What happened to my Giles .45???

[tleddy]

Was shooting an NRA center fire match today with my Colt Series 70 Giles .45 using iron sights.

I keep a record of my sight settings for the ammo and yardage; dialed in the "UP 21 Clicks" from bottom for 50 yard zero (all the way down with Giles sights and come up 21 clicks).

First target looks like I am using a 12 gauge with 00 Buckshot with the shots around six o'clock in the seven/scratch eight ring with some serious flyers, but, OK - enough to make a sight change of 7 clicks up.

Target two, first three shots are again crappy random in the 8/9 ring around the bull... and then two shots at 12 o'clock, outside the five ring... and I saw them both as decent shots!!! At least they were only an inch or so apart.

Normally I figure that I did something really stupid (trigger control - we don' need no stinkin' trigger control) if there is one horrible hit, but two in a row that I call good is something else. Especially almost stacked on each other.

Declared a disabled gun and switched to a Jim Rose wad gun and finished that target with 5 hits in the black.

Last 50 yard target was a 90 with 2X (a little better than my current average of 85 at 50 yards).

Short line was in the mid/low 90's on the 25 yard targets, about my current average with the .45.

NOW - I am going to send the Giles off and see what happened - my question is: What on earth would cause that sudden, radical change in zero?? I have taken a quick look and see nothing in the sights or action lock-up that might cause the zero change.

Any one on the list have an experience like this? If so, what was the cause and cure?

Tillman (the dejected) in Florida

p.s. It was great to get out again after two months away due to my S/O's illness - I had really missed shooting. tle

[Guest]

Undersized boolets?

[tleddy]

Nope - changed guns, not ammo.

Tillman

[Gort]

Sounds like a broken slide stop pin or broken barrel link. If you still have the series 70 finger barrel bushing, a finger may of broken. (not uncommon)
Gort

[john bickar]

I had a similar thing happen to me yesterday with my Jack Best-built Series 70.

I couldn't hit the 10-ring to save my life at 50 yards in center fire and dropped 27. I called most of the shots solid, within my aiming area.

In .45 slow fire I dropped 10.

It turned out to be a straightforward mechanical problem, a loose nut on the trigger. Sometime those can work their way loose without your even noticing.

[tleddy]

Absolutely true!! A nut is a terrible thing to loose (sic).

I considered that possibility seriously and decided to change guns mid-stream anyhow.

Perhaps that large popping sound I heard was my head exiting my derriere, allowing me to see my sights clearly :-)

Tillman

[john bickar]

Perhaps that large popping sound I heard was my head exiting my derriere, allowing me to see my sights clearly :-)

Watch out for that ring-around-the-collar ;)