Help! Nikon Scope or is it me?
 

Hi Folks,
I have a brand new Nikon Slughunter 3-9x40 mounted to a brand new remington 870 with a 23 inch slug barrel.
I'm firing Hornady SST 2-3/4 slugs.

Target range 50 yards.

I can't get the scope to zero.. I had it to the point were I was about 2 inches left and 2 inches below the target. The scope adjuster says 1MOA or 1/4 Inch per click at 100 yards.
So, being at 50 yards, I moved it 8 clicks up and 8 clicks right. That should translate to a 2 inch adjustment at 1/2 the distance right?

My point of impact is now almost 7 inches higher on the first shot and 6 higher and 3 right on the 2nd shot.
It moved up all right.. A long way up.

Faulty scope or did I do something wrong?

I'd say check your mounts first. Second, try another scope to "rule out" gun issues. It may very well be a scope issue.

If you are firing one shot and then adjusting, your could be "chasing" how well the combination groups. Let me try to briefly explain. Say your combination groups 2 MOA. First shot is 2" low of the point of aim. So you adjust up 2". Second shot just happens to be the highest of the combination's inherent MOA ... now you could be about 4" high. So you adjust 4" down. The third shot is still within the 2 MOA capability but two inches low of where you actually are aiming. Now you think that you over adjusted and are 4" - 6" low ... and so forth.

A better way is: First be sure you are on paper. Then fire 3 carefully aimed shots at the same point. "Connect" the 3 holes, which will form a triangle. The size of the group is what the slug gun-ammo combo is capable of doing. (You can fiddle with the scope all you want but that is about as good as it will ever group.) The "center" of this triangle is where the scope is more or less zeroed. It would be ideal if the group were tight (under 2 MOA) and with each hole equally spaced from the center of the triangle.

Now, adjust accordingly, attempting to move the center of the 3-shot group to the point of aim. Now fire three more shots. This should have moved the center of the group much closer to where you are aiming, though ther triangle may appear a differnt shape. May take a couple of times to center it where you want.

If the scope and mounts are performing correctly, you should not see the size of the group "wildly varying" ... i.e., experience one or more of the rounds going way off the expected aim. But .... if the scope is not working properly, you might also see the group remain about as tight, but center move way off the point of aim though no adjustments were made. Once adjusted to the pioint of aim, all of the shots should be on target ... within the MOA of the set-up.

I would expect a good slugster combo to do around 2-3 MOA. If there is no issues with the scope or mounts, but the 3-shot triangle is "big" ... say 4"-6", try another factory load. More often than not, there is one out there that your combo will "like" and group tightly.

Good luck and good hunting.

I'm only shooting 50 yards..
Even 3 MOA would only come to a bit over an inch at 50 yards.. I would never complain about an inch...

I'm talking about an error of 6 inches at 54 measured yards..

Not sure if its the scope or the loose slugs inside the Hornady rounds.

Nikon Scope
 

[QUOTE=Murby;4088925]Hi Folks,
I have a brand new Nikon Slughunter 3-9x40 mounted to a brand new remington 870 with a 23 inch slug barrel.
I'm firing Hornady SST 2-3/4 slugs.

Target range 50 yards.

I can't get the scope to zero





You just answered the question I was going to post. It is the scope, not you. When you are sighting in are you putting the adjuster caps back on between adjustments? I was on a scope I bought long ago. I couldn't figure out why I had so much problem till this year. Since the season is over I will make sure the inserts that the caps go on seated and tightened. If I remember right I was always told that is what a low quality scope will do.

OH my.... I didn't know this was the comedy section, but I know it has to be because I had to laugh when I saw the words low quality and NIKON in the same paragraph>
We have a person that is trying to sight in a scope and from the sounds of it he is not doing it properly, all he is doing is chasing lead and will continue to do so until he follows the instructions or listens to someone that knows what they are talking about like MOJO!!
Is Nikon the best optics out there? NO!! but for some of us they are the best our money can buy! I can assure you they are a long way from being the worst!!!!!!

Yep Nikon is a very good buy and a quality piece of glass. Most overlooked.

It never ceases to amaze me when spending a good bit of my time writing up a good comprehensive recommendation list of optics for a person then someone comes in and says hey man buy a POS so and so brand. I did and saved X AMOUNT. Then the poster says yeah man that is just what I am going to go buy.

It seems like such a waste of time some times. I feel like I am wasting my breath sometimes.