Winchester 30-30 Shoots High.

[P5 Guy]

At the range the other day another shooter was complaining his pre 64 Winchester has shifted POI. The rear is all the way down and at 50 yards POA is 6 to 8 lower than the POI. In other words holding at the bottom of the target bull the shots hit over the center.
According to the owner this just started. Using 170gr CoreLoct factory Remington ammo.
Could the forearm be warped? What could have caused this rifle to shoot so high?

 

[rcmodel]

No idea.

But maybe just the way he was holding it.

30-30 carbines will not shoot to the same POA if you lay them on sandbags and let them jump under recoil.

You have to hold them down on the bench, just as you would when standing on your hind legs shooting them.

(Recoil moves the muzzle up before the bullet gets out of the barrel.)

I doubt forearm warp would do much of anything. It's really not attached to the receiver to be able to apply enough pressure to spring the barrel that much.

rc

 

[P5 Guy]

Thanks rc, if I run into the guy again maybe he will have the rifle so I can see how he's holding. This outdoor range is in the middle of the most densely populated counties of Florida, so bench resting any centerfire is mandatory.

 

[m6tlogistics]

remember-most rifles are intended for 100 yd zero to start with-so it being high @ 50 is not surprising-if hunting in dense bush where 50 is the norm-higher front site from Numrich/Brownells/Williams-

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Maybe his eyes have degraded or he was shooting in low light which will cause one to shoot high.

 

[LT.Diver]

If it's a pre-64 Winchester the only way to fix the site would be to sell it to me for what it cost in '64. Actually, since it's used I'd have to knock a few bucks off, and a few more for the bad sites. Plus you'll have to pay for shipping.
Deal?

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Whacked the front site?

 

[Sailct41]

don't forget that the sights on this are raised and lowered by a sliding bar. maybe he has it in the wrong position

 

[Catpop]

If not the hold, then install higher front sight. Catpop

 

[jrdolall]

Assuming that the guy does the same thing every time he shoots the gun I can't think of any reason for the gun to be 6-8" off at 50 yards. I'm not sure raising or lowering the sight a notch would make that much difference at that distance.

I guess it could be ammo related but even that is a stretch. I have ammo/gun combinations that are far from accurate but 6-8" at 50 yards? When I was archery hunting I was better than that at 50 yards.
As someone else mentioned it could be a case of old eyes. At 45 I could tear a target up at 100 yards with iron sights and at 50 I couldn't SEE the iron sights.

 

[The Bushmaster]

It's the shooter. Not the rifle. With the forearm on a rest he might just be antisipating recoil and leaning into it just as he pulls the trigger.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Someone may have put a lower front sight on.

 

[Kp321]

Possibly a ding on the muzzle?