Dope inconsistancy

Also, don't ignore the scope turret value calibration adjustment in the shooter app. It is your friend. It is very critical to find a slight error in scope tracking. Some times at 100 yards it is impossible to find. But as you crank up it multiplies. So if inserting a correction factor of (example) .985 or 1.025 or so on gets you there it could be revealing a hidden tracking issue you can not detect. This is a golden tuning aid for this app.

I gotta plead ignorance, or inexperience here. Ive never tried to adjust this setting in shooter. Ive always done a simple up and down tracking test to check level and make sure the scope is tracking close to a known distance, then called it a day.

If you get a calm day that is overcast go for it. Mirage has sent me home from many days confirming drops. Even the slightest mirage will kill your efforts. I remember the last time this happened to me. I was 1 moa off at 1000 yds. center group. I said BS and went home. The next day with no mirage the same dope same target was spot on.

This is my number 1 obstacle. I have lots of data collected on different days with diff temp and atmospheric conditions. Getting it done under the same conditions inside where it gets light and before it gets too windy is a booger bear. Also ive notice my worst groups come with the rising/setting sun. I go scope blind very quickly in these conditions.

However youve given me some great food for thought and opened up some good possibilities for me to try. Ive got some reloads that have been shooting well and i will get out this weekend and see if i cant bring something to light. Thanks again its obvious you spent some time thinking about this and it is appreciated.
 
Well guys i made it out this morning to try and get some drop data all in the same day.

I decided to listen to broz and set all my data to default and zero out powder temp compensation.

Also i believe someone suggested i shoot further to interpolate my data more accurately. I thought this was a good idea too.

Pretty miserable day. 37deg f, 99%hum, 30.12 hg/in, 61 ft elev.
It was wet, cold and muddy.

I spent 10 shots fouling and zero-ing, i shot with a jacket on and the groups were wider than i like but they were centered.
I shot an additional 5 shot group adjusting elevation 10 min and then back, and holding off with my reticle i was able to center the groups within a half moa of poa.
I took temp, pressure, and hum readings before each group. I shot a three shot group at each distance, except 500 where i shot 6. I also pocketed the shells i was planning to shoot to keep them warm and the same temp. My following shots at distance were as follows.

Dist.-------Est drop.-------Actual drop

300-------- 4.6 ----------- 5
500-------- 11.6 ---------- 12
700-------- 20.4 ---------- 20.75
1100------- 45.8 ---------- 46.6

This data was almost exactly a half minute off. It had warmed up and was getting windy so i gathered up all my stuff and went back to 100 yards to verify my mornings zero. I proceeded to pile up 6 bullets in a nice little group exactly .5 moa low.

So first off i apologize for wasting you guy's time, i should of known better to do this before i asked for help. Apparently my data in shooter is doing what it should. Im not sure why i was getting mixed data at 500 yds so often.

Now i dont know if i was just shooting poorly for my initial zero, which seems to be typical when i shoot with a jacket, or if i actually had my zero shift. This gun has about 3500 rounds through it, it does copper foul very badly, and has been getting worse lately. Could that cause my zero to move around over 30 or so shots?
 
Cool!!! Glad to hear you for her dialed in. That powder temp / MV variation option is something I am working on. But I still do not use it as I think it can cause trouble that comes from variables in barrel temp, ammo temp, and ambient temps. Especially when used with powders that have a higher velocity / temp swing.

But you have some solid data there and your first round confidence should be good.gun)

Jeff
 
I dont know about dialed in, but at least i know my data and equipment are good, just a matter of keeping track of my round count and paying a bit more attention to my zero.

The temp variation function can definitely be tedious to work out. Luckily my powder is too terribly sensitive to temperature.

Well thanks again for the help broz, and everyone else. Happy hunting all.
 
Great info....are you using G1 or G7....some of my calibers are closer than others. I've adjusted like you boys have to get the dope to work ???


Later
 
Ive experienced the same thing. Dead on 0-800 in an xp handgun except at 450 where I was always low. By a min or so. It was always consistent so I made the correction on my drop chart and hunt her with incredible confidance. It's why you should always verify dopes. The computer will usually get you very close and my ohler is dead on but in the real world it just works out a bit differently. Still minute of deer but I prefer minute of exactly where I want it to go:)gun)
 
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