P.O.I. Changing Suddenly...

[BCB]

Been shooting an Encore with cast with some success, but nothing outstanding…

I had sort of settled on a load that was doing semi-O.K. and was shooting it today at steel targets…

Doing quite well at 200 yards then all of a sudden—no clang when the hammer was dropped…

Fired 3 shots at 100 yards and the P.O.I was about 3.5” higher than where it was sighted in at…

Yet, the 3 shots were in about an inch…

What could change and yet still group half decent at another location?...

Thanks…BCB

[JSnover]

The sight shifted? Your grip shifted? The barrel got hot?
Make sure everything is tight, check your grip/stance/position and try it again.

[Mk42gunner]

Scope going bad?

Robert

[Ballistics in Scotland]

What you describe points at the rifle or the sights rather than the ammo - unless you let a few of a different load creep in? It needn't be a more powerful load to make the shots go high. A weaker one can let the bullet depart on a higher point in the barrel vibration. Take a fishing rod and strike a sharp horizontal blow on the reel, and you will see how that works.

Anything that has been suggested could be the cause. But have you tried starting from a cold rifle again? If it repeats the process, from a good point of impact with the first shots, it shifts the balance of probability in the direction of barrel bedding, or touching when it is meant to be floating.

[country gent]

Possibly a diffrence in bags position or down pressure on the firearm. Single shots can be touchy to cheek pressure, rests position. Another cause could have been a change in mirage or light. How was the scopes parralax set that can cause a **** with head position. Im betting mirage changed what you were seeing.

[tdoyka]

try the screw in the stock. mine(encore) rattle loose one day when i was shooting the 444 marlin and i did about the same thing. i checked the forearm screw and scope mounts but everything was tight. i couldn't imagine whats wrong with my boolits. turns out it was the stock screw(or bolt w/o the nuts![smilie=w:) to the action.

[BCB]

try the screw in the stock. mine(encore) rattle loose one day when i was shooting the 444 marlin and i did about the same thing. i checked the forearm screw and scope mounts but everything was tight. i couldn't imagine whats wrong with my boolits. turns out it was the stock screw(or bolt w/o the nuts![smilie=w:) to the action.

Yep, mine did the same thing one time before…

It doesn’t seem noticeably loose now, but it might be. I will tighten that bolt…

How tight do you tighten the forend bolts? The forend is right against the barrel. This would seem to cause problems, yet it doesn’t seem to do so with the Contenders I have…

Just when you think you got it all figured out…

Thanks…BCB

[jimb16]

You didn't start using a different powder lot for loading did you?