I need your knowledge lads.

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

Just been trawling through the internet on the nightforce website looking at manuals. It says that if the reticle focus is at either end of its limits, then parallax error may be present. I've said before that the eye relief is picky. Shooting without specs, which I usually do, needs the ret to be at its bottom limit. I must say that I've checked for parallax at this setting and it seems ok. Certainly nothing major. However, could be a route worth exploring and resetting to use wearing specs. I hate wearing specs when shooting and don't feel comfy, but if it solves it, it looks like being uncomfortable.

[ChrisC]

That's a very weird problem. A 3" drop in POI but a good chrono string points to the pellet clipping the stripper or a scope problem. Reg creep would stand out like a sore dick.

As has already been said, try a different scope, remove anything from the end of the barrel and if all else fails contact Barry Taylor for a service.

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

That's a very weird problem. A 3" drop in POI but a good chrono string points to the pellet clipping the stripper or a scope problem. Reg creep would stand out like a sore dick.

As has already been said, try a different scope, remove anything from the end of the barrel and if all else fails contact Barry Taylor for a service.

I can't imagine it clipping the standard AA factory fitted air stripper Chris.saying that, I shall try some tippex and see if I get any marks showing. The barrel has been free floated, (as recommened by several better shots than me), but I can't see that causing any clipping. I will probably drop on Ian at the club in the next week or so and arrange to have their Barry give it a service anyway.

[ChrisC]

I can't imagine it clipping the standard AA factory fitted air stripper Chris.saying that, I shall try some tippex and see if I get any marks showing. The barrel has been free floated, (as recommened by several better shots than me), but I can't see that causing any clipping. I will probably drop on Ian at the club in the next week or so and arrange to have their Barry give it a service anyway.

Keep us informed as to what Barry finds as i find problems like this quite interesting.

Good luck

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

I've just tried the old insulating tape test. It showed the pellets to be exiting closer to six o clock than dead centre, but not enough to be clipping. Moved on to the tippex. No sign of any clipping, but took the stripper off and put it back on using a grub screw with a sharp point to fit more solidly into the indent on the top of the barrel, and started over again. The holes in the tape now seem more central. I was going to try putting the clamp back on, but most people I've spoken to give that a big thumbs down. We shall see what happend next time I give it an outing.

[snock]

Not played the trouser trumpet for a good long while now Pete.

I don't whether that's a good, or bad, thing.

I suspect it's a good thing, though.

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

Had another bash to sort out the gun/scope.

Took off the airstripper and gave in a good clean. Likewise the outside of the barrel. Refitted and tightened down a little more than normal as it is a slack fit. tested at 25 yds. Good raggy groups, but 1.5 cm higher than before, and a pellet width to the left. Readjusted. Good groups @ 12x 22x and 42x mags.

Then tried it with the stripper off altogether. Reasonable groups, slightly less tidy than with stripper on, but the wind had got up a bit. All groups were 5cm higher than with stripper on. Windage remained unchanged.

Refitted stripper. Still passable groups but now 1cm low. (one pellet gave an unnaceptable drop). No evidence of clipping though.

Pushed stripper up the barrel as far as it will go and tightened down. Groups 5cm high again. One complete downward turn of the turret and purely by fluke, SPOT ON. Tried several shots at different mags and it produced the best groupings I've had so far. Back to square one on the plinking range when I manage to get up there, but hopefully that's it sorted. (not ruling the reg out just yet though). It would appear that taking the stripper off and refitting does have a marked effect too.

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

Here's an update as requested.

I went to Ponty today with the Bushnell Legend on the gun instead of the NF. It was shooting absolutely spot on. I did lots of shots at all ranges and was getting fantastic groupings (by my standards). Until I went out to 50yds. Then they opened up considerably. First of all I blamed the wind which was just starting to get up a tad. It soon became apparent that it wasn't just the wind. I came back to my 40yd zero and hey presto, they were suddenly rubbish groups as well. So, eventually, after enough shots, it was doing the same as it did with the NF on. Much scratching of head. I decided that even though the barrel had been cleaned with a Napier pull through about a hundred pellets ago I 'd bung a disco felt through it. Pellet in first, then disco felt followed by another pellet. Bingo! Back to one raggy hole at 40. Slightly wider at 50 and 55, but quite acceptable.

So there we are, unless something else weird happens, I reckon a disco felt every 100 pellets or so will put things right. The question is, why does it need cleaning this often? I've never had a gun that needed this attention before. Is there anything I can do to get it to not require this amount of cleaning? Has anyone ever experienced this type of thing before?

[jagxkrs]

My EV2 has a new barrel and its bang on BUT it does need cleaning similar to yours otherwise the groups open up.

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

My EV2 has a new barrel and its bang on BUT it does need cleaning similar to yours otherwise the groups open up.

It reassures me to know I am not alone. I was wondering if there was a slight imperfection in the barrel which was creating some sort of build up?

[ChrisC]

Me too Ken, I had a MK2 a few years ago that needed the barrel cleaning after every shoot.

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

I finally got around to getting Barry to have a go at the gun and got it back yesterday. He found several things which needed attending to.
I've only been able to set up out to 25yds in the back garden so nothing absolutely conclusive. First of all, pellet on pellet. Then all of a sudden, even at ten yards, getting pellets going astray. Not just vertically but horizontally. Some by an appreciable difference. One not even within the field of view of the scope! Then all of a sudden, back on song. I've resisted a barrel clean and am going to shoot for a while without doing so. Looks like I'm still going to have lots of fun with this one before I get to the bottom of it. Regular cleaning every fill seems to be the favourite to keep it shooting sweet. Not really a problem, but annoying all the same. Bugger!

[lonewolf]

what pellets are you useing and what head size,

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

what pellets are you useing and what head size,

Can't see it being pellets. If it was pellets, it would fail to group ALL the time. It's had AA, Daystate, but primarily JSB's through it. All 4.52. Even gone to the extreme of sizing them as well. Same results. I reckon it's the barrel that is cleaning fussy rather than pellet fussy. Even so, you would think that the groups would only open up slightly if it was barrel cleaning. Then, why tighten back up again? And what could cause the odd pellet to go inches astray? On the FT course, I've known it miss a faceplate completely at fairly close ranges.

[secretagentmole]

Stupid question but the barrel cannot move can it? Is it loose in the block?