Air Rifle Scope Run Out Of Adjustment

How Scope Adjustments Work. When the adjustment screws are turned inward, they push the erector tube against the spring system; when the screws are backed off, the spring system moves the tube. This sounds simple and foolproof, but in most rifle scopes the pair of adjustment screws sit at what a target shooter would call 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock.

• How To Adjust A Rifle Scope
• Air Rifle Scope Run Out Of Adjustment Chart
• Best Scope For Air Rifle

. Where do I send my scope for service, repair, or Custom Shop modification? How long does this typically take?When shipping product for warranty or service, please include a note of instruction, return address, telephone number, and e-mail address. If you are having a chargeable service performed (reticle change, target adjustment installation, replacement of damaged components, etc.), please do not include payment. You will be contacted by a Leupold representative. Please fill out and print our, and ship it with just the optic. Remove any mounts, rings, sunshades, or lens covers.

It is recommended that you purchase insurance and retain a tracking number to document the arrival of your product. If you need any further assistance, please call our technical service department at 1-800-Leupold or (503) 526-1400.Ship to:Leupold & Stevens, Inc.Attn: Product Service Dept.14400 NW Greenbrier ParkwayBeaverton, OR 97006. Can I have a Bullet Drop Compensation (BDC) dial made for my scope?Yes, BDC Dials are available for many Leupold scopes.

For CDS (Custom Dial System) models, one free custom lasered BDC dial is provided and additional dials can be purchased for alternate loads and/or environmental conditions. Several other dials also have custom BDC lasering available. Also available are several ballistic reticles, if you prefer to hold over rather than dialing for range. Visit our Custom Shop Website at to explore custom BDC options. Can I have the reticle in my scope changed to another style?The Leupold Custom Shop can install a variety of reticle offerings in most Leupold scopes. Visit our Custom Shop Website at to see what reticles are available for installation in your scope. My scope is running out of internal adjustment travel before I get properly sighted in.

How can I obtain more travel?When encountering an issue involving exhausted adjustment travel it is likely related to the alignment between the scope and barrel. When producing a firearm, there are many different components, each having a tolerance specification. As these tolerances stack, the alignment between the receiver and the barrel changes; this is why 10 seemingly identical rifles will all require different amounts of scope adjustment to sight-in. This is also why some scopes will reach the end of the adjustment travel without properly aligning to the bore; running out of adjustment before you can place the bullet in the center of the target.This issue can be rather frustrating to the average rifleman who simply wants to sight-in and leave the adjustments in a single position, but to the long-range shooter who makes adjustments more often, the issue is compounded. People often want to know how far can I shoot with a particular scope, meaning how much elevation adjustment they will have for long-range shooting. This is not a question that can easily be answered because of the previously mention tolerance stack. As an example, let’s take 2 of the same 10 seemingly identical rifles mentioned earlier and see what happens when used for long-range shooting; both rifles are chambered in.308 Winchester, will be shooting 168 grain match-grade ammunition, and are mounted with scopes with having MOA of total adjustment travel (35-MOA up and 35-MOA down from center).Due to differing tolerances, rifle #1 requires 10-MOA of down adjustment from the scope to be sighted in at 100 yards and rifle #2 requires 10-MOA of up adjustment.

This means that the scope on rifle #1 will have 45-MOA of up adjustment remaining, allowing the shooter to make the proper correction for shots up to 1,070 yards; rifle #2 will have 25-MOA of up adjustment remaining, allowing the shooter to make the proper correction for shots up to 780 yards. Even though the rifles seem exactly the same, #2 will require a long range base or shims much sooner than rifle #1.Elevation issues can be resolved by shimming. If more up adjustment is required, the rear of the base needs to be shimmed between the receiver and the base. If you need more down adjustment, the front base needs to be shimmed. In making this adjustment it should be noted each 0.001″ thickness of shim equates to approximately 1-MOA (1 inch at 100 yards) correction.

