What went wrong?!?!?!??!
 

My son brought me his Rem 700 ADL. The scope was junk to start with and he bought a new Vortex scope. I started from scratch with the mounts on up. Cleaned the barrel and bore sighted it. I built a set of ladder loads with both Varget and H380 using 55grn Horn V-Max. I loaded them .010 off the lands. Hand primed used brass. All brass was checked for length and was well below trim length.

Took to range. I was able to shoot the H380 loads and kept them under 1-1/2" 5 shot groups. All groups shot 7 o'clock 2 inches out of POA. He wanted the rifle back to shoot 'yotes with. I loaded up 70rnds of the best shooting load and went back to set the POI. It looked like I closed my eyes and just slung lead!!!!!!!!!! Even with just minute adjustments of the scope, it would make 4-6" impact difference!!!!
I about fell off the bench. I have been the only one to handle the weapon. It was always in a hard case while transported. Not dropped. I used cleaned, trimmed, loaded the same powder charge from same jug. Same batch of projectiles. I thought I may have mixed up the load data results. I loaded up 2 different loads, 36.0 grns and 38.0grns and loaded with what I thought was the same primer and went back to range. Same results. I can barely keep them on a sheet of paper now. Any ideas? Could changing just the primer make that huge of difference? I also loaded the experimental batch with remington brass thinking that that may have been the issue. Nope.

How many rounds did you shoot since you cleaned it? Could be extremely fouled since it's a brand new barrel.

Primers can make a difference but not like you are experiencing.

if its getting worse all the time something is coming loose, check the action screws, base screws, ring screws, if its not better, scrub the snot out of the barrel, if the problem is still there, take a well trusted scope from another rifle and try it, if still a no go, dig deeper, good luck
RR

You didn't pay as close attention to what he wrote as you usually do RR. If you did you would have noted this ("Even with just minute adjustments of the scope, it would make 4-6" impact difference!!!! ) That right there is telling me you have a blown scope. Vortex scopes are pretty good but any scope manufacturer will get a goofy one occasionally. Sounds to me like you have a loose Ret. If just a tiny adjustment to the scope makes a vast 3-6" difference then that's a scope problem not a rifle or loading problem. Return scope or, as RR said, put a known scope on there for testing first to verify what I am almost 100% positive of THEN return scope. Vortex has a good warranty if I remember correctly and supposedly they have excellent customer service.

Alright, thanks guys for you are the 3 that I was looking for replys from.
1st off, its a used weapon, not new. I cleaned it well before I took it out. But I didn't clean it between the trips to the range with the good groups and the bad groups. It just seemed to crap the bed overnight.
2nd. I went totally thru the rifle from top to bottom before I took out as I always do when starting with a new rifle for accuracy work. I used a torque wrench for everything and put back to specs per manuf.
3rd. I have a Luppy scope that is a trusted go to for me. Im thinking that I need to drop that on it and see what it tells me. And im thinking that I will call Vortex today and check out the scope CS and see what they tell me.
I really appreciate the fast replys and now I have something to tell him. With having worked on guns and loads for 30+yrs, it really has been a hair puller for me the last week over this.

Make sure you let us know how things work out. I know what hair pullers can be. ESPECIALLY when it's a brand spanking new scope. It just never enters your mind it could be the scope cuzz it's a new and from a good maker. Been there done that.

if you still have the same scope on the rifle, check it for parralex. ut the rifle on a solid rest and look through the scope without touching it. if the crosshairs seem to move when you move your head slowly from side to side or up and down then the scope is done. put a new scope on it.

I looked at parralex also. I didn't notice it. I even went back and checked headspace and max load length on the projectiles being used just to be sure I didn't miff something up there by chance. Now I am just waiting on the weather for some range time. Ol lady gets kinda pizzy when I test rounds in the basement and it makes the puppy do bad things on the carpet when I set those rounds off!!!

I saw a fella blow up a perfectly good hand gun
 

A shooter has to be careful loading ammunition. Some reloading doesn't work out too good. I'm afraid not everyone is meant to reload. Good thing for me I was a few benches away on a target range.

I am always on my game for the reloading dept. I was dead on for all my specs of my loads. I have come to find out that the scope was junk straight from the box. I dropped in my go to scope, a Luppy BenchRest 42X scope and she was right back to shooting the groups I had earlier and a tad better.

So did you call Vortex and get it straightened out? I'd like to hear about their customer service and such. I know with Nikon I've always had excellent service in all the years I have exclusively used them. And that's a LOT of glass! But I haven't had to call their CS in quite some time and I have been hearing from a few that their CS dept. is getting a bit bad. Been hearing pretty much nothing but good about Vortex in both scopes and CS so I may find myself snatching one up if I hear about good service.

I will get the paperwork from my boy this week and see what I can shake up out of them. I will report back with my findings!!!

Which Vortex scope is it? Curious because I have a Viper HS Long Range 4-16x44 that I haven't mounted on a rifle yet.

I agree it is likely a bad scope from the info you provided.
But FYI: I bought a used 700 for my son many years ago at a great price. TRhe guy said it didn't shoot worth a crap even though the bore looked good. I found out why when I got it home. Apparently this guy never took the action out of the stock and just kept oiling it (excessively from what I could tell). The wood all around the recoil lug was like a sponge. You could literally take chunks out with your finger. Fortunately there was enough solid wood once it was all ground out that I wasa ble to remove all the rotten wood and rebed the action. He still has this rifle and it shoots great.

Bronko, good info for my future reference bank, if I can only remember the combo to it when I need that info!!! LOL!!! My son came over and picked up his rifle and scope while doing some work on my ladys car for me and my bum shoulder now. He took the scope back to Gander Mountain and walked out the door with a new scope, no questions asked. He had the box, receipt and all and told them what happened. The guy walked in back and brought out a new one and away he went!!! So I told him to use my scope unless he really wanted me to trade it BACK out and go from there. I would rather not due to its cold out!!!!

Awwwwww SC,,,this aint cold!!! It's a little chilly is all :D (typed from my chair located right by the roaring fireplace)

Glad your boy got everything straightened out. I know I've had a couple of scopes that were wonky right from the box (one Luppy and one Nikon) and they were hair-pullers because I just couldn't get my brain out of "fart mode" thinking that it had to be the bases or something.

Aint cold?!?!?!? I was outside hauling in MORE firewood, I think my girlfriend likes to see the bricks glowing in the fireplace by the way she keeps it loaded!!!! And just cant seem to understand that the wood just "Magically" appears in the garage already split and ready for her heiness to load in the fireplace from the wood rack beside it!!! It was so cold this AM when I was getting more wood before going on duty that I farted in my coveralls and had to bring it inside to thaw out to see what it sounded like!!!!!! LMAO!!!!!
Yeah, that's the first I have had straight from the box that was junk. Especially on a name brand like that. Glad he didn't have any headaches to get a new one and I found the problem before loosing the rest of my hair!!!!! Thank god for being part German and Native American on the hair department!!!!!