Sighting a new scope

[Tommy2Tone]

I just moved a scope that hasn't been used before over to my .22 b/c of the increases magnification. I went to sight it in yesterday and I could not get it to adjust enough to the right. I have shooting low left and was trying to get my left and right taken care of first before moving back to the range i wanted to zero in at. I kept adjusting more right, it would move right but not enough. This happened until the adjustment was maxed out in the right direction. Could this be a mounting problem? It is mounted to a Marlin model 60.

 

[Stschil]

Yes, check your mounts for sure. Also, this may sound really stupid, but I've seen it happen, make sure you have the adjustment knobs oriented correctly. I've seen scopes mounted where the elevation and traverse knobs were turned 90% left.
If all is correct in the mounting the scope itself could be bad.
Also, just spitballing here, are you cross eye dominant? If you are, try sighting/shooting lefty/righty whichever is opposite for you.

 

[Tommy2Tone]

You raise a really good question. I'm a newb when it comes to any optics. But the right left adjustment should be on top? And the up down on the side? If so, that's my problem if I remember correctly my right left was on the side.

 

[Stschil]

You raise a really good question. I'm a newb when it comes to any optics. But the right left adjustment should be on top? And the up down on the side? If so, that's my problem if I remember correctly my right left was on the side.

Sounds like you have it correct. The elevation should be on top and the traversing knob on the the right side.

If you've never used this scope before, it's very possible that the optics have been jostled inside and just cannot be adjusted. I hate to bear bad news.
Do you have a known good set of optics that you can swap out?
How is the accuracy with the iron sites? If it's good, you can eliminate that as a the problem.

 

[Jay]

I believe you want the elevation turret on top, and the windage turret in the side. I'd suggest that you return the scope to "mechanical zero" by counting clicks from stop-to-stop...(or rotating within vee blocks). Set the rifle in a rest, aim at a known point "X". Fire a shot.... return the rifle to the rest and aim at the original "X".... then without moving the rifle, adjust your crosshairs to the bullet hole you just made. See how that works for you. Or, you're 45 min south of me. Drive up and we'll get it sighted in.

 

[42769vette]

You raise a really good question. I'm a newb when it comes to any optics. But the right left adjustment should be on top? And the up down on the side? If so, that's my problem if I remember correctly my right left was on the side.

the elevation should be on the top, the wind should be on the right, if its a sf scope the sf should be on the left

 

[ckcollins2003]

You raise a really good question. I'm a newb when it comes to any optics. But the right left adjustment should be on top? And the up down on the side? If so, that's my problem if I remember correctly my right left was on the side.

As previously stated, your windage should be on the right of the scope and your elevation on top. Actually you can find out by looking on the knobs and seeing either a "R" or "L" with an arrow on one or the other. That will be your windage knob. The one with the "U" and an arrow means that is your elevation and "up" is that way. On every scope I've used, the knob on the right is your windage and if you turn it forward (from behind the rifle) then you are going right, which in turn will make your POI more to the left. And "up" is on the top of the scope and usually turns to the right to make the point of impact go higher.

However I had a brand new scope have the same problem as you and it was because the scope was defective. Make sure your mounts are good and tight and the scope is level. If your crosshairs are crooked you may have problems.

 

[rangeguy]

I would suggest taping on the scope with the handle of a screw driver. Just tap dont bang it, sometimes especially in the cooler fall weather the mechanism in a scope will stick. This will help it move inside and may help your situation.

 

[Yeah]

And if that solves the problem I suggest removing the scope from the rings and tossing it in the nearest lake.

 

[Tommy2Tone]

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm 75% sure it was user error by me. I just have to find some more range time now.

 

[philagothon]

The good news is that you are starting off with a rifle that is typically quite accurate. How was it shooting with your chosen ammo when you were using iron sights? Assuming it was shooting well before, there's no reason a good scope should not be able to be brought to zero.

Take off the scope and mounts and look for any potential problems such as burrs. If everything is good there remount the bases and scope using blue Locktite. Then return the scope to mechanical zero and set up a 1/4" grid target at 25 yards. Shooting from the most stable position practical (a rest if you have one, prone if you don't have a rest), shoot a 5 shot group and find the center of that group (ignoring any fliers). Then it's 4 clicks per 1/4" square (with most scopes). Eg: If the center of your group is 3" (12 squares) low and 2.25" (9 squares) left, you would adjust your scope 48 clicks up and 36 clicks left. Then confirm your adjustment by shooting another 5 shot group. Your group should be centered around your point-of-aim. If it's not, there are four possibilities: 1. You may have gone the wrong way with your adjustments. In that case double your move and this time do it in the right direction. 2. Your scope is not 1/4 MOA per click, in which case you should double check the turrets for the amount of adjustment per click and adjust your clicks as needed. 3. It's the dope behind the scope. Just kidding, but many people think a scope automatically makes it easier to shoot, when they can actually complicate some things. It never hurts to have a buddy try it to confirm it's the scope's fault and not yours. 4. Your scope is junk.

Another thing to note: unless you got a scope specifically for a 22, there is a good chance the parallax is set much farther out than the distance you are shooting. Many fixed objective centerfire scopes have the parallax set anywhere 100 to 300 yards. This will show itself in the crosshairs seeming to move on the target if you move your head a little behind the scope. This can be fixed, but I'll save that for another post.

There is an Appleseed in Atlanta on Nov 12 & 13. It's just a short drive for you and we'll have you dialed in pretty quickly and likely cut your groups in half by day's end on Saturday. Here's a link for info: 2011 Atlanta, IN Appleseed Information