Springfield Scout Accuracy

BushBuddy · November 28, 2008, 06:51 PM

I just bought a Springfield .308 Scout rifle and put a Burris handgun 3x-7x scope on it.

At a hundred yards, the best I'm getting for 10 rounds is about a 5" spread around the bullseye with at least one shot in the bullseye. Should I expect better than that from the stock gun or is that about as good as I'm going to get. By the way I'm using a caldwell leadsled to shoot from.

DaveInPA · November 28, 2008, 06:58 PM

Did you buy the gun new or used? If used, did you inspect the muzzle crown? Why are you using a handgun scope?

jpwilly · November 28, 2008, 07:59 PM

^^ I'm assuming that the pistol scope is because it's mounted in the typical scout location ahead of the reciever.

Op as far as accuracy is concerned. Many factors are involved try different brands of ammo. Black Hills and Federal Match ammo are pretty good. Also if the barrel is new you may need a few hundred rounds through the bbl before it settles in. This assumes your not flinching when pulling the trigger and the scope and mount are working good.

SR420 · November 28, 2008, 08:00 PM

How accurate is it with iron sights?

Bond007 · November 28, 2008, 08:20 PM

I have an M1A Scout Squad that I've been using for a few years. I have a Leupold 4x handgun scope on detachable rings that has not only proven itself recoil resistant but has also kept excellent zero. I can manage to keep 10 rounds in contact with each other at 100 yards using the scope and at 50 yards with iron sights.

Keep practicing, milsurp ammo is your friend, and enjoy.

roklok · November 28, 2008, 09:41 PM

My M1A Bush rifle is picky when it comes to accuracy. For example, 180 grain Winchester 5-6 MOA. 180 grain Federal 2.5- 3 MOA. 150 grain Federal Sub MOA. It consistently shoots inside an inch at 100 yards with 150 grain Federals. I did glass bed it though. My suggestion is to try different ammunition, it can make a big difference. The Bush rifle has the same barrel as the Scout, as far as I know.

BushBuddy · November 29, 2008, 12:03 AM

The gun is brand new. The ammo is reload. My brother and I have used the same ammo in a couple of different guns. My brother has a Springfield m25 and my shots with his gun/same ammo are right on top of each other at 100 yards.

The reason I went with the handgun scope was to get the zoom power, use the rail that comes with the rifle and get the needed eye relief.

I'll just keep shooting it and i'll try different ammo. Thanks.

BillCA · November 29, 2008, 02:41 AM

BushBuddy,

Keep in mind that your brother's M25 Whitefeather has an extra 4-inches of barrel with a 1:10 rifling versus your 18-inches with 1:11 rifling. That'll make a difference.

As indicated by roklok above, the .308 M1A works best with ammo that is close to the 147g NATO type ammo. The 150g Federal and Winchester ammo should give you nice accuracy. Bond007 is correct here, milsurp is your friend.

Gazpacho · November 29, 2008, 02:46 AM

It is quite possible that the rifle's recoil is drastically affecting the scope. I would highly recommend switching to a long eye relief rifle scope. And check the rifle with iron sights. The rifle should be at least that accurate using the stock sights, and probably better.

Or it could be your trigger technique. Try the pinch technique. When you are shooting from a rest, try using your non-trigger hand on the pistol grip area (right behind the trigger guard -- does that part of the stock have a name?) to pull the rifle tight against your shoulder. With your trigger hand, pinch the trigger with your index finger on t4he trigger and your thumb behined the trigger guard.

Edited to add:

Did you adjust your pistol scope for Parallax? Thru a quick Google search, it appears that most handgun scopes are set for 50 yard parallax, not 100. I suck at explaining parallax, so you'll need to look it up. But as I understand it, minute shifts of your eye, with a scope mis-set for parallax could shift your point of aim.

spodwo · November 29, 2008, 05:29 AM

Parallax...

http://www.6mmbr.com/parallax.html

SR420 · November 29, 2008, 06:02 AM

The 18.0" Scout is inherently accurate out of the box, most shoot around 3 MOA with good NATO ball.
Mine would shoot 1.5 MOA... if you want to tighten things up, shim the gas system and tune the trigger.

BushBuddy · November 29, 2008, 10:13 AM

What does "shim the gas system" mean?

I'll try the other things suggested and let you know how it goes. I don't think my scope has a parallax adjustment?

BushBuddy · November 29, 2008, 09:27 PM

Hey, I just went out and tried a lot of the stuff suggested here. I bought 3 different types of ammo all 150 gr, winchester, federal and remington. The Winchester worked best by far. At 100 hundred yards a I had a 10 shot group with most of the holes touching each other. I am now thrilled with my purchase. Thanks again.

The picture shows the 10 round group at 100 yards. The outlyer which is high was the first shot. Any ideas why that one shot would be so far out?

smee78 · November 30, 2008, 12:30 PM

It was just a flier, it happens. Keep checking different ammo you may be able to do better. Just see what your gun likes. Glad your are happy with your gun again.

