Just mounted a scope and it won't zero?

[Jacks Grampa]

Scope is a $1500.00 Leupold and windage and elevation neither have enough adjustment to get the bore sighter on the crosshairs. Any ideas?

 

[STOMP442]

Sounds like the scope mounting holes were drilled and tapped off center. What type of action and mount/rings are you using. Burris signature rings will allow you you to use inserts to align your scope but it sounds like you may have bigger issues at play. We need more info and pics of your set up if possible.

 

[mr45man]

Firearm? Can you go outdoors,
set target at 25 yrds and bore sight actually look through bore.

 

[dryhumor]

You might try, at a range, resting the rifle with the bolt out on a stable rest.

Look through the barrel and try to align and center both the muzzle and the chamber ends with the target in the bore.

Without moving the rifle adjust windage and elevation to roughly center the crosshairs on the target while confirming the bore and crosshairs are centered.

Fire a round or two. Adjust the scope to point of impact while holding at point of aim. Confirm with another round or two.

I’ve found this to work 95% of the time.

 

[whatsupdoc]

 

[Cochran]

Which scope ? Some of the Leupold M series scopes have a strange version of a zero stop and the knobs need to be removed to get a base zero.

 

[Big_Daddy]

Do you have a 20 MOA or similar scope base?
I have seen a couple at our range where the base was mounted backwards.

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

Could be holes in action drilled off center, front and rear rings or bases swapped. Could be your bore siter is crooked. Could even be the front and rear basesswapped. As others have mentioned, if a bolt action remove the bolt and position on a bench or even the kitchen table if you can point it out a window. Get it supported solidly and look thru the barrel like a peep site. Try moving the crosshairs to match whats centered in your bore.

Really need more info. What model rifle?, what rings? what bases?

Frank

 

[Mowgli Terry]

Make sure you hold the rifle still in the same position making your adjustments. This system of zeroing a rifle works very well. I am toast if the rifle is moved to adjust knobs or what ever.

 

[CharlieNC]

Have you had a scope that worked before on that rifle?

 

[Nick Caprinolo]

What rifle and scope mounting are you using? I would suspect the wrong combination for that rifle. As someone else suggested, go to the range and set up at 25 yards and see if you can get it on paper. A photo of your setup could help find the problem.

 

[Jacks Grampa]

Talked to Leupold yesterday. There are adjustment screws under the knobs. I'll try that in a bit. I've sighted over a dozen rifles with the bore sighter so it's good.

 

[Jacks Grampa]

Got it zeroed. Knobs under knobs. Whodda thunk it.

 

[DLT]

Haha they are good scope mounts but I have found them to be aggravating. Went to all Dnz

 

[Bill K]

In the instruction manual did it show or mention the screw adjustment under the turrets ? Plus Leupold has always been good, as you found out, in helping customers. Glad you have it working now.

 

[Lone Hunter]

Haha they are good scope mounts but I have found them to be aggravating. Went to all Dnz

It wasn’t his mounts. It is the zero stop in the scope. I like the dnz mounts but like Burris XTR Signatures better. They don’t mark the scope and you can use the inserts to gain more elevation.

 

[JEFFPPC]

It wasn’t his mounts. It is the zero stop in the scope. I like the dnz mounts but like Burris XTR Signatures better. They don’t mark the scope and you can use the inserts to gain more elevation.

You can also address windage issues with them. If your patient you can pretty much zero the scope with them. Up, down, left, right, diagonal, whatever.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

If a scope is optically centered then you shouldn’t have to adjust a scopes windage very much at all to bore sight it and zero at 100 yards unless there’s something wrong with your rings and/or base. When I do a full alignment and lap/bed scope rings, I rarely have to adjust more than 1-2 MOA to get windage centered on target at 100 yards.

 

[Larryh128]

A LOT of scopes with zero stop have the zero stop set part way and it limits the travel on the dials. Pretty common today.

 

[tmwinds]

When all else fails, read the instructions manual.