Shimming does not induce stress on the scope, but typically reduces stress by properly leveling the scope to be parallel with the receiver.If an issue exists on the windage axis, the correction needs to be made with windage adjustable bases or rings. Leupold offers windage adjustable bases (STD) which have two windage screws holding the rear ring.

By loosening one side and tightening the other, they shift the rear of the scope right or left. It should be noted that shifting the rear of the scope to the left will cause the point of impact to shift to the left and vise versa. It should also be noted that if one axis is near the limit of its adjustment, there will be a reduction in the amount of adjustment on the other axis. If the elevation adjustment is near the top of the adjustment range, the windage adjustment will be reduced; if windage adjustment has been induced, there will be a reduction in elevation adjustment. This can be illustrated by drawing a circle on a piece of paper to represent the maintube of a scope. If you start in the center of the circle with your pencil, you can move an equal distance in any of the four directions: up, down, left, or right. If you start in the center of the circle and move upwards toward the top of the circle, you will see that the distance remaining to the left and right has been diminished.

The same is true in any direction; if you start in the center of the circle and move to the left, you will have diminished travel to adjust up or down. It is not uncommon for lower quality optics to have more adjustment travel than their higher quality counterparts for a number of reasons, but is typically due to the use of smaller, less expensive internal components. When smaller parts are placed in the same size housing (maintube), they will have the ability to move farther, but will also have negative aspects relating to image quality and durability.In the diagrams above, the outer circle represents the maintube of the scope when looking through the optic. The black dot represents the erector system, or internal lens cluster that is moved when making windage/elevation adjustments on the scope.

The thin lines help illustrate the amount of travel remaining on the opposite axis as windage/elevation adjustments are made; helping illustrate how an adjustment in one direction limits the amount of travel in the other. 1. Represents a scope with the erector system in the center of the adjustment travel range; allowing for maximum adjustment travel on the elevation axis (the same is true for windage when the erector system is centered). 2. Represents a scope with the erector system in the center of the adjustment travel range; allowing for maximum adjustment travel on the windage axis (the same is true for elevation when the erector system is centered).

3. Represents a scope with the erector system near the end of the available travel in the up direction; drastically reducing the amount of windage travel remaining.

4. Represents a scope with the erector system near the end of the available travel in the left direction; drastically reducing the amount of elevation travel remaining. 5. Represents the scope on rifle #1 in the above example; when sighted-in at 100 yards.

6. Represents the scope on rifle #2 in the above example; when sighted-in at 100 yards. Can I have an existing scope refinished?Unfortunately, we cannot refinish a scope. To effectively remove scratches, dings, or ring marks, the affected area must be replaced.

In these instances the Leupold Custom Shop can replace the maintube, or other external parts. Call 1-800-Leupold to learn more. When was my scope manufactured?Every Leupold scope produced since 1974 will have a letter included in the serial number acting as a date-code. Scopes manufactured prior to 1974 will typically have a five or six digit serial number without a prefix or suffix.

How To Adjust A Rifle Scope

Scopes using a letter as a prefix (the beginning of the serial number) were produced between 1974 and 1992. Scopes using a letter as a suffix (the end of the serial number) have been produced after 1992. On the chart below, you will notice the letters I, O, and Q have been omitted as they are easily mistaken for 1, 0, and 0 respectively. PrefixSuffixE = 1974A = 1993F = 1975B = 1994G = 1976C = 1995H = 1977D = 1996J = 1978E = 1997K = 1979F = 1998L = 1980G = 1999M = 1981H = 2000N = 1982J = 2001P = 1983K = 2002R = 1984L = 2003S = 1985M = 2004T = 1986N = 2005U = 1987P = 2006V = 1988R = 2007W = 1989T = 2008X = 1990U = 2009Y = 1991V = 2010Z = 1992W = 2011X = 2012Y = 2013AA = 2014AB = 2015AC = 2016AD = 2017. Where does Leupold get its glass?At this time, there are no American manufacturers that can supply enough high quality lenses to support our Golden Ring Optics production. Our lens systems are designed at Leupold, by American optical engineers, in our state-of -the-art optics labs. The glass is then procured from vendors who must meet stringent quality standards.

