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Reticle moves left after shot

pharm762

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 8, 2010
663
1
40
Bensalem, PA
I need help please. I am using an AI AX338 with the LRA bipod, muzzle brake and adjustable target buttpad. I am having problems with my reticle going almost a full target board to the left at times. Most of the time though it will move 2 feet left at 200 yds. I have been watching all the recoil management videos and have purchased the Day One And Magpul Precision DVDs. I am testing my NPA and it is fine. I am dry firing and my sights don't move. I am getting 1/2 MOA groups at 200 and they group well but I do want to have that straight back recoil. I am getting that with my SR25 and my Bolt gun but they are suppressed. Please help because I am not too sure if its because I am holding it wrong or the cartridge is a magnum.

I did try researching this topic and I can't find much. Some say its because you drive with your shoulder too much. Here is what I have done and doing. I have tried driving the bipod up against a hard surface so I can load the bipod heavy for the cartridge, didn't work. I tried what Lowlight suggested and just load the bipod but don't drive the shoulder into the rifle, still didn't work. With those two trials I tried very light grip to allow the recoil which was the worst. Then I tried pulling with the 3 fingers into the shoulder but not wrap my thumb around, still a problem but better. Then I tried same thing but my thumb wrapped around with a handshake grip, better but still hops off target. I tried sandbag and bipod and both is the same result. I tried adjusting the buttpad to the left, right, up and down.

Please help
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

Remember the gun will want to twist to the left if you have a right handed twist. I would recommend taking a video one from behind your position and one from the side. Upload it and then we can start to see.

I know with my .338 that when it jumps it's because I don not have the bipod loaded correctly or my body position is off.

-K
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kevlars</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Remember the gun will want to twist to the left if you have a right handed twist. </div></div>You see: You wouldn't have this problem if you had ordered a left-handed twist barrel.
grin.gif
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

I'm still learning this myself, but something that was touched on in Day One DVD, and discussed in detail in the Rifles Only "Fundamentals of Marksmanship" DVD, is the need to get straight behind the rifle. Jacob details how any angle between the shooter and the rifle is exploited during recoil. You might want to get Jacob's DVD to see his technique for lining up behind the rifle.

So you might try lining up at a slightly different angle. I wish I could tell you which way you need to go but I'm still experimenting myself.
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

Pharm, by all means give Jacob a call, he'll get you sorted out.

Also, here's another thread talking about the same thing you're suffering from. Read what I said about sympathetic squeeze and see if it sounds anything like what Jacob my tell you when you give him a shout.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...rue#Post3782795

MTETM, that's Jacob Bynum on that online training video you posted. That's a small sample of what you get when you go down to Rifles Only for a class.
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rifles Only</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Pharm,

Call me. I can help you with this

361-522-4165 </div></div>

Heck of a guy!
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

I watched Jacob's video again tonight. Seems like every time I watch it I pick something else up. If your trigger control, breathing, and follow through are good, then your angle with respect to the rifle is not straight. If the muzzle is shifting left due to this then you need to move your hips to the right slightly to get straight behind the rifle so that recoil can not exploit any angle.
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

I have been watching quite a bit of the training here on snipershide and it has helped me a lot. I had a issue with my m24 rifle of the reticle moving a little and i had to teach myself to support the stock and have it in the shoulder pocket but to not tense up my shoulder (which i was doing a LOT of). I had to deploy with the Army by the time i was getting it all down correct but i did notice a big improvement overall of keeping the scope on target. From what i do know since recoil goes directly to the back, if the scope stays on it's target then what your doing is working.


Heath
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

I would think of your issue as your whole gun is moving rather than the reticle. I'm sure the guy who teaches people to shoot for a living can square you away.

Ive never shot a .338 but I have some experience with a .50 Barrett. While shooting that I seem to remember digging the feet of my bipod into the ground a little bit, laying flat and directly behind the gun. I would go into a upward dog yoga pose and really lay into the rifle with my whole upperbody forcing the bipod feet into the ground.

If you dont know yoga poses I suggest checking out Sara Jean underwood's special on such matters. I believe it was a playboy tv special.
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SulphurRiverB4</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ive never shot a .338 but I have some experience with a .50 Barrett. While shooting that I seem to remember digging the feet of my bipod into the ground a little bit, laying flat and directly behind the gun. I would go into a upward dog yoga pose and really lay into the rifle with my whole upperbody forcing the bipod feet into the ground.</div></div>.50s are shot differently than are medium rifles; I wouldn't muscle a Barrett.
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

Thanks for the advice guys. Keep them coming. I did call Jacob and he took the time and helped me out a lot. I am practicing getting behind the rifle and not tensing up. I am thinking my problems are twitching, poor trigger break and tension in my firing hand. I think I am pulling the gun under recoil as a reflex. I haven't tested some of the points of Jacob on the range but am practicing dry firing.
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

I did some live fire this morning to try and concentrate on breathing, trigger control, and follow through. Most of the time my crosshair would end up pointing above the target by 3 to 9 moa. (I was shooting at 200 yd) Once the crosshair returned to the target! Unfortunately I have no idea what I was doing different when that happened. - Todd
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

I read in my Sako manual about adjusting the muzzle brake left or right to compensate for the rifle's tendency to drift after firing. I didnt have an issue so I haven't tried this but maybe its something to look into in addition to all of the other great suggestion???
 
Re: Reticle moves left after shot

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WinXD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I read in my Sako manual about adjusting the muzzle brake left or right to compensate for the rifle's tendency to drift after firing.</div></div>Rifles don't 'drift', even in Tokyo. That's just a way to compensate for bad technique and to keep customers from bothering the manufacturer.