Scope failed tall target test....🤬

[KY_Windage]

When I dial up the 30 MOA, I still have another 8 that I can go up. That seems like a decent amount of room that is still left, but I don't know if it really is or not???

38 is probably plenty. With most calibers you need only 30 - 35 to shoot at 1,000 yards.

Your problem is a failure to make your reticle point to the center or your bore, but you got closer with practice.

I mounted another scope today, and got it nearly perfect. I will always be able to dial up for any range I might want to shoot at with it and not have to worry about drift left or right, unless it is from wind or a canted rifle, of course.

I used to carry dope for each rifle/scope combination that had windage adjustments for the farther yardages. Not any more.

And like I said, I don't lap rings, bed scopes or worry about "stress" on my scope tubes, I just buy Burris Signature rings and get a perfect, stress-free fit every time.

 

[JAYgs8163]

I had a similar experience with a Leupold and found out the reticle was canted 3.5 degrees left. Finally bought a Nightforce NXS and and never looked back. Now I own seven different models of Nightforce scopes and the next one I buy will be another Nightforce. Nightforce Scopes replaced "Nightmare" scopes and all track beautifully.

His NF did the same.

 

[TheBoctor]

It doesn't look like a cant issue because your windage doesn't keep growing as you dial more and more elevation. It Sure looks like it's moving over that distance at a certain point. Before you start bedding and lapping and doing things not easily undone, find out where in your elevation travel that windage shift happens. Once you do that, secure the gun to something where you can mess with the turret and not have the rifle move (gun vise, strap it to a lead sled, bag it in really well, etc). I've done this with a rifle on a bipod and a rabbit ear bag but you have to have a very light touch on your turret to make sure you don't inadvertently mess up your test. Good news is you can do this at the house, just put a target on the wall and make sure its level.

Get behind the gun, look through the scope, and start carefully dialing, watching for the reticle to drift at that elevation you identified earlier (in your case, it will walk a couple minutes to the left as you keep dialing up). Return to your zero elevation then back your torque off on your ring caps so they're JUST snug enough to keep the scope from moving while you dial and see if it jumps again. If it does, take one of the caps completely off and repeat the process. This will show you a couple things: 1) What exactly is happening with your windage drift 2.) Whether or not the erector is getting bound up due to some kind of ring/base issue.

 

[DWier]

Just saw that you said you used levels to mount.

All I'm thinking is that if your scope had the same discrepancy between the tube body and reticle that mine has, it may be the source of your problem. If I'd leveled mine to the reticle, I'd almost certainly have a right shift when I dialed the turret up.

I agree. I also have a Wheeler Pro Level Mount and have had the same issue on multiple scopes. Not cheap ones ( Zeiss, NF, Vortex Razor). Now, I always level my scope with a plump bob. Never fails.

 

[L.Sherm]

Before you start bedding and lapping and doing things not easily

Why would you want to undo bedding scope rings?

 

[rpierce]

Read the first page or two of the thread. My advice. level the scope on the turret. not the reticle. reticles are rarely truely level compared to how the turrets track. Ive even seen it on $3000 scopes. Use a starret pocket level. not the *** ones you get with mounting kits at your local sporting goods store. Every scope is bedded into the rings of every rifle I build. I require that I mount the scope. Customer can supply scope. Ive ended up not selling rifles because guys wanna mount optics themselves. Not worth it to me. Ive seen too many issues from scopes improperly mounted. I use release agent. The fit is so good I can pick the rifle up by the scope with the top caps off the rings. At that point its impossible for the scope to slip under recoil. Which I guaranteee will happen in lightweight magnums. I had a customer buy a ZCO and spuhr mount after he got his rifle. He swapped scopes and put it in his 300 norma improved. It slipped in the spuhr mounts due to recoil.

 

[Stgraves260]

So I have a Leupold VX6 on my CA 6.5 PRC. Rifle shoots really well, I've got a load worked up that is consistent and I'm feeling good about this fall until the tall target test. When I dial up, I get a 1.5-2" shift to the right. I ran the test 4 times. Made sure the target was plumb with a level, used levels to mount the scope, and even tried rotating the scope counter clockwise (since the shift was to the right). Nothing has worked. No matter what I try, when I dial up, I get a POI shift to the right. I know there are a lot of things that can cause this. I'm using Talley one piece rings for the mount. I've remounted the scope twice. I've got a NF I'm going to put on it to see if it is the scope or the mounts, or the receiver. Anyone have any other suggestions? Would a bore sighting tool show the discrepancy?? I got the scope from Holland's with his reticle in it. I'm going to call them on Monday to see what they have to say. Is it possible I just have a bad scope?? Thanks.
Glenn

Sometimes the scope rings are over tightened. It cracks the glass. Barrel could be bent. The action may not be square with the barrel. The crown of the barrel may not be square either. Yeah. There is so much that could be wrong.