Incoming parts are carefully inspected in our testing facility before they are accepted into the build process.All major optics producers acquire some or all of their glass from the same sources as Leupold. Some of these sources are located domestically, some are European, and some are Asian. The source of the base material is not nearly as important as the optical design. Do your binoculars have BAK4 prisms?All of our Leupold and Redfield binoculars utilize BAK4 prisms. What does Synergy Built mean?The Synergy Built project represents a combined redesign effort from a dedicated team of professionals at our Leupold headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. This collection of professionals has worked extensively on a total re-creation of our Observation products involving: Optical Engineering, Design Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Quality Assurance Testing.

The results are a line of binoculars and spotting scopes that is unlike any other in the industry. How do you rate your binoculars?

(Which models are better than the others?)Similar to our riflescope product line of VX-1, VX-2, VX-3, etc., we have redesigned the features and performance of our binocular and spotting scope product lines to align with our riflescopes regarding the different levels of glass quality, internal lens coatings, external lens coatings, etc. Our entry-level products are labeled as BX-1 for binoculars and SX-1 for spotting scopes, mid-level products are labeled as BX-2 and SX-2, high-level products are labeled as BX-4, with BX-3 products between mid and high-level. Our premium-level made in USA products include our familiar golden ring. Which is the best Leupold binocular for children?The Yosemite is the best choice because of its lower magnification, wide field of view, compact (but easy-to-use) size, and wide interpupillary distance adjustment range (note: interpupillary distance is the distance between the centers of your pupils). What are the advantages of roof prism and Porro prism binoculars?Roof prism binoculars are lighter and have a closer focus distance. Roof prism binoculars also have a more stream-lined design. Porro prism binoculars often cost less than roof prism binoculars and can provide better depth perception.

How to Mount a Rifle ScopeThis can be a tricky process, but with a little know-how and some help from your scope manual, you might just learn how to mount a scope without an issue. Here, we’ll discuss some basic instructions, and then we’ll go over some scope adjustments once you’ve successfully mounted your scope. 1Getting started – A gun vise might come in handy for mounting your rifle scope. You’ll need a clear, well-lit area and maybe some degreaser and oil.

You might also need specific tools such as a screwdriver, socket heads, Torx wrenches, or even Leupold’s ring wrench. You can remove all the filler screws that came with the scope with the screwdriver, and if it’s called for, degrease mounting parts.

2Double check that you have the right type and size mounting rings and bases. The scope should come with pre-drilled holes or grooves for your mounting system. Mounting rings can come in either one piece or two piece mounts. One pieces are typically easier to install because they’re already pre-aligned with the base. Two piece rings usually require you to use a scope ring alignment tool.

3You’ll need to install the base and then the mounting rings according to the mounting system you have onto the barrel of your rifle. Typically it’s going to be either the Weaver, Picatinny, or Dovetail system of some kind. The base goes on first, and then the lower half of the mounting rings. Make sure you’re putting them on in the right direction, as low as possible while still allowing for clearance, and with a slight coating of oil for rust prevention.

You also want to tighten each screw a few turns and then move on to the next one. 4Lower the scope into the lower rings to be mounted. Then place the top rings on top to be snugly screwed into place. Following the torque recommendations for your scope is important since you can unintentionally overtighten the rings and cause damage to your scope. You will also need to take care to tighten the screws in a criss-cross, alternating pattern.

