SmallCaliberCentral

I recently purchased a Remington SPS. I bought a Bushnell Elite 3200 scope and have tried a couple different bases/mounts. (Currently I have Leupolds). When trying to sight in the rifle, I am getting shots all over the paper. Sometimes a couple will be within an inch but never three in a row. I am shooting Winchester 32 grain silver tips and have ordered some 40 grain Hornady to try another bullet, but I am concerned there is something else wrong, perhaps with the barrel or scope or maybe even the mounts since the first mounts I purchased (cabelas brand) had the gun shooting low after the scope was tapped out on the up adjustment. I was very excited to get a 204 but now I am fustrated because it has been 4 months and 3 boxes of ammo and I can't hit a thing. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong? I have considered a new scope and am ordering a different load. thanks for any help or advise given.

Hi Flash, first, welcome to the forum.
You didn't say how you were doing your sighting in, 25 yards? 50 yards? longer? From a bench with bags, rests? Did you bore sight it first? are the mounts and rings tight? I know I'm throwing a lot of questions at you but once you get everything dialed in you will love your .204...laser flat and just great fun!!! There are a bunch of guys here that have a lot more experience than me, so I'm sure you'll have the answers you need in no time. Gary

First, take the scope off and re-center the reticle. Hold it up against a mirror, with the objective lens against the mirror, on the lowest power and you will probably see two sets of cross hairs... adjust the knobs until you only have one.

Second, there are some mounts and rings that are of different heights for front and rear. Check to insure yours are made for the rifle and they are in the right position, if there is a difference.

Third, after making sure the scope mounts are tightened properly, lock your rifle in a horizontal cradle, so that it won't move, and looking through the bore at a distant object (I use a neighbors basketball goal), set your scope in the bottom of the scope rings without the top half installed and see how much out of alignment your scope is with the bore. This will give you a good idea of where to start making changes.

I have two .204s and they both prefer the heavier bullets and definitely love the 39gr Sierras, with the Hornady 40gr coming in a close second. For some reason, I haven't found a powder load that lets either shoot Bergers well... When shooting the lighter bullets, it will look like I was shooting a shotgun.. It's my understanding that others have experienced the same. Some .204s like heavier bullets, some like the lighter ones... Once you find the right combination and have confidence in you optics, you will be hooked...

Your scope rings may by out of alignment, or the mounting bases may be wrong for the rifle. If your scope is pretty much in alignment and then goes substantially out of alignment when the top half of the rings are installed and tightened, then the rings need to be lapped as you are putting undue pressure on the scope and serious damage can occur.

Most ring manufacturers also recommend you leave the rings paired as they were in the packaging (don't mix the ring halves).

There are a lot of things you need to check:
1-Are the action screws (especially the front) tight?
2-Are the scope bases tightened down to the action?
3-Are the rings tight on the bases?
4-Are the rings tight on the scope?
5-Does the scope objective touch the barrel?
After all that, have you tried different brands or bullets weights of ammo? It is also possible something is wrong with the scope. You may want to put on a different scope (one that you know is good from another rifle) and see if that makes a difference. Make sure you shoot from a good rest and a solid bench so you eliminate as many of those kinds of variables as you can. If nothing else works I'll be glad to give you $20 for the rig - no questions asked - and take it off your hands... Good luck in your quest, hope it all works out for you.

All previous suggestions are great, but I thought I would mention an experience a friend of mine had recently. His flip up scope cover would touch the barrel (depending on how it was put on) and he was shooting all over the place. Got rid of the flip up covers and no more problems. It was so wierd I thought it worth bringing up. His mounts had the scope just a tad off the barrel.

It might be that the receiver is drilled cockeyed, too. My Savage is like that, and it's been had a tortured existence. I can only hope I've got it sorted out for good. I THINK I've got it shimmed properly and solidly snug. I THINK the new one-piece mount is gonna cure it's fidgeting around. I just never know with this rifle. It shoots well enough, it's just a torturous task to get a scope to look where it shoots. Burris Signature Zee Rings and a one-piece base have at least got them looking in same right direction.
When rifles are good, they are very good, when they aren't, they give you more reasons to mess with them It can be really frustrating, but the rewards are nice.