rifle shooting technique vertical string head posi

rp85

hello;

issues is rifle shooting technique, vertical string. shooting a mauser bolt action rifle with a pistol scope installed in place of open sights. having to lift head off stock to see through the scope. getting a several inch vertical string. think the problem is my head being off stock. do not have any type of cheek weld to stock.

head off stock cause of vertical string?????

thanks for any input.

rp

62fuelie

Is your barrel floated? Slide a business card into the barrel channel wraped around the barrel, if floated it should slide down to near the receiver ring. If not, you may be getting a bit of swelling as the stock heats up this applies upward pressure to the barrel and can be the source of stringing. I wouldn't think the need to lift your head would cause stringing as much as a scattered pattern or a pattern in a location other than the zero. Have you considered using some sort of an add-on cheek piece like the lace ons they used to use on the scoped M-1Ds? You could even fabricate a temporary out of some padding material and duct tape to see if this gives the cheek weld and stops the problem. Can you use lower rings on the scope to bring it down to the line of your eyes? Most pistol scopes have fairly small objectives and should clear even in low rings.

perry shooter

Pistol scope may have Parallax problem at rifle ranges ,with out having a place to rest your cheek but I would suspect you would have larger groups not just vertical stringing.

rp85

added info. left and right perfect, seems to string vertically?!?!?!

thanks for input

rp

TRAP55

Plastic stock?

rp85

mauser mil. config bolt action rifle, stock wood.

Mobuck

I use one of those strap on padded cheekrests to raise the comb for a better cheekweld. That could be the answer for the problem you describe. Possibly recheck the torque of the action screws-the front one should be fairly tight and the rear just past snug.

TRAP55

quote:Originally posted by 62fuelie
Is your barrel floated? Slide a business card into the barrel channel wraped around the barrel, if floated it should slide down to near the receiver ring. If not, you may be getting a bit of swelling as the stock heats up this applies upward pressure to the barrel and can be the source of stringing. I wouldn't think the need to lift your head would cause stringing as much as a scattered pattern or a pattern in a location other than the zero. Have you considered using some sort of an add-on cheek piece like the lace ons they used to use on the scoped M-1Ds? You could even fabricate a temporary out of some padding material and duct tape to see if this gives the cheek weld and stops the problem. Can you use lower rings on the scope to bring it down to the line of your eyes? Most pistol scopes have fairly small objectives and should clear even in low rings.

Vertical stringing is common in the cheaper plastic stocks because of flex. A Mauser wood laminate stock won't have that problem. But it can, and will string if it needs the barrel floated, or if one the bands is applying too much pressure.
You need to find out if it's you or the rifle, sounds like the rifle. Remove the bands, handguard, and bayo lug. Take a trip to the range and see if it changes. If it stops the stringing, and/or changes the point of impact, all these components need to be floated from the barrel, as well as the barrel from the stock.

sandwarrior

Yes, and tape a heavy pad to the stock so you get consitent cheek weld.

More than likely is just pure luck you are only getting vertical stringing. It's because there is enough parallax in the system to allow you to move up and down behind the scope (and rifle, two different issues) and get the large groups.

When you get enough padding taped onto the buttstock (or laced on with a WWII style cheekpad) and can solidly look through the scope, it should shoot in the same general area.

If you are still getting vertical stringing, determine if it is 'walking' (high to low or vice-versa) or 'random' (no order, just vertical)