November 28, 2008, 06:51 PM	#1
BushBuddy Junior Member Join Date: November 16, 2008 Posts: 8	Springfield Scout Accuracy I just bought a Springfield .308 Scout rifle and put a Burris handgun 3x-7x scope on it. At a hundred yards, the best I'm getting for 10 rounds is about a 5" spread around the bullseye with at least one shot in the bullseye. Should I expect better than that from the stock gun or is that about as good as I'm going to get. By the way I'm using a caldwell leadsled to shoot from.

November 28, 2008, 07:59 PM	#3
jpwilly Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2007 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 539	^^ I'm assuming that the pistol scope is because it's mounted in the typical scout location ahead of the reciever. Op as far as accuracy is concerned. Many factors are involved try different brands of ammo. Black Hills and Federal Match ammo are pretty good. Also if the barrel is new you may need a few hundred rounds through the bbl before it settles in. This assumes your not flinching when pulling the trigger and the scope and mount are working good. __________________ "Rats & roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice & mercy." - Wendell Berry

November 28, 2008, 08:00 PM	#4
SR420 Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2005 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 3,336	How accurate is it with iron sights? __________________ The History and Development of the M14 EBR

November 29, 2008, 12:03 AM	#7
BushBuddy Junior Member Join Date: November 16, 2008 Posts: 8	Good Questions The gun is brand new. The ammo is reload. My brother and I have used the same ammo in a couple of different guns. My brother has a Springfield m25 and my shots with his gun/same ammo are right on top of each other at 100 yards. The reason I went with the handgun scope was to get the zoom power, use the rail that comes with the rifle and get the needed eye relief. I'll just keep shooting it and i'll try different ammo. Thanks.

November 29, 2008, 02:41 AM	#8
BillCA Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2004 Location: Silicon Valley, Ca Posts: 7,117	BushBuddy, Keep in mind that your brother's M25 Whitefeather has an extra 4-inches of barrel with a 1:10 rifling versus your 18-inches with 1:11 rifling. That'll make a difference. As indicated by roklok above, the .308 M1A works best with ammo that is close to the 147g NATO type ammo. The 150g Federal and Winchester ammo should give you nice accuracy. Bond007 is correct here, milsurp is your friend. __________________ BillCA in CA (Unfortunately)

November 28, 2008, 06:58 PM	#2
DaveInPA Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2008 Location: Berks County, PA Posts: 1,106	Did you buy the gun new or used? If used, did you inspect the muzzle crown? Why are you using a handgun scope?

November 28, 2008, 08:20 PM	#5
Bond007 Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2005 Location: San Francisco, Ca Posts: 317	I have an M1A Scout Squad that I've been using for a few years. I have a Leupold 4x handgun scope on detachable rings that has not only proven itself recoil resistant but has also kept excellent zero. I can manage to keep 10 rounds in contact with each other at 100 yards using the scope and at 50 yards with iron sights. Keep practicing, milsurp ammo is your friend, and enjoy.

November 28, 2008, 09:41 PM	#6
roklok Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2008 Location: Fort Yukon, Alaska Posts: 735	My M1A Bush rifle is picky when it comes to accuracy. For example, 180 grain Winchester 5-6 MOA. 180 grain Federal 2.5- 3 MOA. 150 grain Federal Sub MOA. It consistently shoots inside an inch at 100 yards with 150 grain Federals. I did glass bed it though. My suggestion is to try different ammunition, it can make a big difference. The Bush rifle has the same barrel as the Scout, as far as I know.

November 29, 2008, 02:46 AM	#9
Gazpacho Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2004 Posts: 592	It is quite possible that the rifle's recoil is drastically affecting the scope. I would highly recommend switching to a long eye relief rifle scope. And check the rifle with iron sights. The rifle should be at least that accurate using the stock sights, and probably better. Or it could be your trigger technique. Try the pinch technique. When you are shooting from a rest, try using your non-trigger hand on the pistol grip area (right behind the trigger guard -- does that part of the stock have a name?) to pull the rifle tight against your shoulder. With your trigger hand, pinch the trigger with your index finger on t4he trigger and your thumb behined the trigger guard. Edited to add: Did you adjust your pistol scope for Parallax? Thru a quick Google search, it appears that most handgun scopes are set for 50 yard parallax, not 100. I suck at explaining parallax, so you'll need to look it up. But as I understand it, minute shifts of your eye, with a scope mis-set for parallax could shift your point of aim. Last edited by Gazpacho; November 29, 2008 at 02:59 AM.

November 29, 2008, 05:29 AM	#10
spodwo Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2008 Posts: 839	Parallax... http://www.6mmbr.com/parallax.html

November 29, 2008, 06:02 AM	#11
SR420 Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2005 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 3,336	The 18.0" Scout is inherently accurate out of the box, most shoot around 3 MOA with good NATO ball. Mine would shoot 1.5 MOA... if you want to tighten things up, shim the gas system and tune the trigger. __________________ The History and Development of the M14 EBR

November 29, 2008, 10:13 AM	#12
BushBuddy Junior Member Join Date: November 16, 2008 Posts: 8	Thanks What does "shim the gas system" mean? I'll try the other things suggested and let you know how it goes. I don't think my scope has a parallax adjustment?

November 30, 2008, 12:30 PM	#14
smee78 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,918	It was just a flier, it happens. Keep checking different ammo you may be able to do better. Just see what your gun likes. Glad your are happy with your gun again. __________________ We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located, among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are