Can the scope get knocked off zero that easy ?

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Wanderling

Wanderling

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My son's .22 was in the storage in a soft shell, tucked in the back of a closet with clothes we barely ever use. So, at worst, it would get moved out of the way a few times.

Took it to the range and it was way off. I sighted it about 5 years ago and last shot it a couple years back. Is it normal for the scope to lose zero from just gentle bumping ?

It's an inexpensive Simmons scope, but pretty accurate when set right.
 
Is it in an actual moiunt, or one of those 3/8" dovetail grooves? While Someguy2800 is correct, some just don't seem to hold zero, the dovetail mounts seem to be the worst offenders. I had one as a kid that would change zero every time you put the rifle down. Seriously. Zero it, shoot it at targets and tin cans. Let anything but a gentle breeze near the scope or rings, it put bullets into the next zip code. I still have the rifle because it has sentimental value (belonged to my late uncle) but no scope. Irons only.
 
The old canard about a performance car "you can have fast, cheap and reliable, pick any two" more or less applies to riflescopes. I bought one of those cheap Simmons rimfire scopes a while back, it had a mind of it's own as far as holding zero.
 
The most obvious suspect is the scope being that it is a Simmons. I wouldn't expect a nicer scope to lose zero with the amount of handling described. For every story you hear about success with cheap scopes you hear many many stories about failure. I'm talking Tasco, BSA, Simmons, bubblepack Bushnell. There are more I just can't think of them right now.
 
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I've honestly had a Simmons .22 Mag 4x fixed on my customized 10/22 for years and years. It's been on many rabbit and squirrel hunting trips and many more range trips and it's never lost zero. Given that it's a $40 scope I consider it kind of an anomaly for hanging on so long without losing zero. I often think about replacing it, but 4x does work pretty well for light range work and busting bunny heads, so I always decide to keep it around until it dies.... It's still here.

As for the OP, it doesn't surprise me that your scope is off after 5 years in the closet. That's the exciting part about cheap scopes, you never know when they'll decide to give up the ghost!
 
Are you the only person who has been in that closet over the past 5 years? Any chance someone else dropped that sucker and didn't bother to tell you?
 
I also have had 2 Simmons hold zero for decades, many multi day camping trips, probably 100s od day trips, and 6 or so moves of which 2 where out of state. All with the rings they came with.

I also have a newer Simmons and those rings were complete garbage.


I had read that a few times before I bought the newer one and chalked it up to Internet criticism and anonomlies. They were right, complete garbage. I rarely say things like that. The Simmons rings are stamped and formed... it looked like they were having trouble dealing with the elasticity of the material during forming; out of round etc



I bought a set of cheap UTG QR rings and have been happy.
 
I have a 15 year old 6.5-20x40ao Simmons that i put on lots of different guns for accuracy testing. It's a great scope with clear optics but if you bump it hard enough it looses zero pretty easily. I've had some cheapo Simmons on some 22's as well and they've always done there job. With some of the cheap 22 setups I don't know if the scope or the mounts are to blame, they are both as cheap as can be
 
243winxb said:
Wood stocked rifles may change the zero over time. Wood not sealed can absorb moisture or dry out.

My Marlin 39's forearm caused it to change. Removed some wood, and sealed wood, fixed it.
Click to expand...

I understand conceptually what you're saying. However, assuming a scope is properly mounted to the receiver, the change in shape of the wood stock should not change the alignment to the bore. It could obviously change the bore's alignment to the stock, grip, etc.
 
ColoradoMinuteMan said:
I understand conceptually what you're saying. However, assuming a scope is properly mounted to the receiver, the change in shape of the wood stock should not change the alignment to the bore. It could obviously change the bore's alignment to the stock, grip, etc.
Click to expand...

What specifically are you saying?
 
cdb1 said:
You are technically correct but wood swelling or shrinking can change POI and when that happens the scope has to be re-zeroed.
Click to expand...

I think I'd need further explanation to be convinced. In my mind, If your scope is mounted to the receiver and aligned to the bore, the bore will continue to be aligned to the scope no matter what happens to the stock. As long as you position yourself to align properly with the scope, your POI should not be impacted. Unless there is a malfunction with the scope, or mounting mechanism, why would you need to re-zero the scope? I can't imagine adjusting the scope away from the zero of the bore to make up for a change in the stock position. You need to readjust your body to adjust for that. It's the same reason you don't have to re-zero your rifle when you hand it to another person. In fact I've removed stocks, and continually remove upper receivers and never need to re-zero. I completely agree that your accuracy can suffer due to a change in ergonomics, fit of stock, etc, but at that point it would be due to the handling of the firearm and not a misalignment of the sights.
 
