Rifle shoots high.....

[Darkhorse]

I built this rifle in 1996 and it was and is a real shooter. It can and has shot numerous 1 holers at 50 yards. Problem is, it now shoots them 4 to 5" high at 50 yards. I don't shoot this one much as I prefer my .40 with a Rice barrel. So I was surprised when I shot it to check the sights before deer season.
I can't figure out why. But I am wondering about stress in the metal causing this. I have worked in big time production shops  and I've seen a lot metal move when machined. Even though it's been some years since this barrel was machined I just thought I'd throw it out there and see what you all think about this.

[webradbury]

I'm certainly no expert but I would think during the manufacturing of the barrel, it was normalized to remove stresses caused by the machining processes, so I wouldn't think the barrel got re-stressed somehow. As to the reason for the change, I have no clue. If it were me, I would shoot it a bunch to see if it is now consistently shooting 4-5" higher and compensate with a new taller front sight.

[smylee grouch]

Is the load the same? Are you holding the rifle the same as before? Has your eyesight changed as you might be looking at the sights differently? Are you aiming at the same sized aiming spot? These and alot of other reasons for different POI.

[Darkhorse]

My eyesight has gotten worse for sure and I'm working that issue with different sight options. But I still wonder about stress and the barrel moving.

[54ball]

 New eyes.

 Your eyesight has changed and likely your holding more of the front blade up or higher (easier to see) in the notch. 

[smylee grouch]

Darkhorse, my eyes are getting old too and 54 ball makes a good point about taking more sight which is easy to do when you have a barley corn shaped front sight.

[Rich]

Is it possible that you are now shooting 3f when previously you used 2f?

[Mark Elliott]

Is your ball and patch combo the same?  A looser load would shoot higher.  Also more lube would push it higher. 

[Daryl]

4 or 5 inches is quite a lot.  Taylor's rifles all shoot 2" low at 50 yards for me - all about how we see the sights - might be the same for you- but note - powder is better today than it was just 4 years ago, seems to me.  Changes add up, sometimes, instead of cancelling each other out.

[bob in the woods]

If the stock "grows" ir lengthens due to humidity, and the barrel tenons aren't slotted to allow for that, the stock will in effect put a slight bend upward in the barrel. .....so, shoots high.  Could that be your problem?

[Darkhorse]

Same powder 3f
Same patch and ball, .530 and .018 ticking from the same 3 yards I bought a few years ago.
Heck yeah 4 or 5 inches is a quite a lot!
Same powder, same lot, out of same cardboard box.
Tenons are well slotted and oversize.

I'm sure it's the eyes. I can't tell where in the rear blur the  front sight actually is. But I just thought I'd throw this out there. I'm working on some new sights to clear things up a little.

[hammer]

Just might be resistance in the bore leading to slightly higher pressures.    Especially with a rifle that is only used infrequently.   
In the early days of fowling pieces in England when powders were slower burning it was the practice for the bore to be roughened before smoothed and slightly relived at the muzzle.   To provide resistance to the load and wads and so build up the pressure to be released in those final inches, increasing the efficiency of the burn, muzzle velocity and range.
Could it be that you have some residual fouling in the bore that has hardened during the periods of non-use?
Might be an idea to give it a good work out with a bronze brush and plenty of solvent and see of that makes a difference.

Good luck.

[Longone]

3-4" isn't too bad. I bought a rifle from a fellow once that shot 12" high @ 50 yards, he claimed it was my fault.
In your case I'd think as others have said it's the way your looking at the front sight, or your head position on the stock. Sounds like a good reason to take another range trip.

[EC121]

Stick a piece of tape with a small hole punched in it on your glasses and shoot a few shots.  Sighting through the hole will clear up the back sight to see if it is vision related.  I use the smallest hole on a leather punch.  Stick the tape on plastic wrap or wax paper. to punch  it.

[AeroE]

Probably time for a Merit aperture.

[stuart cee dub]

If you can still see the sights on the .40 that you shoot well perhaps you can replicate those sights meaning the distance between them ,the notch style at rear sighting and the distance of the rear sight from your shooting eye .Assuming the barrel length is somewhat similar.
In this way you are substituting what works for you now for what doesn't work any more.

I wish I could say all the sights between the rifles  I built over the years are the same and consistent giving me the same sight picture from one to the other.
They are not.

I have to keep a little hand illustrated notebook in my shooting box to remind me the load and the sight picture for various distances for the rifles I do shoot.

I thought the powder comment was interesting.I can't recall the thread or the member who noted that goex
was having issues with their charcoal supplier in the early oughties. Powder has changed but that's probably not the issue here .

There is nothing sacred about sights .Move them ,change them, add more height to the front blade if you need to to get it to shoot lower. .54 is a good deer killing caliber and worth fixing up before the hunt.

[P.W.Berkuta]

I built this rifle in 1996 and it was and is a real shooter. It can and has shot numerous 1 holers at 50 yards. Problem is, it now shoots them 4 to 5" high at 50 yards. I don't shoot this one much as I prefer my .40 with a Rice barrel. So I was surprised when I shot it to check the sights before deer season.
I can't figure out why. But I am wondering about stress in the metal causing this. I have worked in big time production shops  and I've seen a lot metal move when machined. Even though it's been some years since this barrel was machined I just thought I'd throw it out there and see what you all think about this.

OK -- here is my "two cents" and it has happened to me : My weight has jumped up at least 50 - 70 pounds since I built my percussion .40 caliber target rifle 20 years ago and at that time it was a tack driver. Also my eyes were MUCH better then. Now my face is fatter along with my body and that rifle does not fit the same and the sights are not as sharp and clear. SO -- it may just be that age is creeping up on you and effecting your shooting with that rifle .

[Darkhorse]

This rifle is not sacred as to  period correctness. It is a longrifle built to hunt with, it has a Rice C barrel, chambers large siler and a nice piece of wood. But it must perform when called upon in the dim woods. And that is the important thing.
Several years ago I tried different type sights but always went  back to traditional. At that time I made a prototype of a simple bracket (if you can call it that) that a williams peep sight will attach to. Trouble was I didn't have a front sight tall enough. Well, that prototype is back on the rifle and I'll be making a new front sight the proper height.
This should do the trick.