Are Aluminum mounts and rings strong enough?

[askoop]

So I have been having trouble with my muzzleloader being as spot on as it is at the range.

It started when I missed a big buck at 100 yards. Shot it at the range to see my POI had moved 6" south at 100 yards.

At that point I also changed powder load and bullet, and also got a shooting stick to keep the gun steady, hopefully reducing any errors on my part. Had it shooting plenty good at 150 yards (probably a 4", 3 shot group), and planned on limiting all shots to 100 yards or less.

Missed another doe on a drive, went back to the bench and was hitting a few inches left at 60 yards. Killed a doe an hour later, but she as at 10 yards, so no real distance to show any POI differences.

Killed a doe the other night at 75 yards, and hit her about 12 inches to the left. I watched her fall, but a few more inches to the left and I would have missed her completely. Entered neck, exited opposite shoulder.

My scope is a Burris FFII 3-9x40. It has been on my 7mm rem mag and .223 with no problems. at the range on my muzzleloader it hasnt given me trouble and has stayed consistant for the whole time at the range.

My mounts are Weaver 1 piece rail and weaver 4x4 extension rings, all aluminum. The scope feels solid in the mounts, no movement etc.

Would the first place you look be the mounts, or the scope? It hasnt taken any falls or hard bumps that I am aware of. Load is 120 grains of 777 ffg and a 300 grain Speer.

Season is over, so I have a while to figure this out before next season, but wanted to start on it now.

 

[Nutoy]

First thing I'd do is make sure everything is properly aligned and tight. I use Loc Tite on all base mounting threads, do not use it on scope rings.
Did you lap the scope rings? It sounds like you may be having a torque issue. The POI can change on a scope that is under a fair amount of torque due to misaligned rings. POI differences can be depend on how much torque the scope is under and different weather conditions, ie: hot or cold.
That said, Weaver style mounts are usually not prone to misalignment problems. Duel dovetail mounts can be a beast if not lapped or properly aligned.
HTH

 

[paia]

FWIW, if it was me I would be looking at the scope. Assuming your base and rings are tight etc., I am guessing your scope is not holding zero.

The Weaver system is pretty bullet proof. I have had an aluminum Weaver base on an Omega for years, although the scope has been in Leupold or Warne steel rings. My #2 Omega has a Dednutz one piece base/rings and it is aluminum and has been perfect for hundreds of shots.

120 of 777 and a 300 grn bullet is pretty stiff though. A steel base and Warne rings can't hurt...jmo

 

[rc67]

Seems like a scope issue to me too, perhaps. I've had alum. base & rings on my ml since I've owned it (going on 9 years) and never had any problems.

 

[askoop]

thanks for the replies guys.

I did use blue loc-tite when installing everything, but I will double check everything before sending the scope back to burris. I know I am not the best shot in the world, but with everything drifting more and more left, that also has me suspecting the scope if everything is tightened down still.

Only reason I went with the Weaver system was for the extension rings and cost. non-extension rings had the scope sitting too far back for my tastes.

I see good things about warne QDs and the Leupold QDs, and Leupold has extensions. I may have to just bite the bullet and get one of those set ups and adjust my check weld accordingly.

 

[ShawnT]

I use both Aluminum and steel, Just depends on the situationn and what I am trying to set up. Most of the Quality Aluminum mounts are made of aircraft grade aluminum and are very strong. I used to shoot in Group Benchrest competition. If you check out the rifles on the line all of them have Aluminum rings and a lot of the actions are made of aluminum too. Weight is an issue due to class requirements in these competitions but I can assure you if aluminum was not up to the task these guys would sacrifice weight in other areas to have better rings/bases. If not mistaken New UltraLight arms packs Talley lightweight Aluminum rings with their rifles too.

Like the others said I would check the mounts to make sure they are tight, If so start looking at the scope. I had 2 recently that gave up on me and I found they had developed parallax problems. Parallax can somtimes be hard to find in a scope if you are not sure how to find it, or are looking for it. Look through the scope are a target. When you have a good sight picture, and without moving the rifle, slightly move your head up/down and side to side. The crosshairs should not move. If they do you have found a parallax problem and need your scope serviced.

Hope that helps.

ShawnT

 

[Franksauto]

The Weaver system is pretty bullet proof. I have had an aluminum Weaver base on an Omega for years, although the scope has been in Leupold or Warne steel rings. My #2 Omega has a Dednutz one piece base/rings and it is aluminum

X2

 

[minst7877]

The weavers will probably be fine but I would lap them to get all the torque stress out of the scope. IMHO this stress is the major reason a lot of scopes fail.

DC