What I stated is common knowledge. When wood shrinks or expands it can and quite often does change the pressure points on a barrel and thus changes the barrel harmonics. When barrel harmonics change, POI shifts in many barrels. When POI shifts the fix is to re-zero the rifle. The scope hasn't failed, it is used to fix an issue with the rifle. There are several members of this forum with a more technical bent who can explain it better than I.
 
There is a reason you'll never see a wood stock on a precision rifle. Moisture, temperature, and altitude can have a huge effect on the rifles point of impact. A wood stocked rifle can be every bit as accurate, but as weather conditions change so does the point of impact. When driving from GA to CO for a hunt I leave 80` weather with 80-90% humidity and at 500' elevation. Arriving at hunt camp in CO it may be 20` with 20% humidity and at 8000' elevation. A wood stocked rifle could easily impact 4-6" off in any direction compared to when it was in GA. That is why you always re-check zero and adjust it after a long trip. When returning to GA the rifle will have to be re-zeroed. I've seen my rifles be off 2-3" in October after being zeroed in July while sitting in my safe. That doesn't happen with synthetic, but I still check after a long trip.

But with 22's that are typically shot at less than 100 yards to be off significantly is most likely due to a cheap scope.
 
22 LR in wood stocks.
ColoradoMinuteMan said:
the change in shape of the wood stock should not change the alignment to the bore. It could obviously change the bore's alignment to the stock, grip, etc.
Click to expand...

If the forearm is touching the barrel (not free floated) , change in wood moisture can and does change the pressure on the barrel. This moves the bore, while the scope is fixed to the receiver.

The biggest change in the point of impact, would be the 22 types that have 1 action screw. The Marlin M60 is the worst i have encountered. Take the barreled receiver out of the wood stock to clean, on the next trip to the range, it will need to be sighted in again. The torque/pressure on the action screw changes with the weather, also.

Even the super accurate Remington M581 with its 1 action screw will do it, but not as bad. The fix here is a modification. A 2nd action screw is added in the tang area. Then free float the barrel. Or if lazy like me, glass bed the action and the pressure point on the barrel. Seal the wood well.

Ammo- Difference in the lube on 22 lr ammo, can change the point of impact on target, but mostly when switching ammo brands without cleaning. This can be as much as 3" difference at 50 yards. So when testing different brands of ammo, clean the barrel before testing the next brand. Or shoot 10 rounds to recondition the barrel with the new lube.

Yes, it may be the scope. Most have a spring pushing against the tube inside. The adjustments on cheap scopes, is not good.
I suggest a Bushnell scope as a replacement. But both brands are part of the Vista Outdoor family. So may not make a difference??
 
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Ive had horrible luck with Simmons scopes. I did have one on a 22wmr that actually held up fine. It was an 8pt just like the others except it had a red ring around the elevation turret. Not sure if that meant it was any different but i heard that it was a Master series and was built a little better.

The rest of the ones i had would usually hold their zero but the adjustment was always wacky. I would adj the scope and the POI wouldnt change, until recoil shifted it into place. We all learned to make our adj, then tap on the turret with the dime we used and it generally adjusted POI.

When i got on up in my teens i decided from then on id save my $ up and buy better scopes. In my case, thats been a wise decision ever since.
 
TN Outlaw said:
Ive had horrible luck with Simmons scopes. I did have one on a 22wmr that actually held up fine. It was an 8pt just like the others except it had a red ring around the elevation turret. Not sure if that meant it was any different but i heard that it was a Master series and was built a little better.

The rest of the ones i had would usually hold their zero but the adjustment was always wacky. I would adj the scope and the POI wouldnt change, until recoil shifted it into place. We all learned to make our adj, then tap on the turret with the dime we used and it generally adjusted POI.

When i got on up in my teens i decided from then on id save my $ up and buy better scopes. In my case, thats been a wise decision ever since.
Click to expand...

If it's the scope, it's a shame. The optics on it seem every bit as good (bright and clear) as on my 3x as expensive Nikon I have on AR-15. One would think that the optics are the most costly part...
 
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