ORIGINAL: outdoorslover
I finally got some bullets and powder and sighted in my Winchester Apex. I started at 30 yards and sighted it 2 inches high. That took about 10 shots, and thenI cleaned the barrel.ThenI went to 100 yards to see where it would impact. I got like a 2 inch group but they were all low.I worked on it a bit untilI thought it was right on. I shot twice and hit an inch apart right by the bullseye. By thenI was feeling pretty confident so I decided it was done. I kept shooting and after some more shots it started shooting erratically. They weren't on target at all. I had noticed that the bullets were extremely hard to load soI decided to clean the bore again. After that it shot great, but started flying erratic after a couplemore shots. I didn't clean it this time and noticed they were flying low again and left. I adjusted the sights and shot once. It was way off. By then I had 2 bullets left so I went to 50 yards. The first shot was way high and right. I adjusted and then shot again. This was about a half inch to the right of the bullseye.I was out of bullets butI moved the sights just a tad bit left. It should now be right on at 50 yards and right back where it was before.
I was shooting 240 grain TC XTP Mag sabots, 100 grains Pyrodex powder, and Winchester Primers with open sights. I can tell the gun is accurate because I shot some great groups but I seem to throw some erratic bullets occasionally. I believe this is either because of the dirty bore or me, though. How would you sight it in? Dead on at 50 yards? I think I'll actually get it an inch high at 50. This should be about right on at 100 I would guess. I'll have to buy more bullets.
The gun's very easy to load and clean but after about a dozen shots it gets super hard to start the bullet. I have the busted up, bloody knuckles to prove it(bullet starter slipping and bashing my hand on the muzzle).
Thanks for any insight you care to share and if you still want an Apex you can go and get one in ss/black for $200atCabela's.
I swab after each shot with the Apex and have had no problems with the 270 Ballet (80 grains 3f Goex) in terms of grouping. It has been excellent. While visiting my Dad, we shot 1 1/4 groups (at 50 yards)in breezy conditions with the 375 BB SSB and 70 grains 3f Goex and similar groups were obtained with 270 ballet. Again we were swabbing between shots using the fiber optic sights.
I intend to get some bore size conicals for it and try my luck without swabbing using the techniques implemented by the White users like Underclocked and Cayugad. I should be getting my Scope soon, so a more detailed analysis of precision will be forthcoming.
One other thing. I think the bore size is a couplethousandths less than other rifles like T/C. So a thinner sabot may help with loading. Still I would swab between shots. If a sabot loads alottougher than the previous ones, its going to have a different POI than those previously loaded.
Also, the Buffalo SSBs load easily in my Apex with out a short starter.