Having a play with the rifle....

[toka_shigazu]

Got out this afternoon for a quick zero...it never seems an ideal time and the law of sod was doing its bit today as well...no sooner had i got my stuff together than it lashed down and the wind got up...lol

I manufacutred a quick portable target stand out of an old metal coat hanger and took my newly made shooting sticks with us.

my first two shots were at 35 yards....just a quick check to make sure it was nearly there.

happy it was still shooting ok, i moved it out to 100 yards. i kept the magnification at 12x and fired 3 shots. i could just see them at the top of the target...i was aiming for the centre.

that was the first grouping of three within 3/4" - i was happy with that! i also noted that using the mil dots it appeared to be the next one up from centre...so for the next 3 shots i used that mil dot and aimed for the centre of the target.

these three shots were just over 3/4" [1/4" high and 1 1/2" left of centre]

 

i then decided to move it out to 125 yards. [a zero at 36 yards should also give a second zero at 122 yards if the calculator is right, but in my past tests it didn't seem to be that way]

 

i got back to the rifle to find i had set the target too low to the ground, i couldnt see the bottom edge due to the grass, but i couldnt be bothered to walk out and lift it so i made do.....i fired off a few rounds [the 1 and 2 shot above and below the middle 3] before switching to 20x mag.

i then aimed the next 2 shots again using the 1st mil dot at a point centre high where the blue ring meets the white , the grouping was only just over 1/4", it was about 1/4" low though.

 

that was it for me though and i was happy with that...it was still 3" high at 125 yards which i thought strange but will see what happens when i get a good day to test it. Throughout this the wind was blowing directly from behind me [may be why the round was so high at 122yards?], it was strong and gusting so i think my new rest will do. I may remove the rubber and replace it with some thin leather just to cushion the rifle. the rubber did stop you adjusting it easily as it really gripped it too tightly.

 

anyway hope this makes sense....any comment welcomed....

[Daz2381]

Not bad shooting mate Considering the wind. Hope you get better weather for the next time

[toka_shigazu]

well...went and had another play today. Wind light, sun out, ground rock hard and unomfortable...layed out markers with a tape measure so distances quite accurate today.

First 3 shots at 35 meters.

,so altered it till it was near zero.... A bit sloppy really but i was more interested in the 100/122 marks. So from this on i went out to 100 meters..., about 2" high and 2.2" left [poi was the lower right cross].

So i started to bring it back over... and then decided to try out to 122 meters.

..seemed a lot more like it with the height...i managed to bring the grouping over to the right [cant find the pic for that...] and did a couple of shots at 80m,

by now i was begining to sweat with the walking back and forth and i was running out of time [always the case when i need to be relaxed..lol],back to 50m and this

and finally back to 35m. then to tidy up and go...

 

still it should have been zeroed at 122m but it is firing about 1" high [i can live with that]. i do think it is my firing of the rifle that is throwing it high and i hope with practice i can sort that. these shots were taken off my attached bipod/prone. It will need a clean now and i will see if that affects the group, i may even try a diffeent ammo to see if it tightens anything up but want to sort my firing first....someone has mentioned their HMR produced results like this with 17's ammo...20's produced much improved groups. i may now try a different 17 ammo and get a box of 20's too.

 

thanks

[Redgum]

welcome to the world of .17hmr, great fun isnt it, it can also frustrate the hell out of you too. I have the very same gun and find that it shoots as well clean as dirty so always clean barrel ( unlike with my .22lr in the same) after use. Once you have put a 100rnds through it it may be a good idea to clean with a copper solvent like Forrest, once they are run in they dont seem to suffer much with copper fouling. Be prepared to the fact that you can put lovely little groups into a target on a still day yet miss every rabbit you shoot at in the field with a slight breeze. The good thing is if you head shooting you will just miss the rabbit one side or the other and not risk wounding. Do you use a moderator, I have found the ultra ase to be the best.

[verminator69]

Hung out like a days washing :blink:

[Redgum]

I find its best to zero at 45yds and that will put you right for 100yds, I find I get the same sort of groups, 2 holes touching then one moving out a little, would be nice to have them all touching though. For head shots on bunnies, if you zero for 100 yds then at 150yds you can hold over a bit or it will be a neck shot, O.k target practicing but in the field even with a bipod 100yd head shots take abit of practice.