I'm by no means any kind of expert on this, but maybe you are putting different presure on the forend if maybe it is not free floated or possibly the barrel is resting on or touching something differently from one rest to the next. Also I have had problems with not adjusting the paralex for the proper distance and then not having my eyeball centered in the scope and it having a different zero, not sure if this is possible but I think I have had this problem. You might have a different sight picture the way you are holding it for sandbags as opposed to the sled. Hope this helps

Agree the above:

when you place you rifle in the holder of the sled you do not get the saame check weld that you did before, you have many obstructions in the way now, think back to your begining days of shooting, if you did not mount you rifle the same way you where off. same is true now. sled and bags are great for getting it on paper, then switch to how you are going to shoot, bipod, sticks or sling, pratice with them. in a sled does not test you marksmenship, it show that the rifle can shoot.

I know my rifles are better than this operator

V/R

M. Bird

that our rifles are better than the operator but, if your shooting it that well, what difference does the lead sled make? You gonna carry it hunting with you? Whatever your doing shooting with out the sled, keep doing it!

Reminds me of when I first got my cronograph. I couldn't believe my books could be that far off the velocities I was getting! Eventually I got it figured out, you get what you get, work with that!

I use the lead sled plus, and all my practise is at 200 yards, with either my 300 win mag, or my 30-06, both guns shoot 3 shot groups that could be about covered by a quarter off the sled, if i go to my shooting sticks, it opens up to a 1 1/2" to 2" group. i would say that it is something that you are doing ?.

Kevin

I know this is a little late but i think i might have the answer for you. I shoot a 7mm Mag off of my lead sled. When you shoot you need to either hold the sling on the forearm down or put your hand on top of your barrel just in fron of the scope. When your rifle shoots out of the sled, especially big calibers, your barrel will rise more. The sled is bascially taking all the recoil and transfering it into the sand bags. When you are shooting with out the sled the recoil is transfered into your shoulder which will allow the barrel less jump. I know that sounds odd holding the sling down but it works. When i take my 7mm off the sled and shoot in a prone position i can hold 1 1/2 groups at 300 yards. But that is also with custom loads which help. Also the difference between me shooting on the sled and in the prone position are un-noticeable. The whole cheek to weld to play a factor but you have to have a very different cheek to weld everytime to screw thing up. Scopes are meant to be parrallax free, so again unless you have a very different cheek to stock from the sled to off the sled that shouldn't be a factor.

I have never used one yet but had considered buying one in the future. After reading all this I really don't think I need one anyway as there could be possible issues to sort out. I have done very well just using a good bag front and rear to hold things steady. I use a bipod often as well but you do need to be a bit more careful to get the same results from shot to shot.

lead sleds work really well, especially for sighting in big magnums.