Leupold Scope Issue...

[benji]

Recently while trying to get my 2002 production ML II to group I tried 2 different scopes in an effort to eliminate any variables.

The first scope I tried was a Sightron II Big Sky. When the gun would not group with 57 grains of VV120, Orange MMP sabot and 300 grain BO and Fed 209's, I decided to try another scope. I mounted a new Leupold VX-III 3.5x10 and it did not have enough elevation or windage adjustments to get me to point of aim/impact at 100 yards.

Any explanation for this? At least with the Sightron I could get a point of aim/point of impact group before the unexplained flyer's started showing up.

I double checked the Warne QD rings/mounts and they checked out fine.

The gun is now with Bill and Henry Ball and will get the bedding/3rd lug treatment and a PAC-NOR barrel.

Any ideas why this Leupold didn't have enough windage or elevation adjustments to get to point of aim/impact?

Thanks in advance,
Benji

[deadeer]

Search back awhile, and I think ("pcarpenter" maybe?) had some of the same problems. Either the receiver or the scope base was machined wrong or something like that. Do the search and you should locate it.
Jay

[whyohe]

did you check to see if the base is riding on the recoil lug? the sightron might just had more adj. than the loui.

[unloaded]

The recoil lug was my first thought too. Also which adjustment did you run out of? Windage or Elevation? Have you put an alignment tool in the rings? I've got the Kokopelli ones and they are much better than the pointed ones.

peace.
unloaded

[153]

quote:
The gun is now with Bill and Henry Ball and will get the bedding/3rd lug treatment and a PAC-NOR barrel.

Happy days are on your way. I have a Sav that Bill bedded/3rd action screw for me and RB place a 45 PacNor on for me. Everything I push down the barrel so far has shot sub-MOA with both 195MZ and 200SST. Three different powders plus two different duplexes, nothing like the stock 50. Just go to the range shoot three shots, adjust scope, shoot three more shots to verify zero and go home with a smile ;D ;Don your face. ;D

[bigmoose]

Now thats a mystery.
What ever the answer is, I doubt is the scope, unless yours is defective, thats always a possibility with any item.
I have been using Leupold scopes for sixty plus years and never that problem.

[unloaded]

It's possible a BCR might have solved the problem. Some have been reporting inconsistancies with the Orange MMPs.

peace.
unloaded

[rexxer]

Jan 7, 2010 8:35:44 GMT -5 whyohe said:

did you check to see if the base is riding on the recoil lug? the sightron might just had more adj. than the loui.

whyohe
Keep that picture! Looks good and will be used alot!!! It does seem that this is a ongoing problem!

[benji]

Guys:
The bases and rings were thoroughly inspected, torqued and precision reamed with a Manson 1" scope tube reamer. I tried both Orange MMP and BCR. When I reinstalled the Sightron I was able to get a dead on 1st shot then the next two printed 4" low at 7-8 o'clock. The 4th one then cut the 1st shot and then went back to 7-8 o'clock. I called it quits then I called Henry Ball. He felt the QLA on this older gun may very well be the culprit.

Regarding the scope adjustments I had the windage all the way left and still needed another 3/4". The elevation was 6-8" too low and was also maxed out. I have been told Sightron has more adjustment clicks than Leupold. I have used Leupold for years but decided to give Sightron a try based on a friends recommendation.

This rifle went back to the factory in 2003 and had a new barrel installed at that time. I never shot it until this fall and discovered improved cylinder patterns instead of groups.

Thanks,
Benji

[Rifleman]

The windage was maxed out, now that sheds some light on the problem. I have found that it appears that the alignment between the barrel and receiver on most of these Savages is not always as straight as we would like it to be. Sometimes it takes quite a bit of either windage or elevation to get zeroed. This becomes a problem with Leupolds and other scopes with erector systems that are round. Say your given scope advertises to have 40 moa of adjustment in the windage and elevation. Well if you use up most of your windage, then you don't have the full 40 Moa of elevation to play with as you will top out on the side of the erector. Zeiss has a square erector system and you can use all the windage and still have all of the elevation available. If I am mounting something other then a Zeiss on one of these Savages, then I use a windage adjustable set of rings like the Millet angle locs. I make the big gross windage adjustments with the rings first, and then only have to use a little of the windage in the scope to fine tune. This leaves me with most of the elevation available to me. Changing the rings over to Millet angle Locs or swtiching to a Zeiss would most lifely solve the problem. The root cause is poor alignment between the barrel and receiver.

[jims]

I had similar problems on two Sav MLs and now use Burris Signatures Zees with the inserts to remedy the problem.

[mshm99]

Ditto Jims ,also buy Burris 1" sig pos-align 626019, offset ring inserts. Problem solved.

mshm