Problem sighting in CVA Hunter 243

[goose17]

I have had this gun for 4 years. The first two years never had a problem. Last year got it zeroed but not to the standard i liked because I ran out time before my sons Juvi hunt and I had to put another scope on it. This year I got it zeroed at 50 yards and its fine. Shoot it at 100 yards and its all over the place.I was like ok ,I'll put a different scope on it and try it again. 50 yards great. 100 yards worse then with the last scope. If your not familiar with this gun, its a break action single shot with a 20 inch barrel. I know its not me,because I've got my 6.5 touching holes at 100 and hitting in the bullseye at 200. Same thing with my 30-06. I'm shooting 100 grain factory ammo. I thought maybe I was not letting the barrel cool between shots, but one of the times trying to get it zeroed , i let it cool for a good 20 minutes.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Is the barrel thoroughly clean? I know that some of those break actions are picky about pressure points, etc

 

[goose17]

Yes I cleaned it in between range sessions .And when I say accuracy , one shot would be to left of the bullseye, the next to the right .When I get home I'm got in to make sure everything on my gun is tightened down .

 

[Widowmaker]

IIRC somebody was having similar issues a year or two ago. Are you shooting off bags? If the front bag is under the very end of the forearm that can cause some issues. The forearms are pretty flexible on those guns.

 

[goose17]

Window maker, I've been shooting off a rest that I got at bass pro that has been pretty solid . But you may be on to something because of the gun being shorter, I am resting the forearm pretty close to the front but not on the barrel.

 

[fairchaser]

If nothing else works, try different ammo. It could shoot well at 50 and not at 100 due to ammo the gun just doesn't like. Barrel harmonics, Bullet jump, concentricity, etc. could all cause it to be a poor round for that gun. I know it sucks to hunt with a gun that won't group well. Best of luck.

 

[Matador]

Some good ideals to try. You might also look at placing a rubber o-ring between barrel and forearm where screw attaches forearm to the barrel. Kinda quick way of free floating the barrel. Myself I would change rests and ammo after making sure everything is tight. Good luck.

 

[MUP]

I'm sure you've checked, but have you made sure the scope base is tight?

 

[goose17]

I'll double check to scope base tonight when I get home . I checked when I put the scope on but I'll double check it. Weird things have happen before with guns. Matador, what kind O-ring should I try and where should I get it from? I've been shooting 100 grain rounds. I I'll 90 or 80 grain bullets be big enough for deer?

 

[Matador]

You can get the o-rings at any hardware store. Just get one made out of rubber big enough to go around your forearm screw. Just snug your forearm up good. Don't tighten it up as hard as you can. You can check it after shooting a few rounds. May or may not help. Keeps forearm off of barrel and from affecting barrel harmonics. May not be the problem though. And yeah, 80 and 90 grain bullets are use on deer.

 

[goose17]

Ok so I have checked the scope bases and rings and everything is right now. I took the forearm to look at it and at the end of it on the forearm where it should be free floating where you could put a dollar bill between the barrel and forearm is a alittle knob that makes contact with the barrel. Would putting a o ring between the screws and the forearm help it be free floating or should I file that little knob down? Or would that cause the accuracy problems ?

 

[ROVERBOY]

You might put an o ring and give it some clearance. That might help some.

 

[MUP]

Ok so I have checked the scope bases and rings and everything is right now. I took the forearm to look at it and at the end of it on the forearm where it should be free floating where you could put a dollar bill between the barrel and forearm is a alittle knob that makes contact with the barrel. Would putting a o ring between the screws and the forearm help it be free floating or should I file that little knob down? Or would that cause the accuracy problems ?

Was the base loose? Or not properly torqued?

 

[goose17]

It wasn't like the base flopping around or anything like that when I checked it, but one screw did turn with almost no resistance compared to the other ones when checked because I went the wrong way checking tightness . I loosened it instead of tightening . It was like it was screwed in all the way but just enough to make it secure to the base without coming out if that makes sense . Might have been my issue but the base had no movement when I tried to see if that was the issue.Im still going to try the o ring in the forearm when I go to the range Tuesday .

 

[MUP]

Only one way to check it, good luck!

 

[treefarmer]

I have the gun in .243 that I bought for my children years ago. I too was disappointed in the accuracy enough to contact the factory (no help). I always wondered if the rifling is better for lighter bullets and the 100 grain that I was shooting was too slow for the rifling, especially since I used starter hand loads at 90% of max powder. The history of the .243 shows the early guns having this problem with heavier bullets.

I agree with the previous post, try a different brand of ammo, especially with a lighter bullet.

 

[goose17]

Ok , so I went to the range and accuracy did improve. I made sure that the rifle was not resting on the tip of the forearm when I zeroed. I didn't have time to run and get an o -ring before I went. I zeroed it with the scope I had on it . My Brother in laws new scope wouldn't fit on his rifle due to the length of the scope and the bases he had so I took the scope off my gun and let him use it. I had brought my other rifle with a scope on it to just in case I needed to switch scopes . I put that scope on my gun and had no problems getting it sighted in either. Looks like the position of the forearm on the rest is critical for this short rifle getting it zeroed. I'll post pictures later . Thanks for the help guys. Ok so the pic won't load right . The group of four shots is the top of the target and not the the left.

 

[RobDooley]

I'm sure you've checked, but have you made sure the scope base is tight?

I missed a buck...wounded another. As it turned out, my Nikon scope was loose on my CVA Apex. It has always and still is very accurate.