Problems zeroing ar15

[Bradu]

My brother bought an ATI brand ar15, we changed out the hand guard and gas block to get rid of front sight post before even shooting it. I sighted it in at 50 yards and moved back to 100 and it wasn't even on paper but got it zeroed at 100. Took it to 150 and couldn't even hit a 10" target. What the hell is going on?

Forgot to mention first time out the barrel extension came loose so we loctited it and tightened back down. It wasn't my idea or choice but he wanted to make it work rather than buy a new barrel. I think that the barrel is the issue but not sure.

 

[VaRandy]

assuming you are using a scope since you took off the front sight.

Your scope is not secure in the mounts or the mounts are loose. Sound like you should stop and get someone experienced before somebody gets hurt.

 

[Bradu]

I mounted the scope and torqued it, not the issue. I am not new to firearms but thanks for your concern or our safety lol

 

[KUSA]

The barrel extension is pinned to the barrel. How did it come loose?

 

[Bradu]

The barrel extension wasn't pinned to the barrel when we took it apart.

 

[Chupacabra]

someone broke the extension pin when torquing on the muzzle device improperly.

 

[insight3b]

Are you zeroing point of aim/point of impact? A lot of folks try to zero like 3 inches high at 100 and think they'll good out to whatever distance when they are in fact too high.
Maximum point blank range might help you

 

[Bradu]

someone broke the extension pin when torquing on the muzzle device improperly.

There isn't even a spot where there was a pin in the barrel, I will see about taking it apart this weekend and getting some pics.

Are you zeroing point of aim/point of impact? A lot of folks try to zero like 3 inches high at 100 and think they'll good out to whatever distance when they are in fact too high.
Maximum point blank range might help you

Had it zeroed dead on at 50 yards and couldn't hit the 12x12 target at 100. Something weird is going on and I don't know what is causing it. I thought about it being the barrel since it came loose from the extension and if it was that poorly assembled then the barrel is probably poor quality. I would think that with tightening it up and making sure everything else is tight that it would at least be able to go from dead on at 100 yards and easily hit 10" target at 150 yards.

 

[Jhnmdahl]

If the barrel extension wasn't pinned and has become loose, you have to worry about proper torque in replacing (and hopefully pinning) it, aligning it with the gas port on the barrel, and proper headspace. In short, not something I'd mess around with, and a likely cause of your accuracy issues. Might check with the barrel's source on fixing it for you...

 

[Nihonjin]

Had it zeroed dead on at 50 yards and couldn't hit the 12x12 target at 100. Something weird is going on and I don't know what is causing it. I thought about it being the barrel since it came loose from the extension and if it was that poorly assembled then the barrel is probably poor quality. I would think that with tightening it up and making sure everything else is tight that it would at least be able to go from dead on at 100 yards and easily hit 10" target at 150 yards.

So it is zeroed at 100 yards, and is actually shooting groups? So where are you at 150 yards? High, low? How much?

 

[1slow01z71]

There isn't even a spot where there was a pin in the barrel, I will see about taking it apart this weekend and getting some pics.




Had it zeroed dead on at 50 yards and couldn't hit the 12x12 target at 100. Something weird is going on and I don't know what is causing it. I thought about it being the barrel since it came loose from the extension and if it was that poorly assembled then the barrel is probably poor quality. I would think that with tightening it up and making sure everything else is tight that it would at least be able to go from dead on at 100 yards and easily hit 10" target at 150 yards.

So the barrel doesnt have the alignment pin on the barrel extension if Im reading your post right?

 

[Bradu]

So it is zeroed at 100 yards, and is actually shooting groups? So where are you at 150 yards? High, low? How much?

I'm not for sure, I got so frustrated with it that I finally quit fucking with it. It was left at least 12-14" and low probably 10". My brother and this gun have both been a pain in the ass, he started out with a junk no name scope that I fought and ended up saying the scope was junk. He decided he was just going open sights even though I told him that for what he wanted, he wouldn't be happy. That didn't last half a day. I finally gave him my 3-9 Leupold so he could see if he would like it, he bought a Nikon one piece scope mount with 20 moa scope mount and with the scope bottomed out it, it shot 2 foot high. I ordered a standard mount and that's when all this shit started.

