Does This Mount Look OK, or Is It My Problem?

[snake284]

I recently bought a Stevens Model 200 .223 Rem. and mounted a Nikon Side Focus 6-18x40 BDC Reticle Buckmaster Scope on it. Here's a pic of the scope on the rifle. Does this mounting system look like it could cause a problem making it group like a shotgun pattern? Here's the pic of the rifle and afterward a pic of one of my targets at 100 yards at the bench with a really solid rest:


Here's a target I shot a group of 10 shots at 100 yards:



Actually I shot 11 shots at this one. But in fairness I was cranking on the windage knob trying to bring the group from right to center while I was shooting this group. But it is still a sloppy group both windage and elevation wise. Do you think the rings are too close together and not supporting the scope well? What do y'all think?

 

[nipprdog]

What ammo were you using?

 

[wsm]

mounts

I won't bet my life on it, but I think the the rear mount base is installed backwards. I don't recall seeing one with the windage screws toward the front. Also make sure your windage screws on your base are tight.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Double check the mount location and tightness. Try different ammo

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

the rear base is backwards, but i don't think the bolt will open if he turns it around. i had to do the same thing on my mossberg 100 atr to find bases to fit it back when it first came out.

i'd put a DNZ Products dednutz mount on it.

 

[JDGray]

You could swap the mounts frt to rear to get the scope farther back if needed, but thats just the way those mounts are. My 10FP shot just fine with that setup. Get some Blackhills ammo, and try it again without dialing windage.

 

[snake284]

Thanks JD Gray, it just looked awkward to me. I was shooting factory Remington 55 grain Core Lokts. Maybe the 1-9 twist doesn't like 55 grain bullets. I have loaded some 70 grain Speers to try over a healty dose of 24.5 grains of Varget to try next. If that doesn't help I'll go buy some Black Hills stuff and see. If not, I fear I may have a scope problem. I mean it does happen, though seldom. I thought maybe the mounts were not far enough apart to support the relatively long scope. I checked all the mounts several times and they're good and tight. I did find the front action bolt not really torqued down. It wasn't floppy loose or anything, it just broke free with little effort. The rear bolt on the front of the trigger guard was much tighter. Maybe I need a pressure point on the end of the stock. I don't know, anyway, anybody got any other ideas? Also, The rear mount wouldn't work the other way because I tried it. The bolt hits the windage screws when you try to open it.

 

[FC]

I wouldn't think you would be able to get any kind of a consistent cheek weld with your scope set so far back.

 

[snake284]

No, believe it or not, it fits me perfectly. When I put the rifle on my shoulder, my cheek is right in the weld on the butt stock and I'm looking right through the scope. I know it doesn't look like it but it is. I have lots of eye relief (like I need it with the almost nil recoil of a .223), like a good 3.5 inches if not more.

 

[JDGray]

The front action screw needs to be tight, even more so than the rear. The barrel should be free floated, and the safety tang too. Torque both screws to 30-40in lbs, and try again.

 

[snake284]

Yes, that's why I mentioned it as a possible problem. And yes I always torque to about 30 inch pounds. But I can't find my inch pound torque wrench. I had a nice Snap On with the dial indicator. It was really accurate too. I think I lost it in a move. I'll have to get another one, but I'm fairly confident that I can get close by feel because I have torqued so many. But you're right, the main thing is get the front bolt tight. The other can actually be hand tight as long as the front is tight and the action is sitting squarely in the stock. I'll try it again tomorrow. I have some hand loads with Speer 70 grain semi spitzers and they usually shoot well at 100 yards in my 22-250 and they also shot well in my old .223 which I no longer have. Anyway, thanks again.

Mike

 

[snake284]

OK, I'm going to make sure the scope isn't the problem. I switched scopses with my 22-250. I put the Leupold 4-12x40 VX-1 from my 22-250 on my .223 Stevens and put the Buckmaster 6-18x40 on my 22-250. I will try it out tomorrow if it's not too windy. I refuse to shoot in wind like this. There's no telling how far the wind is blowing the .224 bullets off.

 

[snake284]

Well it's been a few days and the wind's still blowing everyday. I want to get to the range and shoot this puppy since I changed scopes around. I also lightened the trigger from a whopping 8-9 pounds down to about 4. That should help. I stoned the trigger and seer surfaces and polished them with the Dremmel tool again. Then I relieved some tension on the main trigger spring. Really made a difference too, and it's safe. I did the drop test with the scope off. The big thing about stoning triggers is knowing when to stop. Some people keep going til they're dangerous. And you have to stone them square. Uneven surfaces don't mate well and will cause unitentional firings.

 

[Haxby]

If you don't like that mounting system, it looks like Leupold or Burris dual dovetails would work fine with that scope.
Are those medium rings? It looks like you have enough clearance for a 50mm objective scope.

 

[snake284]

You are correct Haxby. If there is a problem with this mount it's my own fault. I could have paid another $5 or $10 and got them at a LGS where the people knew what it needed. But I suckered into Academy and some college kid waited on me. I'm going to shoot it as is this weekend and see if I've helped it tighting the front action screw and lightening the trigger by about 5 pound (Neither would exactly hurt) and oh yeah I did put the rear mount on the front and the front on the rear, like JD Gray recommended. He also said it looked right because he has one similar and that's the way it mounts. And if it still doesn't shoot, I'm off to the next city up north of here to the LGS I trade with. There's two of them in Victoria Texas about 27 miles from here that I deal with and at least one of them I'm sure can get me lined out.

And yes, they are medium rings which I really didn't want in the first place. I ask for low rings and they told me they didn't even carry them. So it looks like I may have to get some different rings too. But the scope comes to my eye pretty well with my cheek on the butt stock fairly solidly.