintballer
    quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
    quote:Originally posted by midnightrunpaintballer
    4" at 50 yds? With a scope that big? Please tell me you were shooting offhand in a 75mph wind and your teeth were chattering from the cold...[B)]

    That rifle should perform much better than that even without a scope.



    i was thinking similar but not as exaggerated


    bullet weight, and twist rate rated on the barrel is important, but if your getting 4moa at 50 yards i would say something else is involved, look at the twist rate 1:9 you should be ok with that 55grn, fork out for a few boxes of good ammo, and if possible get a second shooter to shoot it from a rest


    honestly ar's notoriously don't like steel cased ammo but that's a feeding issue


    1moa is roughly equal to 1" @ 100yds. If he's getting 4" @ 50yds, then he's shooting around 8moa, not 4.


    yes the standard meaning of "moa" is at 100 yards, i should have know better than to post the slightest of error


    Im not worried about your error. Crap happens to us all. I was making the point that there is reason to be concerned with what the rifle is actually shooting.
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