Adjusting Scopes

Jump to latest Follow Reply
oldsparky

oldsparky

Member
Feb 15, 2018
1,160
163
arizona, United States
I have read several posts that complain of reticle adjustment clicks. When younger I wanted to shoot metallic silhouettes. In those matches its close to 100% of the shooters adjust their scope reticle for each animal. There are scopes known for their repeatability. They were usually out of reach for me having a young family. But I wanted to shoot so I did. Somewhere along the way an old guy showed me something I use to this day. Say I need to move up 10 clicks for my next target, I rotate my turret at least twenty and come back ten. This takes out or compensates for back lash in the mechanism. If I had a cheap scope I would tap the turret gently with a plastic pocket knife or screw driver handle just gently to help stubborn or cheap springs move. Have you ever needed to move 1 Moa made the adjustment, shot and the bullet went into the same hole so you make an adjustment, shot again bullet is still in the same hole make another adjustment than the bullet moves way too far? I got by being able to be competitive with my affordable equipment. Today I usually have pretty reliable equipment. I still rotate past my adjustment then reverse to my setting this makes a scope with iffy adjustment work better and a good scope doesn't care if it gets moved extra. 
 
  • Like
Reactions: Healthservices
Seems like that would help in one direction and make it worse in the other direction. The turrets can only push the erector tube against the spring. They can’t pull it. Rather, the erector spring is responsible for keeping the erector tube pressed against the turrets. The old “tap it” technique helps the erector tube settle in against the turrets when dialing either turret out. So for a scope exhibiting this behavior, dialing a turret _in_ past the desired setting and then back out again would actually make the problem appear.

It would help when dialing a turret _out_. That is, dial out past the desired setting so the erector tube can be pushed by the erector spring beyond where you want it to, then dial back in to push the erector tube to the desired point. 
 
Upvote 0
i dunno, i try 'not' to adjust scopes too much so they settle in and hold but then again my thing isnt sitting at a bench punching holes in paper .. i dont know if its just unwanted or not widely known information, but a pellet rifle generally is short range with a very pronounced 'arc' flightpath .. there 'is' an ideal place to zero it to capture the maximum stretch of that arc flightpath within an acceptable verticle deviation, the rest can be compensated for with a good reticle out to a reasonable distance anyway ... but i get it .. making 150 yard shots with a pellet gun is cool .. i guess .. just cant hit anything else but where its zeroed lol ..
 
Upvote 0
Omg the little stuff I learn when I read these posts. I'm still very green, only in this since August of last year. I've read 'repeatability' in scopes and I thought I understood it, was sure when using a scope I've come across it, not actually knowing what happens when the error pops up. But after reading oldsparky's post I'm like 💡 wow this actually happens more often than I thought and this happened when I had a quick 10 mins before bed to swap barrels and zeroed my CT last night at 20 yards. 

Oh boy am I slow sometimes, lol 🙄
 
Upvote 0
It's not unusual to have to do that with NON tier1 top shelf scopes.

Even Tibosaurusrex noticed he had to do that with a Sightron he tested. He doesn't even trust clicking the Japan Nightforce SHV.

Click to expand...


Dang! Reliable clicks are why I buy Nightforce (so far, so good, but I don't own an SHV). 

While we're on the subject, you can test your scope using a 'box test': fire a group (3-5 shots), make a big vertical adjustment, then (using the same aiming point) fire another group. Leave the vertical where it is and make a large adjustment right (same # of mils or minutes as your first adjustment), fire a group, then return the vertical to its original setting and fire a fourth group. If all is perfect, you've drawn a box. Then remove the right windage and fire a final group on top of the first group - that's tested up, down, right, and left. If your scope draws a something other than a square, you have problems.

GsT
 
Upvote 0
You can tell if your scope is any good by "shooting the square". This applies to target turret scopes as hunting turret scopes bear against a round tube and the vertical and horizontal clicks interact with each other. Target turret scopes bear against two flat surfaces that are oriented 90 degrees from each other, and if oriented at right angles to the turret knob screws should not interact with each other. At 50 yards, it will take 8 clicks to the inch on target for standard 1/4" clicks. Sight in at the center bull until the scope is centered. The other bulls on sight-in targets are generally located 5 inches vertically and horizontally from the center bull, forming a square that is 10 inches per side. Aiming all shots at the center bull, click up and left 40 clicks. You should hit the upper left bull. Click right 80 clicks, you should hit the upper right bull. Click down 80 clicks, you should hit the lower right bull. Click left 80 clicks, you should hit the lower left bull. Up 40 clicks and right 40 clicks should return you to the center bull exactly as when you started.The scope should not have to "recoil in" to shoot as tight a group at any corner as it did at the center bull. I had a $220 Weaver scope that could pull this trick off just as well as my $700 Leupold VFR.

You should be able to move to any corner bull in any order you choose, giving the correct amount of clicks, and hit where you did previously. There is no use having a target turret scope if you can't pull this off and get to a small fraction of an inch from where you originally hit. Any target turret scope that can't pull this off is either defective or a pretender.
 
Upvote 0
I wish all the scopes I have had worked great. But I have had some that don't. And for one reason or another was stuck with them and sometimes I felt lucky to have them. With all the new stuff coming out from who knows where I wouldn't be surprised if I end up with another some time. Only a small percentage of scopes I have bought had target turrets. My intent writing this was because I have read of guys here having scopes with adjustments that are not solid. Cost doesn't always apply, I have a couple Weavers out of Elpaso that are old and good performers. I have had 1000 dollar Leupold go back to the shop more than once. And I like that scope! In fact it won't adjust parallax down bellow 20 yards. It will head back to them if their custom shop opens ever. 
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu