Ultra dot problem.

My new Pardini SP Bullseye pistol came with a one inch Gen 2 ultra dot. The Tampa store was out of the Match dot's. I didn't want to wait for them to get the Match dots in stock. Sighted the dot in off a bench rest and all was fine. Shot 250 rounds and my point of point of impact went up to 11 o'clock 5" out. No matter how much I adjusted the sight. Impact stayed the same. Checked ring to frame and ring tightness. All tight.

Got home an ordered a Match dot 2 from Midway and a set of 30mm rings from Pardini Tampa. Got the new set up installed and went to the range. 300 rounds and here we go again. This time the group went 5" down at 5 o'clock. Sight adjustment made no change. Got a return form from Midway and got another Match dot and just finished mounting it tonight. Back to the range this weekend. If this one does the same thing as the first two! I'm finished with Ultra Dot's. I have used Ultra Dot's for decades on 22's and 45's with never a problem. Just stared shooting again after a 10 year layoff to ride Harley's. 

Anyone else run into this failure to hold zero problem with Ultra Dot's ?

Sounds to me like it's not a red dot problem, but rather a loose mount or perhaps the barrel screw is not tight enough and barrel moves between the shots. Make sure everything is tight.

All rings and mounting screws and barrel screws checked. Just made sure on this last dot mount. We will find out this weekend. The gun with iron sights will hold a quarter off the bench. So the barrel screw isn't the problem. I agree that having two different dot's go south. Sure would lead you to beleve that there is mounting issue. You can only go so tight before destorting the tube. Could be what I have done? Thanks for the reply.

While my Pardini is an older Nygord with the 4 weights, I believe we both have the same scant dovetail on top to mount the dot.
I have had great luck mounting both a 1" and 30mm UDs on it with the Leupold PRW2 steel rings.  The ring mounting screws work independently of the scope mounting.

Not sure where your from but today talking to my some that is in charge of a public range near Sarasota FL. A guy had the exact same problem with an Ultradot. My son took the gun and shot a Nickle size group using Iron Sights but Ultradot scope would not move impact no matter how much the screw was turned. I think my son said gun and scope was purchased from Pardini USA, not far away. Seems like Ultradot is having a problem.

UD are known to need occasional visits for repairs. Just mail it in for repairs. I believe if you have original receipt it’s cheaper. They have excellent warranty/repair services.
Jon

Froneck wrote:Not sure where your from but today talking to my some that is in charge of a public range near Sarasota FL. A guy had the exact same problem with an Ultradot. My son took the gun and shot a Nickle size group using Iron Sights but Ultradot scope would not move impact no matter how much the screw was turned. I think my son said gun and scope was purchased from Pardini USA, not far away. Seems like Ultradot is 

I'm sure it was your son that shot my gun yesterday. He explained why they go bad. He also checked mounting set up and barrel serews. I need a red dot do to my ageing eyes. I was a 30 + friend of Gene Pitts whom this range officer also knew. I'm presuming this is your son who is a member of the marksmen ship unit. I found his picture in an awards ceramony and showed it to nim the other day. Thanks for your reply. The saga continues this weekend with a brand new ultra dot right out of the box.

Try turning the adjustments for windage and elevation, one at a time, changing the setting by ten "clicks", a lot, one way, and then the other, and see if that frees up something that might be stuck in place.

If you order another sight, consider the 1" Ultradot.  Smaller, lighter, works great.

Gamma9 wrote:

I'm sure it was your son that shot my gun yesterday. He explained why they go bad. He also checked mounting set up and barrel serews. I need a red dot do to my ageing eyes. I was a 30 + friend of Gene Pitts whom this range officer also knew. I'm presuming this is your son who is a member of the marksmen ship unit. I found his picture in an awards ceramony and showed it to nim the other day. Thanks for your reply. The saga continues this weekend with a brand new ultra dot right out of the box.