This keeps the ring tops evenly depressed from side to side helping to ensure the scope tube will not be twisted in place once you have completed the tightening. It may be helpful to use a to complete this process but before tightening too much, be sure to check your eye relief.If your firearm has a large amount of recoil, shoulder the rifle and raise the scope to the eye to check for eye relief. You’ll want to make sure that you don’t leave the range with “evidence” (perhaps, a black eye) indicating you rushed through the mounting process. If there’s enough eye relief, finally tighten the screws into place. If not, slide the scope forward within the rings until you have your preferred distance and then tighten the screws.

Voila!For a complete demo on how to mount a scope check out the video from Midway USA below. How to Focus a Rifle ScopeOnce you’ve installed your scope, you’re now ready to focus your reticles. This part is to get the sharpest and clearest image of the reticle cross hairs for your eyes. Most rifle scopes come with an adjustable eye piece, and some even come with a locking mechanism to keep it from being accidentally bumped and throwing off the focus. Aim the scope at a blank backdrop.For variable magnification ranges, use the magnification range that you want and that gives you the sharpest cross hair image. Fast focus eyepieces just need a fraction of a couple turns to get into focus.

Once you’ve focused your reticles, this shouldn’t need to be done again unless someone changed it. Now, all other scope adjustments can be made from here.Understanding Scope AdjustmentsThere are three common scope adjustments that every rifle scope user should know about: windage, elevation, and parallax. Being able to have an intimate understanding of how your rifle scope works can give you the power to maximize the most out of your rifle.Most American-built rifle scopes will have scope adjustments in increments of MOA, while a lot of European-built scopes will have adjustments in increments of Mrad. More commonly, these scope adjustments can be made with a dial or knob that has these increments on them that put the reticle in target with your point of aim.These knobs are called target or scope turrets.

Sometimes scopes don’t come with turrets and instead it has a unique design where it can only be changed with specialized tools, and they typically have a cover to protect them from weather and rust.MOA –. Scope adjustments are typically set for 100 yards and is equal to 1.04 inches. Most rifle scopes come in either 1/4″ or 1/8″ increments. As a rough example, each click of the turret will equal 1/4″ in distance at 100 yards. It’s said like this, “Quarter (1/4) minute clicks”.Mrad –. Scope adjustments are typically set for 100 meters. Most of these European styled rifle scopes will come in 1/10 Mrad which will translate into 1 cm for each click.

Air Rifle Scope Run Out Of Adjustment Chart

Windage – This scope turret is typically installed on the side of the scope. It moves the reticle into line with your point of aim horizontally – left and right. Elevation – This scope turret can be installed on top of the scope. It moves the reticle into line with your point of aim vertically – up and down.On paper, this all sounds very precise, since you have the basics of doing some serious math all in the click of small turret. But, not all scopes are calibrated to be exactly precise to the inch.The accuracy of your scope and rifle and how it will actually perform is to be determined on the range. You might find that you only need to click two times instead of three to get right on target.If you need to adjust to the left a little, it might pay off to over-adjust all the way over to the left and then come back to the right get it spot on. Getting to know your scope, rifle, and ammo takes practice, practice, practice.ParallaxThese days, most rifle scopes are being factory-set to compensate for parallax at ranges of about 100 to 150 yards so that you don’t have to tinker with that at all.

That also means that it won’t come with an external adjustment like a knob to enable you to manually adjust for it if you needed to.If you’re into very long range hunting and you’ll be using magnification of greater than 8X, it might be worth it to you to buy a rifle scope with adjustable objectives or some sort of external adjustment feature like a side focus to compensate for parallax.Air gunners who want closer range shooting than factory settings of 80 to 100 yards will want a parallax adjustment feature too.A quick review – what’s parallax? Parallax occurs when the reticle isn’t on the same optical plane as the target image. Every time you move your eyes or head to a different angle, the reticle will appear to float or move from your point of aim.The parallax adjustment is usually a dial that is marked with distances in increments. If your reticles are on target and crisp, move the parallax dial very slowly while moving your eyes and head up and down until the reticles stay on point and there is no more movement.For more information on Parallax Adjustments check out our article.For even more information about Parallax, check out the video with Leupold below.

