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Trouble zeroing scope

Jdubs

By Jdubs,
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Jdubs Newbie

Jdubs

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Frustrating night trying to zero a new Nikon Bolt NR on my Barnett Jackal.  Using Leopold 1"" rings and have the scope tightened down.  Shooting seated off a table in an indoor range and using a rolled up fleece jacket for a rest.  The glass is very clear and I can hold the crosshairs on the "X" at 20 yards with minimal movement.  Now the fun began.

First shot high and right at 1o'clock.  Adjust knows and put the next shot 4" left and 4" too high.  Adjust again and the 3rd shot is barely under the 2nd.  Adjust again and 4th shot is barely under the 3rd.  Mind you, I move the knob 6 clicks to push the poi right and the shot barely budged.  Huh?

This dance continues over another 10 shots.  I am waxing the strings and lubing the rails about every 5 shots, as suggested by Barnett.  After FINALLY knocking one in just a touch under the "X" I am feeling very relieved!  And then...the very next shot, with zero adjustments, flies wide left about 7" at 9 o'clock.

I give up.  When in the heck am I doing wrong?

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nyslowhand Enthusiast

nyslowhand

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I never adjust my Xbow scope using only one shot! With shooting 3 bolts you get a better idea if there might be a problem with bolts or vanes or scope or me. That's happened to me, funky vanes on used bolts! Which is kind of typical when using practice bolts. They can get buried up to the vanes and you have to remove them by grabbing the vane end of the bolt.

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Jdubs Newbie

Jdubs

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3 hours ago, nyslowhand said:

I never adjust my Xbow scope using only one shot! With shooting 3 bolts you get a better idea if there might be a problem with bolts or vanes or scope or me. That's happened to me, funky vanes on used bolts! Which is kind of typical when using practice bolts. They can get buried up to the vanes and you have to remove them by grabbing the vane end of the bolt.

Good point.  I'll try a group before adjusting.  As for the bolts, they were brand new.

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grampy Veteran

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Another thing to check on a Barnett is the tension on the bolt retaining spring. on mine it was too loose and the shots were like yours, all over. But after tightening the BRS, it has held zero very nicely .  Just something else to try. Good luck.

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Jdubs Newbie

Jdubs

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2 hours ago, Cabinboy said:

When I got my crossbow last year and was sighting it in I had similar problems, after watching some videos on youtube I discovered I wasn't always cocking the crossbow evenly.I don't know if that's your case but that's the problem I had.

I am new to crossbows and didn't even realize this was a factor.  It wouldn't surprise me if this was the culprit right here.  Thanks for the insights!

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Core Rookie

Core

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Given what is happening I recommend you stop chasing your hits after each shot. At this point you don't know if the weapon is shooting badly or if your scope is adjusting badly. I'd shoot a three shot group minimum. Once you can find its approximate center, then adjust, then shoot another group.

When first zeroing something I think it's okay to adjust after a single shot if it's badly off, but as you get closer to where you want to be it's increasingly important to find out how much "slop" in the hit is due to scope from shot to shot or weapon from shot to shot.

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stubby68 Newbie

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17 minutes ago, Core said:

Given what is happening I recommend you stop chasing your hits after each shot. At this point you don't know if the weapon is shooting badly or if your scope is adjusting badly. I'd shoot a three shot group minimum. Once you can find its approximate center, then adjust, then shoot another group.

When first zeroing something I think it's okay to adjust after a single shot if it's badly off, but as you get closer to where you want to be it's increasingly important to find out how much "slop" in the hit is due to scope from shot to shot or weapon from shot to shot.

Agree I would also add from the shooter from shot to shot. If shooter is not holding consistent you will have problems

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Padre86 Newbie

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Your best bet is taking it in to a qualified gunsmith.  Scope mounting sounds easy in theory, but there are some intricacies to it.  A gunsmith could at least tell you if there was anything wrong with how you mounted.  Once it has been mounted properly, or checked by a gunsmith, you can attempt to re-zero it...if you're still having trouble, the issue may be due to other factors: rifle, shooter, ammo, ect.

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Timeless Rookie

Timeless

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18 minutes ago, Padre86 said:

Your best bet is taking it in to a qualified gunsmith.  Scope mounting sounds easy in theory, but there are some intricacies to it.  A gunsmith could at least tell you if there was anything wrong with how you mounted.  Once it has been mounted properly, or checked by a gunsmith, you can attempt to re-zero it...if you're still having trouble, the issue may be due to other factors: rifle, shooter, ammo, ect.

Are there crossbowsmiths?

 

OP, Maybe your rail is fouled from carbon buildup? (kidding)

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ApexerER Mentor

ApexerER

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On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2016 at 9:17 PM, Jdubs said:

Frustrating night trying to zero a new Nikon Bolt NR on my Barnett Jackal.  Using Leopold 1"" rings and have the scope tightened down.  Shooting seated off a table in an indoor range and using a rolled up fleece jacket for a rest.  The glass is very clear and I can hold the crosshairs on the "X" at 20 yards with minimal movement.  Now the fun began.

