To you fellas out there who use target turrents on your varmint rigs, how are you guys getting the most out of the adjustment on your scopes.
I mean, in a perfest world your scope would be at the bottom of your elavation adjustment and in the middle of your windage adjustment. What is the best way to go about doing this? Schims? Bore sight??

Thanks In Advance
Big-un

Try Burris Signature rings with the offset inserts. Works for me.
Mike

I second smike308's vote for Burris Signature rings.
They are a good way to set up your scope for your usual/normal shooting distance.
big-un In a perfect world you would want your scope's reticle in the optical center at the normal/usual shooting distance.

muck

Big-un: I have mounted a lot of scopes for myself and for dozens of other people. I have done four in the past month. I am sure I have done 300+ in my adult lifetime.
I only have 8 or 10 big variables with the Target Knobs and I got them not so much to use as a "dial-up" every holdover in the field - but because they were on sale or I got good deals on them. I set them and pretty much leave them alone.
I use my Du-plex reticles to estimate my hold-overs and windages.
I do not agree with your perfect world scenario - well at least half of your perfect world scenario anyways.
I mount my scopes after the scope adjustments have been centered (middle of their adjustment ranges) both for windage and elevation.
I do then "bore sight" the ring alignment even before tightening the scope in the rings. I adjust the windage with the adjustable windage bases (I prefer the Leupold and Redfield mounting systems of rings and one piece bases) and with lapping and have yet to need to shim any external adjustable scope. I have purchased new rings to replace "un-bore sightable" rings on several occassions though.
I bore sight the rings by installing the bottom halves of the ring set in the base and then centering the scope adjustments and then I lay the scope in the bottom halves of the rings and bore sight and make adjustments to the extent possible or needed - and, if needed. I do not like to use a lot of the scopes adjustments to accomplish "bore sighting" the rings. I sometimes reverse the rear ring to attain close to center of scope adjustments "bore sighting".
Once I have the rings bore sighted then I lap the rings for final installation of the scope.
I make sure the front ring half is perfectly square (perpendicular) to the Rifles bore at the outset. I use a large long carpenters square to achieve this.
My objective is to get the best out of the adjustments of my scopes - not the "most" like you are aiming at. By the best I mean that the adjustments are more reliable and move smoother (don't jump or hesitate to move or make funny distance jumps!) in the centers of their adjustment range than at any of the extreme ends of their adjustments! I have proven this to myself so many times over the decades that I take the extra efforts it takes to be near the centers of the scopes adjustments to achieve bore sighting in.
You have a greater chance of troubles if you were to mount a scope and bore sight it while it is at the extreme bottom of your elevation adjustment. Like I said - I have experiences with that.
Anyway good luck if you think you need the ability to adjust the bullets elevation for the full elevation adjustment range. That full range covers a lot of territory out there at the target - I have never needed it to date.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

As I understand it, another reason to keep the adjustments as close to center as possible is because the optics start to distort at the far ends of the adjustment range. That's "as I understand it" but I haven't witnessed it first hand.

If it were me, I would try to get the scope optically centered, using the aforementioned Signature Rings if necessary. Next consideration is to make sure that you have a scope that allows for enough adjustment for what you intend to use it for.

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I havent got back with you I just got back from a wastern Nebraska bow hunt. What Im planing is mounting it on a 25-06 for some long shots on pdogs and coyotes. Do you think I will have any problems being 1/4 of the way from the bottom of my elevation? And also how close can you usually get get the scope to being in the middle of your elevation range?

Thanks
Big-un

I turn the elevation down all the way. Count the clicks to go all the way up. Divide that number by two. Then run the elevation down the resultant number of clicks. Same procedure for windage. This usually gets me quite close to optical center. Then using the Burris Signature rings(mentioned above) you can keep the scope really close to that centering.

muck

BigUN;

you never want to be on one end of the adjustment spectrum. In theory, you would get the max clicks using your method, but you can get erratic performance. Here is why:

The erector tube starts to bind if you are maxed out in any one direction if you move the opposing turret. For example, if you are zeroed like you say, dial up for a long shot, add some windage, shoot, and then come back down, your erector tube will bind unless you bring out the windage first. The other potential problem is this: many scopes (notably Leupold VariX IIIs) will still click long after the erector tube has bottomed out. Thus, you put in clicks, but your bullet doesn't rise (which would be the case you describe).

I think I have a story on my website that goes into more detail; look under shooting.

I have mounted and boresighted all my own with the exception of two. One of which is still bugging me!

I have wondered not where to set the scope as I center the recticle and go for it, but what to do when the verticle is so far off.

I got a new rifle and ordered bases and rings to match my Luepold 3.5x10x50. A retired friend of mine kept asking me if I'd mounted it yet. Well I hadn't, he voluteered, so I let him. I shot it adjusted as needed and used it for several years. Then the scope broke.

I sent it in and got an word back it had been adjusted to it's very edge. They repaired it and when I got it back I mounted it, and proceeded to bore sight it. It was way off vertically. I took it to a local gunshop and asked them to look at it. He said I had swapped the lowers around and he had put them where they belonged. I took it home, boresited it and shot it. Now it's off the other direction so much I'm leary of adjusting the scope that far and leaving it.

So whats next? How much can I shim one of the bases before the scope is in a big bind? By the time I buy lapping tools to fix the alignment of the scope with shims at one end would it be better to try the Burris rings? ( never tried them before)I thought I knew enough to do most little things myself but this one has me wondering. Nate

The long range guys do with slanted mounts. You can get them in 15,20 and 30 moa.

quote:

Originally posted by dick broussard:
The long range guys do with slanted mounts. You can get them in 15,20 and 30 moa.

I have used a 20MOA base for awhile for 1000yard benchrest, but I switched to Burris Signatures, they are a lot cheaper than switching bases if you first wanted to shoot 500 and then out to 1000 yards. Burris's just pop the inserts out and put new ones in.