How to Sight in a Rifle ScopeSo, now you have your new rifle scope mounted and ready to go. What distance should you sight in 25 yards, 100 yards? What type of ammo should you sight-in with?

How many steps do I actually need to zero my rifle scope?Many people believe that sighting in can be difficult and it’s a complicated process. Although it does take some fine-tuning and experience, practice, practice, practice can be the key.Some manufacturers factory-set their rifle scopes to be zeroed before being packaged. Even if this is the case, it’s always best to double check before use. Whenever you get a new rifle scope, a new rifle, or some new ammo, be sure to properly sight it in before testing it in the field.If you don’t, you might yet have your new favorite sighting in screw-up or misplaced shot yet to come.Why Sight In?Good hunters want to hit their targets, and they especially want to have well-placed, ethical shots. Sighting-in is to align the the rifle scope’s reticles with the bore of a rifle.Quick tip for beginners – the bore is the interior of the barrel that the bullet comes out of.

Well, sighting-in and accuracy are two different things. Accuracy simply refers to how well a rifle can perform shots in repeated succession close to each other.Sighting-in refers to being able to predict where the shot will strike at known distances. Consequently, you improve accuracy when you sight in your scope. Well, at least, that’s the point.What Can Affect Accuracy and Sighting-In?Ever wondered why an accurate rifle will miss the target? Or, if you have sighted it in but you still cannot produce tight groups?

Ammo and gravity. Bullets come in different sizes, weights, and quality, but they’re all susceptible to gravity.Sighting in will help to determine how much of a drop the bullet will have over a known distance, thanks to the pull from gravity. You can then adjust your scope for bullet drop to ensure you make the bulls-eye.Get Some EquipmentBefore you even get to the range, make sure you have the comfy and secure equipment to properly zero your rifle scope. Some equipment to use can be:. Kitty litter or dog food bags.

Sand bags. Shooting rests/gun rests. Tripod shooting restThe whole point about getting an agreeable environment to sight in, isn’t just for your comfort.

It’s for your firearm as well. Depending on what it is and your ammo, your rifle might prefer a softer surface than a harder one to absorb some of the bounce.Remember, your forearm might also have more bounce if it’s on a very hard surface.

Some firearms can be picky with different degrees of firmness, so play around with what type of rest or sand bags reduce as much bounce as possible. A hard surface can produce a bounce that could send your bullet strike three inches high.Bore SightingBore sighting is done before you actually sight in your rifle. Bore sighting is done at 25 yards, and it is defined as lining up the barrel with your optics. Sounds just like sighting in right? Not yet, so stay with me. To make sure the bore of the barrel is in line with the optics, there are several ways you can do this.

One way is to use a boresighter.These can be either a laser type that shows where the barrel is pointing, or you can use a type of optic that gets inserted into the bore and you can view the image through the rifle scope. There are also other alternatives such as removing the bolt from your bolt-action rifle and then looking straight through the bore at your target and adjusting the scope to align.Bore sighting is getting the bore in line with the scope sights within a close range of somewhere between 25 to 50 yards before zeroing to make the process easier and faster. Once you’ve done this, you’re now ready to zero your rifle for your type of ammo. This is now called sighting in – the part of the zeroing process where you actually fire a bullet.Sighting In at the RangeNow, you’re ready for the gun range where you can set up on a shooting bench and set up your targets.

This part of the process is about finding out your rifle’s capabilities and to remove as much human-error as possible before you get onto the field.If you bore sighted your rifle at 25 yards, start at 25 yards and then move backwards until you’ve worked your way to 100 yards. Many people find that starting at 100 yards straight-away will result in their bullet strikes being far off or not even hitting paper.This reiterates the point that, if your scope has only been bore sighted, you are still not ready to hunt! You must sight in to zero your ammo to your rifle for a successful hunt.While there are many ways to sight in and zero your scope, here are some basic instructions:. Although your rifle will be supported for purposes of sighting in, it’s still important to position yourself and hold your rifle as you would as if you were out in the field. Holding it differently when you’re actually hunting will result in a different point of impact. If you have a variable magnification rifle scope, adjust it for the highest magnification that allows for the best, clearest, and sharpest image of the reticle possible.

