Rifle Issue

[kk1939]

Thought I'd posted this a week ago but now can't find it. Must have been another Sr moment.

Need input on how to identify and solve a knotty problem. Shooting a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Grendel. Load is 100 grn Hornady ELD over 31 grns of CFE223. This load and rifle have produced 1 qnd 3/4" group at 200 yads and 5/8" group at 100 Yards.

Recently shot a match of consisting of three shots on five targets preceding with five shots on a sighter target. At the match, the sighter target stellar and the first three scoring targets all nine ring or better. Then on targets 4 and 5 the POI jumped 7 and 9 inches high respectively - good groups but high.

Vortex Diamond Back Scope - no noticeable issues. Barrel seemingly not touching anything. Can't check the torque on the stock screws until rifle comes backs from having trigger pull adjusted. Second time this has happened - can't imagine stock screws a problem but will certainly check. Only other thing I can think of is a bedding problem that comes into play when barrel heats up.

Appreciate any input

[jcj54]

Not enough info.
Rifle shot off bipod or benchrest?
Sighter and record targets all fired during one time limit or separate time limits for each target?

[tangolima]

This one?

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app


Point of impact changes

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[JJMarsh]

Originally Posted by kk1939

Thought I'd posted this a week ago but now can't find it. Must have been another Sr moment.

Need input on how to identify and solve a knotty problem. Shooting a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Grendel. Load is 100 grn Hornady ELD over 31 grns of CFE223. This load and rifle have produced 1 qnd 3/4" group at 200 yads and 5/8" group at 100 Yards.

Recently shot a match of consisting of three shots on five targets preceding with five shots on a sighter target. At the match, the sighter target stellar and the first three scoring targets all nine ring or better. Then on targets 4 and 5 the POI jumped 7 and 9 inches high respectively - good groups but high.

Vortex Diamond Back Scope - no noticeable issues. Barrel seemingly not touching anything. Can't check the torque on the stock screws until rifle comes backs from having trigger pull adjusted. Second time this has happened - can't imagine stock screws a problem but will certainly check. Only other thing I can think of is a bedding problem that comes into play when barrel heats up.

Appreciate any input

Interesting issue — the sudden POI shift on later targets suggests a thermal or mechanical factor. Try repeating the same load with one-minute cool-downs between groups; if point of impact stabilizes, heat-induced barrel whip is likely, and a tuner brake might help. Also check stock contact — heat or humidity can cause slight pressure changes. A simple dollar bill test before and after 10 shots can reveal if bedding is the problem. Scope mounts are another possible culprit, especially with high-magnification optics. Marking turret positions with tape can help detect any shift under recoil. Lastly, consider that CFE223 is temperature-sensitive; if conditions warmed up mid-match, velocity spikes could explain the shift. Testing with a more stable powder like H4350 or Varget might help isolate the cause. That 300-yard group shows the rifle has real potential — looking forward to what you find.