Don't laugh: Change in zero of non-steel framed revolvers? (i.e., Heritage Rough Rider)

[WVGunman]

I used to own an older Heritage Rough Rider (made before Taurus bought them) with target sights. It was surprisingly accurate, until I very stupidly sold it. I went out of my way to buy a brand new Rough Rider a few months that was basically the same set-up: 6.5" barrel with target sights. This newer gun's sights were slightly different from the older guns sights, and the frame seems to be a bit rougher. The overall feel is that it is a bit more cheaply made. Yeah, even Heritage guns have levels of quality, apparently.
But the point here is that this gun seems to get LESS accurate the more I shoot it. I don't mean day to day, I mean in one shooting session. I'm wondering if there is something about the ZAMAK/aluminum (not sure which) frame that makes it warp once the gun gets hot. I went to the range yesterday, and my first two 6-shot groups were about 3-4 inches at 15 yards, shooting freehand. I shot about 60 rounds in 15 minutes, and the last few shots weren't even in a 5-inch circle. Anyone else experienced this?
I don't consider this a huge loss, but it IS a shame that Ruger doesn't put target sights on anything cheaper than the Single Six.

 

[jmorris]

Do you have another pistol, say a .22, to use as a control.

To confirm the one handgun looses accuracy while you are still shooting the same?

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Do you have another pistol, say a .22, to use as a control.

To confirm the one handgun looses accuracy while you are still shooting the same?

Also get someone else to see if their firing of it mimics your results.

This potentially performance change would be an interesting thing to know.

Seeing as this would be a thermal issue rather that stress - given the *memory* aspect - I wonder if it would also be seasonal here in Arizona.

Todd.

 

[Riomouse911]

Most, if not all of my guns will alter zero a touch when warming up from cold. Of course the amount of zero shift varies by gun, by temperature swing from cold to hot, the load I’m shooting, etc.

Since it doesn’t say if you let it cool completely and then repeated the process with similar results, I am wondering if a rough bore is shaving lead and depositing it in the bore causing your accuracy issues?

Give it a good cleaning to remove lead, crud etc. and give it another try.

If it doesn’t open up you may have your issue solved with a barrel that leads a lot. If it does open up the same way after a good cleaning it very well may be a heating issue. (I can’t shoot my rimfire SA’s fast enough to get one too warm myself .)

Stay safe.

 

[ontarget]

Is it possible that your sights are shifting? I've never experienced this with any of my fixed sight HRRs, and in fact haven't heard of anyone else who has either. I suppose it could be a heat issue.
Another possibility is timing. If your chamber is not correctly aligned with the forcing cone it could be causing consistancy issues.
Do you see any signs of lead around the cone?
I love the HRR in all of its different models, but I am also very aware of what they are on the quality scale.

 

[kidneyboy]

What ammo are you using? Bulk 22 ammo in an inexpensive 22 revolver isn't a recipe for consistency. Your description, however, sounds like shooter fatigue and my guess is that's what the issue is.
That said, I'm on my 3rd HRR . The first 2 are still in my family being used. No issues with any of them.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I have a Heritage with adjustable sights.
It’s of amazing quality given the price point when I bought it.
It has NO problems with accuracy. Though it’s not quite (though almost) as accurate as my two Smith&Wessons, it doesn’t suffer from “inaccuracies”.
I haven’t found it to have either preferences or particular dislikes of ammo.
It’s a straight forward performer.

 

[WestKentucky]

Is the group opening up or is POI shifting? I can see where a lot of fast shooting would heat the topstrap causing slight expansion pushing POI slightly lower. The HRR barrels are pressed in so movement within the frame is possible but it seems unlikely as the barrel would heat up fast than anything and would swell to more tightly fit the frame.

One possible issue to note is that a loose grip frame can cause very strange behavior, so make sure that it’s snug. Don’t crank on it, just snug because you could easily strip out the zamak frame.

 

[J-Bar]

Shoot it over a rest, then have a friend shoot it over a rest. It could be interesting.