Load your rifle. Align the reticle to the center of the bullseye/target. Breathe slowly, close your eyes for 10 seconds and open. Make sure the reticle didn’t float off your point of aim.

Fire your first round. Examine your bullet strike and how far off it was from the center. Even if it was bore sighted for 25 yards, it may not have hit the center, but it should still be somewhere on there. Adjust the scope windage and elevation knobs for the appropriate amount of clicks until the cross hairs of the reticle are right on the bullet strike of the first shot. Now aim your rifle to now, again, be pointed to the bullseye. Fire your second round. You should now be hitting within the “10 ring” of a bullseye target.

If not, repeat the process until you’re close enough. Move back to 50 yards or 100 yards doing the same process.You might also find the video below from Midway USA useful. Troubleshooting Common ProblemsWhile sighting in your rifle scope, especially for the first time, you’re probably more than likely to come across a few common problems that might frustrate you.

Let’s go over some rifle scope anatomy so that you can safely and effectively deal with them as they occur. 1Hot barrel – A hot barrel on a rifle can cause two things. The first is the steel tubes can warp, and second, the heat generated and rising off the barrel will cause a distorted view, making bullet strikes and groups seem higher than they actually are. All rifles with a light-weight barrel, doesn’t matter what size caliber – again, for beginners, the caliber is the diameter width of the bore – the barrel will get especially hot during use and can affect your accuracy.

It’s important to remember it’s not the rifle scope’s fault. Just let the firearm take a break to cool off between shots in groups of three. 2Using different ammo/bullets – Not all ammo acts the same way. Even the same ammo made by different brands or different ammo but has the same weight will give a different bullet strike each time. When you sight in your scope, you’ll want to use the right ammo for the distance. If you’re going to be using a different type of ammo on hunting day, you’ll want to zero it first to make sure you still get well-placed shots. 3Using different distances – If you’re hunting with longer distances than 100 yards, you’ll need to make scope adjustments and sight in your ammo to compensate for bullet drop.

Best Scope For Air Rifle

For example, if you’re sighted in for your type of bullet at 100 yards, you might want to shoot two or three inches higher than what you would at 100 yards to hit bullseye at 200 yards. There are also ballistic calculators available in other hunting optics such as and rangefinder binoculars to do the math for you. 4Air gun rifle scopes: Adjustment knob sensitivity – If you feel like you’ve sighted in, focused your reticles correctly, and you’re still getting various bullet strikes, you might want to check your adjustment knobs to make sure your cross hairs are in line with where they need to be. Here’s whyThe reticles are inside an that is inside the scope tube. The erecter tube is being pushed and held in place by an adjustment knob and a spring. When the adjustments are too high and too far right, the compression in the spring relaxes and causes the erecter tube to move freely about in the scope tube.

Your shot placements are going to be unpredictable and varied. Your adjustment knobs may also seem like they’re not working, are mushy, or may even stop clicking all together.

You’ll want to reset your adjustments and start again, always making sure your clicks are always crisp. 5Air gun rifle scope: Adjustment lag – When making adjustments to your scope, you might notice lag time where the adjustments don’t really kick in until after you’ve shot off a few rounds. The vibrations from the shots is what places the erecter tube into position. Some air gunner users will tap or knock their rifle scope a few times to get it into place.So there you have it. A simple run down of what it’s going to take to get your scope mounted and sighted in.

While the entire process may not be as easy as pie, it’s designed to make sure your scope lasts, performs well, and that injury to yourself and others are eliminated.