On Target

Since it has been a season of everything going wrong that could possibly go wrong at the Boonedocks, I thought I’d post a picture of something finally going right for a change. UPDATED July 24: Problems.

A new scope, the UTG 3-9x32 Compact CQB Bug Buster AO, is my first step into better optics for the 5.56mm/.223 Rem cartridge that I shoot the most. It may be my last step if it holds up over time given the above results.

Update: It didn’t hold up at all. Details after the break…

No pictures this time, but only words unfortunately. Two weeks ago a quick test in the back yard indicated the scope had lost zero and was hitting two inches low and two inches to the left – right where it had started. I didn’t have time to check any further until yesterday and the results were not good at all.

This time a shooting sled was used on a bench at a range and sure enough the scope was hitting in that two inch by two inch deviation at 25 yards. Decent ammo including Sierra match grade 69 grain was fired and the scope was walked in to just outside an inch of the bulls eye. Once at that location, attempts were made to adjust with either two or four clicks used.

What happened next was bizarre. Instead of moving up and to the right, the proper and triple checked clicks moved the point of impact backwards. By backwards, I mean almost twice as far in the reverse direction of where it should have gone!

Resetting those adjustments placed the rounds back to the just outside the inner ring, which made no sense whatsoever. No matter what was tried or what ammunition, the scope simply would not zero. At the end, it drifted nearly back to where it began.

The sled wasn’t to blame, three other scoped rifles proved it was doing its job and the match grade ammo that was so off with this rifle performed beautifully in two of them. Turrets were turned in the proper direction and locked down after every adjustment. No movement was detected within the one inch rings or their mounting to the rifle.

Since the Bugbuster is past the exchange window at Amazon, I’ll have to be calling Leapers about the strange behavior. I’ll follow up with another update down the road.

Very disappointed.

Original post follows:

The first round fired shows up as the lowest on the target -- with no bore sighting done ahead of time. I was simply checking functionality and whether the scope was on tight enough to endure recoil. Seeing the hole appear in the black, I almost fell out of the folding chair. Real sighting in was in order, ASAP.

Adjustments were made very incrementally giving me a consistent walk up until I was in the inner ring. By that point, my always problematic shaking had gotten worse making fine tuning impossible, so I let her rip at a rate governed by how fast the target could be lined up again in the crosshairs. That turned out to be pretty fast, again to my surprise as was how little the group opened up.

Altogether thirty four rounds were fired resulting in all making it through the holes seen in the picture. The last six or seven were at rapid fire with most ended up down and to the left again, most likely due to the speed of trigger pulling and my rustiness.

Early observations on the UTG Bug Buster is that it is well made, though mine does have a divot out of an adjustment crown that doesn’t affect functionality. While some people have gotten tilted reticles, mine seems to be close to dead on, or enough so that I can’t tell. Once in the included mid height rings, it was perfectly aligned anyway.

Illumination of the sights is very good with smooth levels rather than clicked presets. Green was actually useful in the early evening summer light and the red should work equally well in low light. UTG’s including a two inch aluminum sun shade is to be commended as it worked wonders with the sun going down at a ninety degree angle to where I was shooting.

Love the sniper system of locking the adjustment turrets, just love it. Parallax adjustment is taking some getting used to but is practical. Unfortunately, personal eye problems didn’t allow me to get full benefit. Supposedly this scope can be used as close as three yards, however I didn’t test that.

Normally people replace included scope rings, but I didn’t have that luxury. The one inch pair included took a little adjusting with the also included hex wrenches and I don’t think I’ll need to replace them. The quick detach lever system seems to be rock solid and the screws held the scope in place without loosening. Loktite will be employed on the rings but not the picatinny rail screws.

Disclaimer time: Sighting in was at 25 yards in the side yard, I was physically drained making my already shaky hands more so, the bipod was wobbly, and I used a folding card table as a bench. Then there was the cheap and not terribly accurate 55gr XM193 of uncertain vintage (2000s?) and my needing a new contact prescription due to my dominant eye decaying somewhat.

A good shooter on a stable bag and bipod or sled would probably be drilling cloverleaf groups. For me, this is the best grouping I’ve shot since going through Lyme Disease at any range.

I’m very pleased and look forward to testing at longer distance at a range with better and heavier 62 gr ammo. 1 in 7 twist barrels prefer it, after all. Now to save up money for some match grade ammo…