I have a 22 LR that I want to shoot out to 300 yds and still retain ability for 25-50 yds. I have a 20MOA base I am adding, but having no experience with making this much vertical adjustment, am a little worried about damaging my scope. Is it harmful to take a scope to it's maximum vertical adjustment? The scope is a 4-16 X42 Vortex Diamondback. I know that it is not a terribly expensive scope, but I still do not want to ruin it.
Maximum Vertical Travel
- Thread starter Ralph Littlefield
- Start date
JEFFPPC
Gold $$ Contributor
Do what you want....test. If it breaks Vortex will take care of it. Then you will know the correct answer because you did it. Much better than most opinions.
Sure, the rail or inserts will get him to 300, but does the scope have enough vertical to turn it back down to 25/50? He needs to bench the gun and while watching the reticle to make sure it moves, count the total number of usable clicks/moa. If other than a straight + reticle then he may have another point on the vertical to use for aiming if needed. Testing and trial and error is your friend here.
Frank
Frank
Thank you! So, when I reach the maximum vertical adjustment, the reticle will stop moving with no damage to the scope?
With subsonic ammo, I will have about 48 MOA drop, I have a total of 80 MOA vertical adjustment in the scope. I do have hash marks that I am planning to take advantage of if needed.
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Just don't put any excess pressure on it. If it quits moving or gets a little hard to turn then stop and back off. Personally I try to avoid having a scope near the end of it's adjustments. Your windage adjustment can also limit your elevation adjustment and vice a versa . Draw a circle and put a verticle line thru the circle from 12 oclock to 6 oclock. Now put another verticle line from say 2 oclock to 4 oclock. notice the difference in length inside the circle. The circle is your scope tube, the more off center(windage) the less elevation you will have. Burris inserts can be rotated to obtain elevation or windage or even a combination of the two. There are also windage adjustable bases and rings to help reduce excessive windage. These come in handy when you get a rifle with the mounting hole off center.
Frank
Frank
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cbailey1956
Silver $$ Contributor
I had a 55 moa scope that was not enough even with a 20 moa base. I ended up with the burris insert rings. Set the inserts up to give me a 50 yd zero with the scope adjustment almost bottomed out, (about 35 moa and some windage correction also). That gave me the full up range to get the 22lr morter round it at the longer distances. Ended up buying a scope with 100 moa adjustment when the club went to 400 yd shoots. Even then i did the same thing so I had about 10 moa at the bottom end to play with when conditions change. Also helps if your scope has moa hashmarks in the view to get additional hold over/under. all this with good target ammo, subsonic. Good luck
Craig
Craig
Ned Ludd
Silver $$ Contributor
When you reach the end of the elevation travel, you should feel that turret will no longer turn. Do not try to force it any farther. Doing that could damage the scope, but simply turning the turret to the ends of its effective travel range will not. The issue here may be one of actually knowing where to expect the end of the elevation travel. I do not have first-hand experience with the turrets of the Diamondback, but you may want to center the reticle in its travel, then very carefully use the turret markings to know when you're getting cloe to the end.
Another issue with using the scope when the turret/erector assembly is set at the extreme range of its travel is primarily one of degraded optical quality. The optics of a scope are best when viewed as close to the optical center as possible. The farther you dial out, the more sight picture can degrade. Whether it's enough to impact your effective use of the scope can only be determined by testing. Nonetheless, it's a consideration. Years ago when I first began shooting at 1000 yd, the load and rifle setup I was using forced me to pretty much max out the elevation turret on a Nightforce 12-42x56 NXS scope. In that particular case it worked, but I try not to have to do that by utilizing an appropriately canted scope base.
Another issue with using the scope when the turret/erector assembly is set at the extreme range of its travel is primarily one of degraded optical quality. The optics of a scope are best when viewed as close to the optical center as possible. The farther you dial out, the more sight picture can degrade. Whether it's enough to impact your effective use of the scope can only be determined by testing. Nonetheless, it's a consideration. Years ago when I first began shooting at 1000 yd, the load and rifle setup I was using forced me to pretty much max out the elevation turret on a Nightforce 12-42x56 NXS scope. In that particular case it worked, but I try not to have to do that by utilizing an appropriately canted scope base.
On my scopes, I believe that raising point of impact upward, as you would for long range, reduces spring tension.
Such would be likened to storing ammunition magazines empty, where the springs are as extended as they can be.
I believe my scopes’ spring or springs are most relaxed at maximum “up” and “right” and that I can feel a difference in tension when compressing the spring.
I do believe that scopes are intended to be used and stored at any elevation or windage but, they do not overcome inherent physical properties of the materials they are made out of, and so eventually, in someone’s lifetime, the spring or springs may weaken.
Such would be likened to storing ammunition magazines empty, where the springs are as extended as they can be.
I believe my scopes’ spring or springs are most relaxed at maximum “up” and “right” and that I can feel a difference in tension when compressing the spring.
I do believe that scopes are intended to be used and stored at any elevation or windage but, they do not overcome inherent physical properties of the materials they are made out of, and so eventually, in someone’s lifetime, the spring or springs may weaken.
Fast14riot
Gold $$ Contributor
Another issue, when dialing near the maximum values for elevation, the amount of available windage greatly decreases.
Jarhead6870
Gold $$ Contributor
If your scope has 80 MOA of internal travel, you have 40 up and 40 down when using a 0 MOA base. When you put a 20 MOA base on, you basically rob 20 MOA from your down elevation and give to your up so…you end up with 20 MOA down and 60 MOA of up elevation; it still totals 80 MOA.
This is the math and gives you an idea of what to expect BUT, in reality, the real numbers can vary depending on the scope.
This is the math and gives you an idea of what to expect BUT, in reality, the real numbers can vary depending on the scope.
Right, it depends on how much of the up or down is used to zero at my closest desired target. I doubt that I will be centered at 25 yds.
I ended up using a 25MOA base and it has worked out fine so far.
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