 Your probably right it was my son, he was a member of the AMU , was eventually made the Coach though he continued to shoot, went to Perry with me every year since 1983 until 2019. He got to know most of all the older top shooters like Pitts. Perry closed in 2020, we didn't go in 2021 because he retired from the AMU and didn't have enough vacation time to go to Perry. Adam, my other son Frank Jr and I went to Perry in 2022, Adam was on the winning Accuracy X pistol team. Adam don't say much but he won Bianchi in all 3 divisions Open, Metallic and Production in a time span of 4 years. Was the first and only shooter to shoot perfect score in metallic division in addition to what he did at Perry.

I bought the Pardini SP Bullseye with the Matchdot/Pardini rings back in 2014. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the rings to stop slipping on the gun. Tried everything that Pardini USA recommended. Finally gave up and bought a set of Warne Maxima steel rings. They were made for a Montana rifle and not listed on the Warne website. Part # is 14BFM. I bought them from Kinney's Shooting supply in North Carolina. They still list them on their website for $65.

Thanks for letting me know. I just installed a new Match dot 2 and cleaned the mounting grooves on the frame with alchol and tightened the rings as tight as I dared. Was afraid of pulling thru the frame. I tightend the ring top as evenly as I could and did't want to warp the dot. Heading to the range in a few days and will see what happens. Even if the rings were slipping. I don't know why making 10 clicks of windage or elevation had no effect on moving the impact point. Impact should have moved somewere?

If this doesn't work out. I will order your suggested rings as I have to use a dot at my age. I know the the Pardini ring grooves are tiny. Their rings have to be milled to even fit. I presume the rings you suggest will fit these tiny mounting grooves. If THAT doesn't work! I will order a voodo Marvel set up and put the Pardini on gun broker. The range officer at the range, AMU trained. With the dot removed shot a quarter sized group at 25 yds. It isn't the stock gun. It has to be the dot's or as you said! It's the rings. BUT! If it is the dot's. ( which I can't believe you could possiable get two Match dot's and a Gen 2 1" dot all with bad internals ) ‍ Then I need an alternative dot replacement choice. Thanks for your reply. I will add to this post next week to let the forum know the outcome. 🫣

OK! Went to the range today with the new 30mm Ultra Dot installed as outlined above. Set everything to sight the new dot in. Got it sighted in and fired 30 rounds. Got my allen wrench out to check the ring mounting screws. (Remember! These are the ones tightened as tight as I dared go.) put allen into the ring screw hole and turned. That screw tightened with above method. Turned two and a half more turns after just thirty shots. 🤬🤯 This time I was prepared. I took my 12mm socket and little breaker bar and went to work. It was time to ither fix the problem or break something. Well! Things are still holding after 150 rounds. Will be back at the range this coming week and continue the saga.  

If the rings don't hold now. I'll order a set of the Waren rings suggested above. Will report back after I get a couple of hundred more rounds thru the gun. Still can't beleive as tight as I had those ring bases tightened. They didn't hold on a 22.‍

Simply put I don't like the split scope rings! I get rings from Weaver (yeah they too are made in China now) or other brands that are the same quality and not vertically split!
 The rings are best installed so the the front ring is against the large center with the adjustments. That prevents the scope from sliding back from recoil especially if used on the 1911. That way the rings don't have to be super tight. Also when having to remove the scope I could replace it with almost no need to re-zero, One click or two is all that I've needed!

I much prefer the Kodiak mount for the Pardini.
Doesn’t slip, always returns to center when removed.

I guess I'm old school when it comes to scope rings but the first thing I do is never use the UD split rings on any pistol or rifle since they don't hold and should you have to remove the scope you have to zero the scope again.

I chose to use a good pair of four screw rings that cradles the scope/dot. I also use aluminum foil liner under and on top of the scope some use adhesive tape. This allows for a better grip by the rings on the scope. Some like to lap the rings to true them up, I just make sure there are no burrs on the edges. I also use a torque wrench to set the screws to 12-15 inch lbs of torque.

I know I am only a lowly Marksman but if you are not using a Fat Wrench and torquing the screws to specifications you can definitely mess up a red dot quickly. In addition, if your rings are not correctly spaced on the tube you can also damage the red dot internally.

I didn’t see it above sobwill add the following…tighten the bottom of vertical split rings first, then the top.

The other wat is futility…