how do you adjust windage and elevation on a riflescope?

Question

I keep twisting the knobs in different directions but nothing is happening to the reticle. I need advice on how to sight or zero the scope properly. I am very confused on how to adjust the reticle.

Answer 1

When you turn the knobs you are adjusting a prism internally in the scope, the reticle does not move. If you have the rifle in a solid rest and you look through the scope at a target and turn the knobs, the target will appear to move relative to the reticle.

Answer 2

Modern scopes move the entire lens with the reticale etched on to it. It used to be that the cross hairs moved independently from each other. I had an old Weaver scope there the cross hairs were down towards the bottom right of the scope but they were dead on.

You will not see the cross hairs move in new scopes.

If you do not have a bore sighting device. Just take the bolt out of your rifle and then get the rifle settled on the bench and center the target in the barrel then carefully as to not move the rifle adjust the scope to match it might take a few tries to get it right. Now after that you are bore sighted and should be on the paper. From here shoot three shots and then move the scope the desired amount and shoot three more until you have it sighted in to dead center on the target. Now your done and now you can go shoot.

Answer 3

to zero your scope, look on your ammo (hornaday is good about this) see whta yardage is ZERO drop, my 204 is 200 yards. If you have a bore sight just measure it off fire up the bore sight and click away til you get the cross hairs on the dot and you don't have to worry about using up ammo or not holing the rifle steady. when you get it to zero, hornaday boxes will tell you what the drop is up to whatever the useful range of the bullet is. it's marked on the sight how many clicks it takes to raise it X number of inches and the wind would be trail and error, how windy vs how far your target is will be fun til you get used to the perfomance of you weapon. If you plan on alot of distance changes a RANGEFINDER scope is gret, I have one of them too, there are smaller crosshairs below the main one set at zero, all you do is keep looking at the next crosshair down til tou get to the yardage of the target, my 204 @ 500 yds drops 29" and you aim using 5th crosshair down with no adjustment and just do KENTUCKY WINDAGE for the breeze

Answer 4

nothing will happen that you can see through the scope.
best thing that you can do, is to refer to the scope owners Manuel.
if you don't have 1, try contacting the scope manufacture & get 1, then VERY carefully, read the manuel & adjust the scope accordingly

Answer 5

First things first; look around and find some grey haired old shooter with a rotten disposition. Then have him or her show you "how to"; one hands on lesson is worth a thousand words.