Throwing Shot Out To Right

S

SGJennings

New member
Today during practice, I was consistently putting the last shot out to the right. I would have a good one going, then try to get everything right and it would just leak out one to a bit more bullet widths to the right. This happened 6 out of 8 groups. Any ideas?

I'm right handed and shooting free recoil (or trying to...I'm green as a gourd).

Greg J.
 
If you're throwing a shot always in the same direction it is gun handling. That's what Tony told me that I was doing wrong when I would lose one shot out of a group and it was always low and right.
 
Thank you, Mr. Coleman, I appreciate it.

I was slowing down and trying to get the last one right. I wonder if I was interacting with the trigger differently...from the side right than straight back. Heck, I just don't have the experience to eliminate possibillities. Just got to get back to the bench and try things.

The good news is that I shot two nice groups and my son had a nice one.

Greg J.
 
Bag set-up:

Mickey is right; you need to follow-though by watching the bullet hit the group.

Depending on the type of rest/bag set-up you have, you either need to be very precise on your gun handling or you may be able to get away with being a bit sloppy. I use a windage top with a Hayes front rest that weighs a ton. I take extra care to make sure that the front rest is aligned and the rear bag is solid so that the gun breaks the same every time and it points up on POA after every shot. I can get away with being a little sloppy with the gun handling because the rest set-up is solid.

I have tried both rear bag squeezing with a nonadjustable front rest and a Farley front rest and I can't get away with being as sloppy with this type of set-up. I would imagine that following through with these types of rests is ultra critical. I don't mean being slow (because that can be just as bad as being too fast). But, more so being deliberate but quick and making sure that you watch the bullet as it flys into the group.

The rear bag is also very important; as important as a solid scope or a good barrel. If you have an adjustable front rest (windage top or joystick), I think it is critically important that your rear bag is solid and is correctly aligned.
 
SGJennings said:
Today during practice, I was consistently putting the last shot out to the right. I would have a good one going, then try to get everything right and it would just leak out one to a bit more bullet widths to the right. This happened 6 out of 8 groups. Any ideas?

I'm right handed and shooting free recoil (or trying to...I'm green as a gourd).

Greg J.
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Wind? Do you shot over flags?
 
I was on flags.

Also, it happened so consistently despite my wind read that it has to be something else.

It was dead to the 3:00. A wind change left to right would have pushed more to 4:00, yes?

Greg J.
 
SGJennings said:
I was on flags.

Also, it happened so consistently despite my wind read that it has to be something else.

It was dead to the 3:00. A wind change left to right would have pushed more to 4:00, yes?

Greg J.
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Well if you are sure it wasn't the wind, then it could be a number of things as mentioned above, including a wonky scope or mounts, loose barrel etc etc.

Not sure if the shot will always go to the 4 o'clock position on a left to right wind. Too much else at work to predict that with certainty.

It was just your initial description of the last shot going out of the group, that makes me want to say welcome to benchrest. The longer you wait to finish the group, the less chance the condition will remain the same for all 5 shots. Not trying to be smug, just was my first thought. Wish I could be more helpful.
 
last shot out of a group

It is a well known fact (at least to me) that tighter the first four shots the more likely it is that the fifth will go out of it. It stands to reason statistically and by Murphys law. Statistically one shoots groups in the zeeros less than 1% of the time and under .150 for arguments sake say less than 10% of the time (figures are pure guesswork) . So it is highly likely that with four shots around .100 the fifth will go out.
Other thing is hesitation to shot the fift shot into a tiny group. It is a tendency to wait a bit shoot one sighter and consentrate realy hard to get it in. But as said before the more time it takes to shot all five shots the less likely it is that the condition remains constant. And if one doesnt see any change in the condition why not just finish the group even if the first four are very tight. By over concentrating and waiting too long one increases the possibilities of making mistakes. By unnessesary adjusting the rifle and shoot sighter one increses the possibility of something going wrong. This is a fine line and cant be tought, it will come with experience or not at all. It is also phcycological barrier to shoot your first group in the zeeroes, after doing it a few times it becomes less important.
 
From a statistical standpoint, do you not think that if I was missing a wind shift that it would have been in a random direction?

I shot 8 groups. 6 had the last shot thrown 3 o'clock. I had windflags out and didn't see anything.

Now, I'm not good with the windflags. I'm just learning. Also, that range has a deal where the berm for the 50 yard range to the left ends a few yards short of the 100 yard backers. It ends up acting like a wind tunnel for winds from the left.

Also interesting at that range is the mirage. The backer is standing on concrete and has something in the "trap" that is black and catches the sun. The mirage is terrible. The target at times looks like I'm looking through water.

Greg J.
 
last shot out

In my opinion a shift in vind velocity and or direction would more or less change the point of impact somewhere from 2-4 or 8-10 oclock depending on the change. It would not nessesarily have to be random. It could very well be wind change that is bothering you but it also could be bag riding thing. Mirage changes would tend to be more random if the wind was constant.
If it seems that the rifle is shooting around .200 except for those flyers my advice would be to load again and repeat the shooting, preferably early in the morning when neither the wind or the sun has picked up.
With my benchrest rifle I shoot groups from in the zeeros( unfortunately very few) many in the ones but most in the twos and some in the threes and a few in the fours all with the same load and everything the same but the condition. It is eazy to miss a condition or make some other kind of a mistake. Never didmiss that possibility if othervice the rifle shoots good.
 
When it comes to mirage, it will move the apparent position of the target and you can end up chasing it. Shoot when the target goes clear or when it "snaps" back into position.

I agree with the other poster. Try morning or evening and try to get some decent conditions so you can rule out environmental factors, then you can look at gun handling and mechanical issues.
 
Shots to right....

I'm shooting prone and consistently throw shots to 4 or 5 oclock. Just like SGJennings is doing off the bench. BUT, I have a hand wrapped around the stock, I'm pulling back on the trigger with somewhat more than 2 ounces, the gun is sitting hard into my shoulder, my left hand pushing hard against the forearm, a sling pulling hard on the forearm is wrapped around my arm, my cheek is pressed hard against the stock, and my whole body is transmitting pulse beats into the gun!
I think I understand why my shots are going as they do but will some one tell me how this would happen when the only contact with the gun is probably a 2 ounce force between the the shooters thumb and forefinger??????
 
I shot 8 groups. 6 had the last shot thrown 3 o'clock.
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The best way to determine if a situation is "psychological", whether that is just plain nerves, nerves causing you to tense up, or "whatever nerves", as opposed to a physical gun or set-up problem, is to ask someone else to shoot a 10-shot group with your gun. Don't explain anything. Their nerves will tense up if the first 9 are small. See what happens with their No. 5.

You can do it yourself, saying you're going to fire a group between 7 an 10 shots, but it is hard to fool yourself into thinking that No. 5 isn't significant.
 
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