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Did I make a mistake while sighting in?

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Old 11-02-2009 | 06:51 AM
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Nontypical Buck
 
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Default Did I make a mistake while sighting in?

I recently zeroed in my 30-06 and have begun to wonder if I might have thrown off the point of impact in the way I rested the fore-end. I raised the front sandbag by setting it on a couple of 2x6 boards which were themselves placed on a sturdy, wood table. As I've thought about it, I wonder if the hard surfaces of the those boards/table in contact with each other might have thrown off the zero.

Do you think I have a reliable point of impact?

The actual zeroing session was utterly routine and as simple as it gets. My rifle shot its typical one inch group an inch high, I adjusted the scope down, and the next group was exactly where I wanted it. No flyers or anything unusual.
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Old 11-02-2009 | 07:31 AM
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i will say no to your question ..when i practice on the range i use sandbags ,when i caribou hunt i sometimes rest the front stock on rocks or boulders and no change in MOA ... as long as u don't rest the barrel on a suport ,that will throw your MOA .ALL OVER THE PLACE...
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Old 11-02-2009 | 07:41 AM
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unless you were shootin extremely down maybe, but most shootin ranges are fairly flat so no harm done, the scope is still pointing where its pointing.IMO
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Old 11-02-2009 | 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by halfbakedi420
unless you were shootin extremely down maybe, but most shootin ranges are fairly flat so no harm done, the scope is still pointing where its pointing.IMO
I'm sorry. I don't understand this. how would what he did to sight in his rifle be effected by an extreme angle versus just using a sandbag without the hard boards?
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Old 11-02-2009 | 08:32 AM
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Nontypical Buck
 
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Let me be clear about this: When you sight in from a hard surface, the rifle jumps and the resulting zero is actually higher than what the gun would be from a padded rest or sandbag. It's a false zero.

Did the boards/table contact create this situation even though a sandbag was on top of them? In other words, I need to know the boards introduced that same kind of jump effect? If they did, I need to resight.
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Old 11-02-2009 | 09:20 AM
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Typical Buck
 
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Originally Posted by Father Forkhorn
Let me be clear about this: When you sight in from a hard surface, the rifle jumps and the resulting zero is actually higher than what the gun would be from a padded rest or sandbag. It's a false zero.

Did the boards/table contact create this situation even though a sandbag was on top of them? In other words, I need to know the boards introduced that same kind of jump effect? If they did, I need to resight.
did u read my posting ???????

there is NO differance between a hard or soft shooting surface..when the barrel lifts up the bullet is long GONE ....
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Old 11-02-2009 | 03:22 PM
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did u read my posting ???????
Yes, I did. Thank you for posting. What you say is intriguing because it goes against the general grain of shooting wisdom--at least that of the people who write in hunting and shooting publications. I might rezero out of curiosity to see if I can get a similar experience to yours.
You may have exposed one of those unchallenged myths that sometimes show up in shooting.
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Old 11-02-2009 | 04:55 PM
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I'm with heinz. I've never heard of that "shooting wisdom" or "myth." The only thing relating...shooting without a floated barrel might affect your accuracy using different rests. Different pressures on the bbl= affects bbl harmonics.
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Old 11-02-2009 | 05:24 PM
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I'm with heinz. I've never heard of that "shooting wisdom" or "myth."
I just did a couple of google searches and over and over, the statenment is made not to put the gun on a hard surface as it will jump. Especially the not the barrel but the fore-end as well.

Granted, the internet's not the best, but Chuck Hawkes mentions this. Here's also a quote from David Petzal from an article in Field and Stream on three common sight in mistakes:

When you sight in, you have to do it on a rest that is firm but not hard. If the forearm is sitting on a hard surface, it will bounce at the shot, sending your bullet high.
If you'd really like to get a false zero, rest the barrel on something--it doesn't matter whether it's hard, soft, or pleasingly firm--your bullets are going for a ride upward.
It also pays to rest the fore-end at exactly the same place for each shot. In other words, don't have it resting nearly at the sling swivel for one round and near the floorplate for the next. That breeds inconsistency. And some rifles are very fussy about their preferred degree of firmness. I've owned numerous guns that I could not shoot accurately over a hard sandbag because they'd bounce. Only a softer sandbag made them happy.
Again, I wonder if the board thing might have ended up causing something akin to this.
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Old 11-03-2009 | 07:02 AM
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Nontypical Buck
 
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You rested on a sandbag. That's all that matters. You are good to go.

And I have always heard not to rest on a hard surface, common knowledge as far as I know. I'd like to hear a report if someone wants to test it. Could be interesting.
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