Lead Sled Issues

So basically, when I put the gun in the LS, I put the crosshairs on te target at 100 yards. Went to hold the rifle, and the POI had changed, so I re-centered the rifle using the elevation & windage adjustments. Hold rifle, and I'm getting 6" groups, and they are moving all around. WTF. ThenI'm getting a 3-shot group where they are all touching. The group is 3.75" low, and 2.5" to the right. Change the scope and now it's shooting up & tom the left. WTF. Is the scope bad? Is this a boner rifle from Gunbroker? Did I put the scope on wrong and pinch the scope mechanism without knowing? Ive burned up an incredible amount of ammo, which is like throwing gold away. So after talking with my 2 buddies, It's the Lead Sled. Will confirm it in the next week.
What brand of scope? Lead sleds are junk and very hard on stocks, scopes and mounts. They also don’t allow for good cheek weld or recoil management.
Are all 5 guns shooting bad?
Either way you seem on the right track with using a front bag or rest and rear bag. Get a good solid setup and test again.
 
Watched a guy put a portable bench vise on the shooting bench, put a towel in the jaws and locked down his 340 B so he could sight it in for his bear hunt. After three shots he started yelling about pos Leupold scope, borrowed a screwdriver dismounted the scope and threw it about 25 yards down range and then he left. The other guy out there was faster than I was. Leupold repaired the scope.
 
Saw some guys with a Lead Sled and a .338 Lapua at our local range. They had the sled and the rifle ratchet strapped to the concrete bench. I started to ask questions and they quickly made it clear I was an idiot. Funny. Especially since they have a firearms related business. Not gonna tell though. mtmuley
Seen a guy’s scope come clean off once while using a sled. Sheared the base screws.
 
My wife goes crazy if her groups aren't < 1/2 MOA so I got her this + a rear bag for her .204 Sako and .223 Dakota Varmint rifles. A little more than Caldwell but the leather bags will last forever. Protektor.

And, yes, the LS will wreck scopes, for all the reasons mentioned.

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What brand of scope? Lead sleds are junk and very hard on stocks, scopes and mounts. They also don’t allow for good cheek weld or recoil management.
Are all 5 guns shooting bad?
Either way you seem on the right track with using a front bag or rest and rear bag. Get a good solid setup and test again.
Leupold VX5s and Zeiss Conquest4s. I had a Meopta Optika6 on the 338 initially, and I thought sht, maybe its the scope. Changed it to an absolutely new Zeiss Conquest4 and it was doing the same sht. LOLOL. Those quality scopes are pretty durable. I will find out in the next week if I damaged any of the scopes. I'll watch the video later. I haven't consistently checked all 5 rifles. I do know 3 of them were acting screwy. An M77 Ruger in .25-06, a BAR Mark3 in .300 win mag, and a Bar Safari in .338 win mag. All the groups were bouncing around. Oh, and I used a barrel cooler I made to cool the barrels down after 3 shots to room temp.
 
Another question. I put the Zeiss on the .338 BAR and the first shot at 100 yards was 25" to the left. The scope mounts are Leupold QD mounts because those are the only rings that can take the recoil of a .338 win mag. There is no way to move those rings, the rear to the right, so i don't have to adjust the windage so much. Would I have to get a gunsmith to redrill those mount? Im wondering if I moved the front of the mount on the receiver to the back and vice versa, i.e. flipped the mount and re-screwed it to the receiver.
 
Another question. I put the Zeiss on the .338 BAR and the first shot at 100 yards was 25" to the left. The scope mounts are Leupold QD mounts because those are the only rings that can take the recoil of a .338 win mag.
The bolded is not true.
There is no way to move those rings, the rear to the right, so i don't have to adjust the windage so much. Would I have to get a gunsmith to redrill those mount? Im wondering if I moved the front of the mount on the receiver to the back and vice versa, i.e. flipped the mount and re-screwed it to the receiver.
Did you have the same issue with other scopes?
 
The QD are indeed good mounts but certainly not the only ones from Leupold that will hold up to a .338 mag. I have standard 1 inch and 30mm windage adjustment on an 8mm Remington and a 338 Jarrett as well as a 375 HH. I no longer own the 338 wm but it also had the standard Leupold windage bases. All have performed just fine. I have a VX5 on the Jarrett.
 
It was the Lead Sled. POS/ Piece of Shit. It was affecting barrel dynamics/recoil in wierd ways. So I went back to my rickety old rifle rest and got 3 of my Rifles sighted in. Got amazingly good and consistent groups from Hornady Outfitter ammo with a 225gr CX bullet. See pics. I still have the 2 BLR's to Sight in and the .270 BAR Mark3. The M77 liked Winchester 117gr XP ammo. The .270 and .25-06 have virtually the same drops. I've got to see what bullet weight the BAR likes. If it shoots like the .25-06, same size groups, I may bring the Browning for mule deer since it is a tad lighter. It's like have a Tall leggy blonde and a tall leggy brunette. You can only do one woman at a time, but the both look hot!! Ya know what I mean?? Note, I was getting a tad tired in the heat for the BAR Mark 3, and therefore pulled a few shots. As seen on the last Pic.
 

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It was the Lead Sled. POS/ Piece of Shit. It was affecting barrel dynamics/recoil in wierd ways. So I went back to my rickety old rifle rest and got 3 of my Rifles sighted in. Got amazingly good and consistent groups from Hornady Outfitter ammo with a 225gr CX bullet. See pics. I still have the 2 BLR's to Sight in and the .270 BAR Mark3. The M77 liked Winchester 117gr XP ammo. The .270 and .25-06 have virtually the same drops. I've got to see what bullet weight the BAR likes. If it shoots like the .25-06, same size groups, I may bring the Browning for mule deer since it is a tad lighter. It's like have a Tall leggy blonde and a tall leggy brunette. You can only do one woman at a time, but the both look hot!! Ya know what I mean?? Note, I was getting a tad tired in the heat for the BAR Mark 3, and therefore pulled a few shots. As seen on the last Pic.
 
This has been an interesting read. I like to start with front/rear bags but after I’m dialed I just bring my pack along and use that for a rest- I figure that’s what I’m going to be using hunting, may as well practice that way too.
 
Question for those using sandbags. Where does the front sandbag contact the stock? About where the front hand would grasp the stock, closer toward the foreend, or closer to the action where the recoil lug is?
 
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