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You just spent big bucks on a scope, was it worth it? Here is how to tell.



OK you just dropped big bucks on a scope.

A scope needs to have repeatability which means you zero it and then you want to go shoot at longer ranges and you change the elevation/windage. Then you want to go back to where you were. Lots of scopes won't repeat and here is how to tell how much "slop" you have in your internal mechanism.



Zero your rifle at say 200 or 300 yards and shoot a 5 shot group plotting the shots on a piece of paper at the bench. Now crank on 20 clicks of elevation, then 20 clicks of windage right, then crank it down 20 clicks and left 20 clicks. If your scope is on the money your 6th shot will be right in with the first 5.

Now crank it down 20 clicks, left 20, up 20 and right 20 and shoot shot no 7. It too should be right in with the first five.

Now crank it up 20, left 20, down 20 and right 20 and you 8th shot should be with first 5.

In other words do all four quadrants top right, low right , low left and upper left and you will know how much you can trust your scope to repeat.

The same test can be applied to iron sights to see if they repeat.

This is why I like the Burris Ballistic Plex, you zero it on the top cross hair for your basic zero, say it is 100 yards. Then move the target further away and determine where your second cross hair zeros, then the third one and finally the post and you can shoot all four ranges and NEVER TOUCH THE KNOBS.

Remember this internally adjustable scopes can best be described as a problem waiting to happen and the less you move the internal mechanism the better off you will be and the longer the scope will serve you.

I also like signature Burris Signature ZEE rights and I set up scopes to have them zero as follows:

Take your scope and raise it all the way to the top or crank it to the bottom counting the total number of elevation clicks you have in the scope. You will most likely have about 90 to 110 clicks of elevation.

Run the scope down to center of elevation and from there put on another 25 clicks from dead center in the down direction. Now you change the spacers in the front/rear till your rifle is shooting as close to POA/POI as you can. You should then only have a couple clicks to have you dead on the money and still have 70 clicks of elevation left.

Why is this important? You want to have your scope set as close to mechanical zero as you can because the higher you crank your scope the less you can adjust it for windage. Conversely if scope zeros with your windage all the way to one side your vertical come up/down just took you out of the game so to speak.

A fair number of barrels are not straight internally and the inserts in the Signature Zees will allow you to get it printing in the middle of your scope's ability. A crooked internal bore will shoot well, just in a different place.

In short you can take five identical rifles and change the mount from rifle to rifle to rifle and put the scope back on each rifle (never touching the windage & elevation and shoot them at same range and get a grip on yourself as you are liable to see big differences.

I bought a new Colt HBAR about 89 when the first ban was coming in and the bore was so crooked when it zeroed at 100 yards I only had two clicks of right windage left! ! ! ! !

I got a Remington 7615 and bore was so crooked there wasn't a scope made that would allow it to zero at 100 yards. Zeroed at highest the scope would go it shot 4 feet low at 100 yards.

In short you may think you have a straight shooter but it won't shoot straight.

Just remembered I got a new Rem 40 course gun. It grouped good but I could not call a shot with it standing and instead of recoiling up and left (I shoot left handed) the rifle jerked hard right every time I pulled the trigger.
 
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