[shrewd]

hey guys, its been troubling me lately that my groups aren't what i'd like them to be. i'm still figuring that the error is all me and i want to fix it so i had a few questions.

i havent really been able to bench rest it, so its been mostly standing at indoor ranges out to 20 yards or so, and honestly i still miss the 7 inch circle enough to get bothered.

when alinging the rear and front iron sights, do you put the bead right in the center, so that it floats perfectly between the two flared out irons? or you do keep the front sight bead flush with the bottom of the rear irons?

a while back i was able to shoot out to 100 yards and i always here some of the older guys saying how you should be competent with irons out to 100 easy, and i'll be darned if i can put more than 3 or 4 holes into that 12" target at 100 yards.

since i havn't been able to bench rest it i really dont know if the rifle itself shoots high or is improperly sighted in (i bought it used, supposedly unfired) and so far havn't fussed with the elevation at all.

 

[shrewd]

im not sure if this is important also, but its a 16" barrel

 

[Eli Chaps]

Have a look at this thread. Might be of help: http://www.marlinowners.com/forums/index.php/topic,60482.0.html

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

Sir,

It ain't that easy to shoot unsupported standing unless you train your muscles and tendons specifically for the purpose and have been trained on proper unsupported body support techniques.

I think most people out there can't do any better at 100 yards than you are doing. Don't give up on the rifle, shoot it supported.

I would have promptly handed the rifle to the "older guys" and asked them to show me. ;D

How you choose to draw a bead is your call.

 

[AINT NO FISH]

You definitely should be resting that rifle on a sandbag for starters. You also need to play with your rear sight for elevation. A pair of binoculars is handy. You might have to drift your rear or front sight, or both to get correct windage. Use a brass punch. Set up a target on a larger piece of cardboard that's clean, that way you can see where you're hitting after a couple of shots. If you can set up two targets, one high and one low, it would be good. Your ammo could make all the difference in the world. A 142 grain bullet and 158 grain bullets could be 1 foot difference in elevation at a hundred yards, so use the same ammo to get dialed in. Hope this is helpful, it's what I do. You do want to see your bead in the u or v groove, it should kind of float in there. You could aim for dead center OR you can aim below where you want to hit, being able to see that point. I typically aim dead center, I am not an expert, but generally can get most of my shots into a 6" circle at 100 yds. Again, good luck, this is the fun part, becoming one with yer gun!

 

[shrewd]

thanks bud, i'll def take your suggestions to heart!

since you mention such a dramatic difference at range in bullet type, is there something you reccomend for target practice? i an typically limited to whatever walmart has instock, as i find online prices too expensive after shipping


in a 16" barrel whats a good grain for starters (i dont reload. YET!) ? i'm not entirely sure what rifling i have, though i believe my rifle to be of 2008 manufacture

 

[Leverdude]

If its microgroove it'll say it on the barrel. I'm not fond of regular barrel mounted sights but consistancy is the key. At 20 yards you should be able to shoot nice tight groups even if their not centered. Reason I'm not fond of the barrel mounted sights is I try to settle the bead in the notch with the top of the bead flush with the top of the notch and in that position you cant see much of the target at any sort of distance, though it does work well on bigger things like a deer, its frustrating on targets. I'd recomend getting a reciever mounted peep sight of one flavor or another. I prefer a Williams FP on most of my guns if I can mount it on the side, but if your gun is less than a few years old it wont be drilled & tapped on the side so you'll need a top mounted one. Still alot of options from Williams & Skinner though.

 

[Tatersoup]

You really do need to get it on a rest to get it sighted in before worrying about hitting something from a standing position.

The way I set up my sight picture with iron sights is to "float" the bead in the rear sight, trying to line up the top of the bead with the top edge of the rear sights. I like my POI to be at the TOP of the bead. You might like to center the bead on the target and that's okay, too. Whatever works.

My lever guns all have Williams FP receiver sights and I've also replaced the front bead with a taller post type front sight as this gives me the sight picture I like best. ;D

 

[drjjpdc]

+1. Yes shrewd, it's like aint no fish said, use the exact same ammo (bullet weight and configuration) for sighting in. Doesn't matter 142 or 158 (although I think the 158 is usually cheaper), just use the same stuff. When it's sighted in, then you can try different brands of the same configuration again and find out which brand shoots closest to target. After that it's really up to you.

When you choose to shoot different weight bullets, just don't assume the same brand will shoot both well in your gun. Your gun may like Winnie 158's and Federal 142's. And don't even get me started on cast bullets.