So the barrel doesnt have the alignment pin on the barrel extension if Im reading your post right?

It has an alignment pin in the barrel extension but it's not pinned into the barrel.

 

[Bedlam]

Sounds like a defective build. Your brother shouldn't have to buy a new barrel; he needs to return the whole gun or get that barrel/extension fixed under warranty.

 

[Bradu]

Sounds like a defective build. Your brother shouldn't have to buy a new barrel; he needs to return the whole gun or get that barrel/extension fixed under warranty.

We discussed it but since we changed shit on it already I figured they would blame us for the problems just like car manufacturers do when modding a vehicle. I was trying to talk him into buying a Rainier arms ultra match barrel that was in stock the other night but I think he just ordered the Shilen barrel from Midway. I guess we will see if this fixes the problem, I'm pretty confident it will but haven't ever seen or heard anything similar to this problem.

 

[Bedlam]

You seem to know your stuff. I think the real problem is that your brother doesn't listen to you.

 

[Direct_Fire]

My brother bought an ATI brand ar15, we changed out the hand guard and gas block to get rid of front sight post before even shooting it.

Why would you ever modify a weapon before shooting it first? By changing things around you have probably voided any ability to send it back if it was a factory defect. Plus you know do not know if the gun was faulty from the factory or if something broke after you altered it.

Dave

 

[Bradu]

You seem to know your stuff. I think the real problem is that your brother doesn't listen to you.

You have no idea, he just got into shooting rifles and got caught up with the panic buying. He bought the first thing he found which happened to be this jewel, they been a headache ever since. His buddies did the same all thing and thought they would be shooting a 1000 yards by now, he figured out pretty quick he's not ready for 300. I spent a day teaching him how to adjust a scope with turrets and the next time we shot I had to do it all over again. He's taking the fun out of shooting for me and I'm going to have to find a new place to shoot just to enjoy it again.

Why would you ever modify a weapon before shooting it first? By changing things around you have probably voided any ability to send it back if it was a factory defect. Plus you know do not know if the gun was faulty from the factory or if something broke after you altered it.

Dave

Done it plenty of times on guns and vehicles. I have voided the warranty on a $54k truck with only 4500 miles by deleting dpf filter and installing a tuner so I don't worry about it on a $750 ar.

 

[Bradu]

I installed a Shilen barrel with headspaced bolt tonight and my badger ordnance hand guard that I was saving for a build but he needed a rifle length hand guard. It looks good and we will find out either tomorrow after work or this weekend how it shoots. If it shoots good i will be installing a Geiselle ssa-e trigger.

 

[Bradu]

Good news, shilen barrel solved the problem. Got it sighted in at 150 and took it out to the steel plate at 300 with ease. I even had my brother shoot the pistol target that was about 40 yards out just to make sure it wasn't doing the same as the other barrel. Very impressed with the accuracy, I gave him a box of Copper creek 77 grain ammo and he shot a three shot group that could be covered with a nickel at 150

 

[TLB2]

Great to hear you got it fixed.

 

[bluto77]

Did you change anything that had to do with the scope? Different mount or anything like that? I had a Nikon 223 once, and I used the 1 piece mount that came with it. I got it on paper at 50, and then couldn't get it zerod at 100. Kept maxing out windage and still being 10" left. I took scope off, re-zeroed, re mounted, did that twice and still had the same problems. Finally got nikon to swap out the base mount, and that solved it.

 

[Bradu]

Did you change anything that had to do with the scope? Different mount or anything like that? I had a Nikon 223 once, and I used the 1 piece mount that came with it. I got it on paper at 50, and then couldn't get it zerod at 100. Kept maxing out windage and still being 10" left. I took scope off, re-zeroed, re mounted, did that twice and still had the same problems. Finally got nikon to swap out the base mount, and that solved it.

All I did was install the new barrel. I even put a nightforce scope on it just to make sure it wasn't the scope prior to swapping barrels and it did the same thing.

 

[Bedlam]

i will be installing a Geiselle ssa-e trigger.

That's way too good for your brother to have.

 

[Bradu]

Haha, it's funny how people think their trigger is ok until they try a nice one. I don't think he's quite ready for my 1 1/2 lb Jewell in my bolt gun