Unusual Zero Shift

[SonoranPrecision]

On a recent hunt, my rifle was sitting on the bipod and happened to tip over on some rocks. I didn’t think much of it, but a couple days later I had the opportunity to check my zero, so I decided to take a couple shots to make sure nothing had shifted. The first shot went .6 mils right, and the rest of the group settled .2 mils right from point of aim.

Obviously something shifted, but I’m most curious about the big shift on the first shot. I’ve had similar “settling”, for lack of better words, when remounting something, swapping stocks, etc. which makes me think the rings may have shifted slightly, and the recoil “reseated” them? I feel like if something internal to the scope shifted, it would have maintained a consistent shift vs nearly returning to zero. Any thoughts or similar experiences?

 

[MojoNixon]

I think the same phenomenon as you mention about the rings “re-seating” themselves could very well happen if it were an internal issue. Just because it may have been internal doesn’t necessarily mean the same “self-correction” can’t happen. Just my $.02. It’s worth exactly what you paid $.00 for it.

 

[frank320]

The first big shift followed by the re-centering closer back to original POI is probably like you guessed, some kind of reseating due to recoil.
It could be something within the scope, or something between the scope rings/mount against the rail, or the action reseating back into the stock.

As long as it settles back consistently after you re-zeroed it, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[spife7980]

Knock it over again and see if it’s repeatable

 

[SonoranPrecision]

Knock it over again and see if it’s repeatable

Might not be a bad idea