 

[TheBoctor]

Why would you want to undo bedding scope rings?

I was tired I was mostly trying to say that there are things to check that require no modification.

 

[Blackhawk]

So I have a Leupold VX6 on my CA 6.5 PRC. Rifle shoots really well, I've got a load worked up that is consistent and I'm feeling good about this fall until the tall target test. When I dial up, I get a 1.5-2" shift to the right. I ran the test 4 times. Made sure the target was plumb with a level, used levels to mount the scope, and even tried rotating the scope counter clockwise (since the shift was to the right). Nothing has worked. No matter what I try, when I dial up, I get a POI shift to the right. I know there are a lot of things that can cause this. I'm using Talley one piece rings for the mount. I've remounted the scope twice. I've got a NF I'm going to put on it to see if it is the scope or the mounts, or the receiver. Anyone have any other suggestions? Would a bore sighting tool show the discrepancy?? I got the scope from Holland's with his reticle in it. I'm going to call them on Monday to see what they have to say. Is it possible I just have a bad scope?? Thanks.
Glenn

I agree that your scope and the fact that it is unable to track properly is most likely culprit.
For what that scope cost I would exchange it for a new one from Leupold.
They are a very reputable company and will make it right for you.
I know from owning Luepold scopes that their products are first rate , and personally I have never experienced any problems with the scopes that I own.
That being said anything that, is produced is produced to tolerance's and once in a great while you experience a failure that gets by a QC department inspector .( it's only human nature )

You do have a legitimate complainant and to that end Luepold will make it right.
The downside of all this is in the needless downtime while you await your replacement scope.

 

[KY_Windage]

I agree. I also have a Wheeler Pro Level Mount and have had the same issue on multiple scopes. Not cheap ones ( Zeiss, NF, Vortex Razor). Now, I always level my scope with a plump bob. Never fails.

But it is essentially free, takes only a few minutes at the range and you never have misalignment drift left or right no matter how far away your target is. Where's the fun in that? ☺

 

[Hand Skills]

This has been a pretty good thread with lots of good info.

Another thing to keep in mind is the reticle and the erector are two different things. They are never perfectly aligned with eachother, and some manufacturers have tighter tolerances than others.

Its possible to have a reticle that is coincident with the bore, but an erector that is not. This results in horizontal error when dialing, even though the scope was carefully installed

This is easiest to see with the scope locked into a heavy base - even though the reticle is plumb with the tall target, it will drift left or right when dialed

 

[Will16]

His NF did the same.

No it didn't. His groups are large making it appear off.

 

[Pro2A]

So I have a Leupold VX6 on my CA 6.5 PRC. Rifle shoots really well, I've got a load worked up that is consistent and I'm feeling good about this fall until the tall target test. When I dial up, I get a 1.5-2" shift to the right. I ran the test 4 times. Made sure the target was plumb with a level, used levels to mount the scope, and even tried rotating the scope counter clockwise (since the shift was to the right). Nothing has worked. No matter what I try, when I dial up, I get a POI shift to the right. I know there are a lot of things that can cause this. I'm using Talley one piece rings for the mount. I've remounted the scope twice. I've got a NF I'm going to put on it to see if it is the scope or the mounts, or the receiver. Anyone have any other suggestions? Would a bore sighting tool show the discrepancy?? I got the scope from Holland's with his reticle in it. I'm going to call them on Monday to see what they have to say. Is it possible I just have a bad scope?? Thanks.
Glenn

No insinuations intended, but shooting technique......trigger control, cant, parallax, recoil management.....??? Don't see any comments regarding avoiding cant during shooting. Effect of cant deviation increases with increasing elevation.....and can vary with each shot. Cant will cause predominantly horizontal shift like a clock hand moving off of vertical 12 o'clock, with vertical component becoming larger until vertical equals horizontal as cant reaches 1:30...45degrees. Did you level scope with bubble level on turret cap or turret edges? Or, adjustable parallel bar between pic rail and bottom flat of scope? Both methods assume reticle is true with those scope features......usually OK, but could be defective. How accurate is your level? Carpenter grade level versus machinist grade level can show significant deviation. An optical bore collminator (reference Brownells P/N 593-000-052WB; Bushnell P/N 743333) will confirm reticle vertical with bore. Have you verified reticle is plumb with a plumb bob string? Shine a bright light through the objective lens with light projecting reticle out of ocular lens onto nearby white plain wall. Place vertical line on wall and compare reticle to plumb line. Or, view plumb line hanging in front of scope at scope minimum parallax distance. Is your ocular lens truly adjusted for reticle clarity? That is a base starting point that you'd be surprised how many people miss this adjustment.

 

[DocGlenn]

So I think I may have found an issue. The front ring has an obvious wear spot. Definitely a stress point. The 30mm lapping bar has been shipped. ‍♂