Can I blame it on parallax?

[Offroadtek]

No chance of a twig - it was a 100% clear unobstructed shot (as were the next few shots that also missed their mark). LOL. At any rate, thanks for the reply, I’m still stumped. And what’s worse is that next time I’m going to be super stressed about taking the shot - especially if it’s a nice buck.

I had 2 similar instances happen with me this year. First was by a friend of mine. We were both in a blind and he clean missed a nice buck at 60 yards (Stable rest, broadside, calm day). After long search with absolutely no sigh of a hitting the deer, I traced back to blind and found a twig 6 feet from the blind on his side that he had hit.
The second I had a doe at close range from a ladderstand. Offhand shot, so close I decided to take a neck shot, after all I've done it before and this rifle shoots good. Boom, she runs. I search, the trail she ran, no blood, no nothing.

It messes with your mind. My next deer I made sure to have proper form, good cheek weld, stock firm on my shoulder. I couldn't have made a better shot.

Check your zero, and give attention to having a good shooting form next time. I bet you find you shoot fine.

 

[Railroader]

Don't overthibk this. It was a chip shot. You either hit low or flinched

Or peeked...

 

[Bobby Bigtime]

We have all choked at on time or another especially on those shots we take for granted. I took my brother in law out last year and we had a dream encounter with a beautiful whitetail buck that was laying in the sagebrush at seven yards. He shot and the buck ran off( I am still shocked) he cursed his rifle, I cursed him so we set up a pop can at the same distance as the white patch on the bucks neck which he said he put his crosshairs. The pop can went flying. Claiming he doesn't fever I told him you obviously choked then. Thirty minutes later he killed a 6x6 mule deer at 165 yards no problem.

 

[DrK]

Yep, recreate the shot so you regain confidence on your gun. If your scope height is 2.5 inches I suspect your bullet will be 2.5 inches low at that distance. Should have hit the deer still

 

[Jester896]

I remember once I tried to shoot one of those big banana lookin spiders with my 17HMR that was scoped. I made 3 shots missing each time trying to get the scope hold right. I put the rifle down and used my 45ACP...1 shot..mush

 

[rosewood]

I remember once I tried to shoot one of those big banana lookin spiders with my 17HMR that was scoped. I made 3 shots missing each time trying to get the scope hold right. I put the rifle down and used my 45ACP...1 shot..mush

Had he been sitting on your paper target at 100 yards, you would have gotten him the 1st shot.

 

[rosewood]

I re-read the OP more closely. At that close range, through a scope, all you could see was brown. Maybe you wasn't aimed where you thought you was or the deer took a step forward after you placed the crosshairs and you didn't realize it. It sounds like your aim elevation was correct, just windage was off, that wouldn't be a scope over barrel issue and parallax for sure isn't going to make a 1'-2' difference.

Rosewood

 

[ppelaez]

OP, here is your answer to know for sure.

That said, I've always hunted from elevated stands my entire life, and have never factored in my stand height into the equation, while taking a shot, at a deer.

I have hunted with several parallax adjustable riflescopes over the years as well. To avoid confusion when taking the shot, I'd adjust that setting before the hunt, and never touch it before taking a shot. If I were hunting in the woods, where a shot would be less than 100 yards, I'd set the parallax adjustment at 100 yards. If I were hunting on a pipeline, where shots would be between 0-300 yards, I'd set it at 200 yards, and let it ride. It had never seemed to affect my shot, enough to make enough difference to worry about, from my experience in the field.

If you think about it, most riflescopes, under 10x or so, have a fixed parallax, usually 100-150 yards, or so, and is not adjustable. If one is to shoot a deer at 25 yards, there is no correction for it. Likewise, if you shot a deer at 300 yards, it's the same thing. You are stuck with a fixed parallax. IMO, and apparently in the optics manufacture's opinions, this adjustment, does not make a drastic difference to cause a miss on a deer, at normal deer hunting ranges. This would come more into play on the highest magnification riflescopes, and at extreme distances, like shooting from a bench, for longer range shooting.

In all fairness, I have shot enough deer over the years, with standard bolt action rifles, and countless kills with Browning Bar rifles, to back up what I'm saying. However....I have never shot a deer with an AR-15 my entire life. I just recently purchased a couple of AR-15 rifles myself, and from your thread, I feel compelled, to test this parallax theory, and stand height difference myself, before taking them to the field.

Anyhow, I would say do as BriarPatch99 suggest, and recreate this scenario, and see where your point of impact hits to know for yourself. I'd also suggest, shooting a couple of 3-shot groups, with the same hunting ammo, to make sure your rifle is grouping well.

