Troubleshooting

FTR

Ever been so frustrated with your rifle that you're ready to throw it out the window and yell "F*** THIS RIFLE"?

Yeah. Us too.

So let's fix that rifle. Here's how.

How to use this guide

Pick your path below — the guide will tell you where to start.

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Work through each step. Check the box on every item you've confirmed or eliminated.

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If the problem persists, scroll to the bottom and generate your Gunsmith Summary.

All six steps apply to both paths. The recommended order changes — your situation determines where the most likely cause lives.

1 Mechanical

2 Shooter

3 Components

4 Barrel

5 Optics

6 Environment

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The Sigma8 Approach

This guide won't diagnose your problem. It will walk you through a systematic elimination process — checking each potential cause, one at a time, in the order most likely to find the issue.

If you get to the end and the problem isn't solved, you'll have a clear record of everything you checked and eliminated. Hand that to your gunsmith. It saves them time, saves you money, and proves you did the work.

We're not gunsmiths. We're engineers who know how to isolate problems. This is a failure review process, not a repair manual.

Muzzle device torque.

Is your muzzle brake or suppressor tight? This is a 30-second check and one of the most common causes of unexplained accuracy issues. If your rifle doesn't have a muzzle device, skip this.

Action screw torque.

Are your action screws at the manufacturer's recommended torque? Loose action screws let the rifle shift in the stock under recoil. Use a torque wrench — hand-tight is not good enough.

Scope ring and base screw torque.

Every screw in your scope mounting system needs to be at spec. Over-torqued is as bad as loose — you can deform the scope tube.

Stock hardware.

All chassis clamps, stock bolts, and attachment points tight? If you have a traditional stock with a bedding block, make sure it's secure.

Barrel-to-stock contact.

Does your barrel touch the stock or forend anywhere? Run a dollar bill between the barrel and stock from the receiver to the muzzle. If it catches, you have contact. Free-floating barrels should have clearance all the way around.

Recoil management.

Are you consistent in how you manage the rifle during the shot? Same shoulder pressure, same grip, same cheek weld, every time.

Trigger control and follow-through.

Are you pressing the trigger straight back without disturbing the rifle? After the trigger breaks, hold it back for a full one-count. Maintain your sight picture through recoil. If you're lifting your head or releasing the trigger early, you're disturbing the rifle before the bullet has left the barrel.

Parallax adjustment.

Is your scope parallax set correctly for your shooting distance? If your scope has a fixed parallax setting, understand that it's optimized for one distance and will show parallax error at others.

Natural point of aim.

Is your body naturally aligned with the target, or are you muscling the rifle onto target? If you close your eyes, relax, and open them, your crosshairs should still be on target.

Rest and support consistency.

Are you using the same rest setup every session? Bipod pressure, rear bag squeeze, tripod position — changes here change your results.

For Handloaders

Lot numbers.

Have you changed to a new container of powder, a new box of primers, or a new bag of brass since your last good session? Lot-to-lot variation is real, especially in powder.

Charge weight consistency.

Are you weighing every charge to the same tolerance? What's your spread across a batch?

Seating depth consistency.

Are your CBTO measurements consistent round to round?

Brass prep consistency.

Are you following the exact same preparation process for every case?

Try a different bullet.

Bullets with different bearing surface lengths produce different pressure curves and barrel harmonics. Switching manufacturers is a bigger change than switching weights within a manufacturer.

Try a different powder.

A powder change is a significant shift. But if nothing else has worked, it's a valid diagnostic step.

For Factory Ammo Shooters

Lot consistency.

Are you shooting from the same lot? Mixed lots in the same box?

Storage.

Has the ammo been stored properly? Temperature extremes and moisture can affect performance.

Try a different product.

If you've only tested one ammo brand, you don't know if the problem is the ammo or the rifle. Test at least two different products before concluding the rifle is the issue.

Round count.

How many rounds has this barrel fired? Barrel life varies by cartridge — overbore magnums wear faster than efficient cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor. If you're approaching the high end of expected barrel life, throat erosion may be your issue.

Cleaning regimen.

How and how often are you cleaning? Both over-cleaning and under-cleaning cause issues. Aggressive cleaning with steel brushes and harsh solvents can damage a crown. Never cleaning lets copper fouling build to the point where accuracy degrades.

Crown inspection.

Is the muzzle crown damaged? Even a small nick or ding on the crown can throw bullets off as they exit the barrel. Inspect carefully.

Clean bore pattern.

Does your rifle shoot its best group on a freshly cleaned bore, then degrade? If so, there may be a barrel or throat issue a gunsmith should evaluate.

Scope tracking.

Does your scope return to zero after dialing up and back down? A tall target test or box test will reveal tracking errors. If your scope doesn't track, nothing else you do will produce consistent results.

Reticle cant.

Is your scope canted in the rings? A bubble level on the rail and on the scope will show this. Cant introduces windage error that increases with distance.

Internal clarity.

Any fogging, dark spots, or distortion when you look through the scope? These indicate internal damage.

Scope history.

Has this scope been dropped, bumped hard, or used on a heavy-recoiling rifle before being mounted on this one? Scopes have a finite recoil lifespan.

Temperature.

Has the temperature changed significantly since your last good session? Temperature-sensitive powders can shift velocity and accuracy across a 20°F+ swing.

Altitude.

Have you changed shooting locations at a significantly different altitude?

Wind.

Are your testing conditions calm enough for meaningful group measurement? A 5 mph crosswind at 300 yards moves bullets more than most shooters realize.

Still Not Fixed?

You've done the work.

You've systematically checked every major category. If the problem persists, you have two valuable things: a complete record of everything you checked and eliminated, and a deeper understanding of your rifle system. Hand that record to a qualified gunsmith. They'll respect the work and won't waste your time re-checking things you've already cleared.

Gunsmith Summary

Tick the checks above as you work through them, then generate your summary to hand off to a gunsmith.

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Want the Data-Driven Version?

FTR Mode is coming to Qual8.

A guided version of this process that uses YOUR rifle data to prioritize what to check first. The app automatically scans your session history for patterns: point of impact drift, velocity degradation, lot number changes, and more. It walks you through each check interactively and captures the root cause when you find it.

FTR Mode is free at all tiers.

Get Qual8 Free

FTR

One question.

My rifle used to shoot well — and stopped.

My rifle has never performed the way I expected.

Quick Mechanical Checks