vertical stringing from 45-70 Henry X Model

[odette]

I put an old Weaver 6 power wide angle scope on my Henry 45-70 X Model rifle. With it strapped down in a rifle rest it is shooting 1st shot dead on target, 2nd shot is 2" high, 3rd shot about 6" high, 4th shot about 12" high, 5th was off the paper. All shots were straight in line vertically not more than 1/2" off to the right, so windage was more than acceptable. Elevation has me stumped, why is every shot going higher than the previous. Is it the scope, the rings or the base? Every thing seems tight and loctite was used. Anyone have any ideas? It shot nice groups with factory sites, so
I think it has to do with the scope set up.

[Castaway]

Is scope slipping back in rings from 1st to last shot? Take a sharp pencil and mark the the scope where it contact’s the ring

[Stig]

Have you strapped the rifle firmly? And did you strap down the rifle when you used the iron sights? If you have applied pressure on top of the rifle, is it possible that the fore stock flexes with each shot and therefor each consecutive shoot hits higher?

I have a book by Mick McPherson called Accurizing the factory rifle where he talks about this kind of vertical stringing. And according to him, this was due to pressure on the fore stock.

[indian joe]

Have you strapped the rifle firmly? And did you strap down the rifle when you used the iron sights? If you have applied pressure on top of the rifle, is it possible that the fore stock flexes with each shot and therefor each consecutive shoot hits higher?

I have a book by Mick McPherson called Accurizing the factory rifle where he talks about this kind of vertical stringing. And according to him, this was due to pressure on the fore stock.

hold the forend in your hand, it will get better.
rest your front hand between the hard rest and the wood.

This is common with lever guns (though not this bad)
its tie up between the magazine tube - forend wood - barrel bands or hangers.
If you ever get a lever that dont do it as the barrel heats - never ever sell it.

[725]

What Indian Joe said. A more or less common issue I've dealt with with fellow shooters. Bouncing off the hard rest combined with rigid stresses applied to the structure of the rifle. Get a nice sand bag to hold the toe of the stock and use your hand holding the forearm resting against a comfortable, elevated, rest to make your shot. Good luck.

[Texas by God]

Try shooting it with your hand between the forend and front rest-it has always worked for me for two piece stock rifles.
I've never strapped a rifle down to shoot it so no help there.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[odette]

I will sandbag the toe of the rifle and hold by hand in rest, no straps. I will have to wait until it warms up, today was 10 degrees and strong wind. Next week it might be back to 40 degree. I will also try the same ammo thru my Marlin LTD

[Castaway]

Also, place the front rest as closed as you can to the lever. You’ll have to move the rifle back to cycle it, but will minimize the barrel bouncing on a hard surface

[MostlyLeverGuns]

The magazine tube that fits too tightly can put pressure on the barrel/front of the receiver causing this vertical climb as the barrel heats, a couple 'thou' is all that is needed on Marlin's, my centerfire Henry is a Long Ranger .223. You might try removing that brass loading tube and firing without using the magazine to see if the spring pressure could be affecting things. Not sure what you mean by 'strapped down' in a rifle rest. I rest the rear end of the forearm on a sandbag and pull the rifle into my shoulder with both hands, using the rear bag to control elevation. For longer bench sessions I wear a PAST Recoil Pad and have installed a Limbsaver Recoil Pad on my rifle(s). I would also suspect the 'OLD' Weaver scope. My 45-70 has broken an 'old' Weaver, an older Burris and a Leupold VX-2(?) 1.5-5x so the recoil can be substantial. The newer (last 10? years) scopes hold up much better than those 25 years and older.

[odette]

Might take scope off and try a red dot, just to see if that helps. I have another spare scope, but it is another old Weaver just as old, about a 1978 6x. Hoping for warmer temps and less wind and using a shooting stick instead of a rest

[doulos]

I have the exact same rifle. Levers are finicky from the bench. They are sensitive to forearm placement. Also how tight you pull it into the shoulder. I even find where I rest my trigger hand thumb is important. I strive to make these all as consistent as possible. I had the gun shooting very well and then a trip to the range inconsistency showed up. Check my scope mounting and found a slightly loose ring. took it apart and re loctited and torqued everything. And so far so good. Im betting its a scope or mounting issue and not your bench technique.