First shot high and right at 1o'clock.  Adjust knows and put the next shot 4" left and 4" too high.  Adjust again and the 3rd shot is barely under the 2nd.  Adjust again and 4th shot is barely under the 3rd.  Mind you, I move the knob 6 clicks to push the poi right and the shot barely budged.  Huh?

This dance continues over another 10 shots.  I am waxing the strings and lubing the rails about every 5 shots, as suggested by Barnett.  After FINALLY knocking one in just a touch under the "X" I am feeling very relieved!  And then...the very next shot, with zero adjustments, flies wide left about 7" at 9 o'clock.

I give up.  When in the heck am I doing wrong?

That is discouraging...I hope it isn't the scope because I believe you purchased it on my recommendation on another thread. The Nikon was a breeze to site in on my Barnett Gamecrusher. I was over adjusting at first because I just assumed it was 1/4 inch click at 100 yds but it isn't. It is 1/4 at 20 yds. A couple of years ago a buddy of mine was having a terrible time getting his scope adjusted on his rifle. I kept telling him he was anticipating the shot and he kept insisting he wasn't. I had him close his eyes while I reached around and either undid his safety or didn't undo it so he had no idea whether the gun was going to fire or not when he pulled the trigger. It was actually a pretty good learning experience because he was pulling the rifle so bad when he pulled the trigger you would have swore there was recoil even when the gun didn't fire. I laughed and said...no anticipation...hmmm....I would say you have some faulty equipment somewhere or you are pulling the shot...How were your groups before the new scope?

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Jdubs Newbie

Jdubs

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5 hours ago, ApexerER said:

That is discouraging...I hope it isn't the scope because I believe you purchased it on my recommendation on another thread. The Nikon was a breeze to site in on my Barnett Gamecrusher. I was over adjusting at first because I just assumed it was 1/4 inch click at 100 yds but it isn't. It is 1/4 at 20 yds. A couple of years ago a buddy of mine was having a terrible time getting his scope adjusted on his rifle. I kept telling him he was anticipating the shot and he kept insisting he wasn't. I had him close his eyes while I reached around and either undid his safety or didn't undo it so he had no idea whether the gun was going to fire or not when he pulled the trigger. It was actually a pretty good learning experience because he was pulling the rifle so bad when he pulled the trigger you would have swore there was recoil even when the gun didn't fire. I laughed and said...no anticipation...hmmm....I would say you have some faulty equipment somewhere or you are pulling the shot...How were your groups before the new scope?

I don't think it's the scope at all.  In fact, the glass is very crisp and it's a nice compact size.  Zero regrets with the purchase.  If my sportsmen's club wasn't used as a polling place, I would have been able to figure this out today.

I'm certain that I can rule out anticipation.  The scope is so clear that it's easy to see me keeping the cross-hairs on target.  Based on the responses so far (and Thank You very much for them!), my best guess is that I have been cocking the string off-center.  Chalk that right up to me being a total n00b with a crossbow!

Got a nice chuckle out of Padre's reply though.  Lol.  Man, if I had a dollar for every time I misread something...

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Jdubs Newbie

Jdubs

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Got the scope zeroed on my next range trip, no problem.  I was definitely cocking the string back off-center at times and that caused me to chase some knuckle balls.  Thanks to you guys, now I know better. ;)

Great scope, just like ApexerER recommended.  Hopefully, I'll get a chance to take a deer with this setup.

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growalot Newbie

growalot

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Eddie sometimes the hook on my rt. side will slip slightly to the rt  just before I go to pull up...I have been conditioned to double check that on every pull...I find I need to readjust about every third time. If he doesn't have the cocking rope to the right length for a good set that could happen...I had to shorten mine quite a bit

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fasteddie Grand Master

fasteddie

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4 hours ago, growalot said:

Eddie sometimes the hook on my rt. side will slip slightly to the rt  just before I go to pull up...I have been conditioned to double check that on every pull...I find I need to readjust about every third time. If he doesn't have the cocking rope to the right length for a good set that could happen...I had to shorten mine quite a bit

It is also a bit tricky cocking the string in the dark . 

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Jdubs Newbie

Jdubs

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On Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 6:59 AM, fasteddie said:

New to the crossbow I would ask , how do you cock the string off center ? The grabbers are next to the rail and when you draw back , the grabbers ride along the edge of the rail  . Just asking ...

I was actually making several mistakes.  First, I wasn't setting the hooks for the cocking rope against the sides of the rail.  Next, I was lifting up mostly with my arms, not standing up and then pulling back with my arms for those last few inches before the string sets.  Finally, I was pulling the rope up quickly instead of using a slow draw upwards to ensure a smooth, center draw.

Never used a crossbow before or had any kind of instruction so these were easy mistakes to make.  Now I know better.  

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