taliv made a post about box testing a new rifle and scope back in August of 2014.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=759028
I now have a steel target at 1,050 yards so figured that I need to run a box test to see how the Nightforce 3.5-15x50mm F1 scope (now discontinued) on my AI AW tracks. The first thing I did was find the 30mm Horus Vision ASLI that had been in a box for five or six years. I "knew" that the scope and reticle were true to the rifle so I picked a vertical line in the house and mounted/alligned the Horus to the reticle. I then used a square and calipers to mark out a MIL RAD grid on a large piece of cardboard with the intention of dialing up 9.0 MIL and left/right 3.0 MIL. I used a foaming bore cleaner to clean the barrel since I was testing some Winchester (rubbish) 140 gr Match ammunition the previous week. I then headed out the door to my shooting bench with a box of Hornady 140gr A-MAX Match ammunition which has never shot worse than 0.6 moa out of the AI. I levelled the target at 100 yards and then figured I'd better adjust the zero because it was zeroed for my handloads that leave the barrel about 150 fps faster. The first shot (1) was close but shots (2) and (3) showed a shift probably due to some cleaner left in the barrel that affected the first shot. I adjusted the scope down 0.2 MIL and right 0.1 MIL and then proceeded to shoot the box test by dialing in the appropriate correction. In hindsight I should have adjusted the zero down 0.3 MIL rather than 0.2 MIL but overall I was very pleased with the results. I'm convinced that shot (8) was ammunition error. The shot felt good but hit high so when I was done with the test ending with shot (12) I dialed up 9.0 MIL and right 3.0 MIL resulting in the shot shown at (13). There were wind gusts from the left for a few of the shots, but considering the error from the load itself (+/- 0.3 moa), and the wind, I think that I've validated the scopes adjustments, the level on the scope and the relationship between the reticle, level and rifle. I'm amazed at how much I cant the rifle when I shoot it. The reticle looks way off when the bubble is in the center.
Cant isn't a good thing at 1,000 yards+.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=759028
I now have a steel target at 1,050 yards so figured that I need to run a box test to see how the Nightforce 3.5-15x50mm F1 scope (now discontinued) on my AI AW tracks. The first thing I did was find the 30mm Horus Vision ASLI that had been in a box for five or six years. I "knew" that the scope and reticle were true to the rifle so I picked a vertical line in the house and mounted/alligned the Horus to the reticle. I then used a square and calipers to mark out a MIL RAD grid on a large piece of cardboard with the intention of dialing up 9.0 MIL and left/right 3.0 MIL. I used a foaming bore cleaner to clean the barrel since I was testing some Winchester (rubbish) 140 gr Match ammunition the previous week. I then headed out the door to my shooting bench with a box of Hornady 140gr A-MAX Match ammunition which has never shot worse than 0.6 moa out of the AI. I levelled the target at 100 yards and then figured I'd better adjust the zero because it was zeroed for my handloads that leave the barrel about 150 fps faster. The first shot (1) was close but shots (2) and (3) showed a shift probably due to some cleaner left in the barrel that affected the first shot. I adjusted the scope down 0.2 MIL and right 0.1 MIL and then proceeded to shoot the box test by dialing in the appropriate correction. In hindsight I should have adjusted the zero down 0.3 MIL rather than 0.2 MIL but overall I was very pleased with the results. I'm convinced that shot (8) was ammunition error. The shot felt good but hit high so when I was done with the test ending with shot (12) I dialed up 9.0 MIL and right 3.0 MIL resulting in the shot shown at (13). There were wind gusts from the left for a few of the shots, but considering the error from the load itself (+/- 0.3 moa), and the wind, I think that I've validated the scopes adjustments, the level on the scope and the relationship between the reticle, level and rifle. I'm amazed at how much I cant the rifle when I shoot it. The reticle looks way off when the bubble is in the center.
Cant isn't a good thing at 1,000 yards+.