Out of curiosity, what ammo are you using? One of my rifles, is a 6.5 Grendel, and I've had trouble finding a selection of ammo to choose from.

I'm interested to hear about your finding on this situation, because, I will be using that same caliber, with a parallax adjustable riflescope, on an AR-15.

Lonewolf247, thanks for the reply. What you say makes sense about fixed parallax scopes. Based on many responses here, I’m coming to the conclusion that parallax was not the culprit. I can accept that maybe I just made a bad shot - it’s harder to accept that I made several more bad shots immediately after. LOL.

Ammo was my own handloads with Cavity Back bullets. If you’re looking for a premium hunting bullet for your Grendel, give them a look - in addition to selling just the projectiles, they also sell fully loaded ammo for the 6.5 Grendel.

Guess I’m gonna have to recreate that scenario and see what happens.

 

[ppelaez]

I re-read the OP more closely. At that close range, through a scope, all you could see was brown. Maybe you wasn't aimed where you thought you was or the deer took a step forward after you placed the crosshairs and you didn't realize it. It sounds like your aim elevation was correct, just windage was off, that wouldn't be a scope over barrel issue and parallax for sure isn't going to make a 1'-2' difference.

Rosewood

At 6x, I could easily see the entire deer. I’m still stumped at how I could’ve been that far off target but I accept that parallax wasn’t at play here. I’m gonna recreate the scenario and see what happens. Thanks for the reply.

 

[lonewolf247]

Lonewolf247, thanks for the reply. What you say makes sense about fixed parallax scopes. Based on many responses here, I’m coming to the conclusion that parallax was not the culprit. I can accept that maybe I just made a bad shot - it’s harder to accept that I made several more bad shots immediately after. LOL.

Ammo was my own handloads with Cavity Back bullets. If you’re looking for a premium hunting bullet for your Grendel, give them a look - in addition to selling just the projectiles, they also sell fully loaded ammo for the 6.5 Grendel.

Guess I’m gonna have to recreate that scenario and see what happens.

Hey no worries, you got the deer right! I've made less than desirable shots on deer over the years. Anytime you get the deer, it's a good thing.

Thanks for the reply on the type of loads used. Yes, I'm not a reloader, so I have to go the ammo route. In my area, 6.5 Grendel is just about non-existent. So I had to buy anything I could find. Never heard of Fort Scott Munitions', but it's all I could find on the shelf. Seems they tumble upon impact. That's a new one on me.

 

[Baroque Brass]

I once had two does standing broadside about 30 yards away, in perfect alignment to take both with one shot with my 30.06. I just knew I was about to impress my buddies that morning, two deer with one shot. Yep, misssed them clean.

 

[GunnSmokeer]

I have checked every scope I've ever owned, going back 30 years, for parallax error at 25 and 50 yards, and sometimes closer for rimfire rifles I might use for plinking or rat hunting.

Because most of them have been factory set for 100 yards parallax free.

The rimfire scopes with a theoretical parallax zero of 50 yards, and the adjustable-objective scopes I test them to to confirm the markings on the tube match real life applications.


I've never seen a scope with more than an inch and a half or maybe 2 inches of parallax error-- and that was ridiculously close like 15 yards.

You can check for parallax error by mounting the scope on a fixed base (such as setting it on the railing of your back deck weighted with a sandbag), you place a grid target in front of it at the appropriate distance with 1 inch squares marked off,

then you get steady (such as sitting in a chair or kneeling on your deck but not hunched over from the standing position) and you look through the scope and wiggle your head around behind the rear lens of the scope and see how much distance that causes the crosshairs to appear to move across your grid target.

 

[coolbreezeroho]

Best to redo the shot and see what results you get....Try the shot the same on a target and then try it to the opposite side and behind you to remove all doubt as to what happened...Remember we all need practice and learn with every new experience

 

[Steve-ALA]

All parallax does is put the reticle and target on same plane. I never rely on the numbered settings in parallax dial. For example if where I hunt has a 100 yard maximum range I set the parallax at that distance by looking at a target and turning dial to clear the image. Then I nod head while looking thru scope. If reticle appears to move, I fine adjust until it stops moving. That’s the point where parallax is correct. Generally speaking, i don’t have to re-adjust it for anything closer nor out to +/- 200 yards. I never look at the number on the dial. It may or may not match where my parallax is set properly.

 

[menhadenman]

Don’t forget to check your scope mount. I’ve had seen mounts that weren't properly mounted rattle loose or scopes shifted after a big drop. Good luck