Zeroing a scope

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napkinholder202

New member
If you had a mil/mil scope and you zeroed it at 100 yards but were inbtween your 1/10 mil adjustments from being dead center what are you options? Keeping in mind, At 100 yards 1/10 mil is .36" or roughly 3/8" and your goal is to drive tacks with your rig. I remember reading a post on snipers hide about it but I can't seem to locate it.
 
If I ever buy a mil-dot scope it will be one that has 1/4 or 1/8" adjustments at 100 yards. The mil-dot reticle is fine but you can't beat the MOA adjustment for zeroing.
 
The mil-dot retical is fine! It provides good estimation of hold corrections but you can buy scopes with the mil-dot reticle that adjusts in 1/4 MOA. You get the best of both worlds.
 
MIL/MIL or MOA/MOA for me, tried MIL/MOA and I hated it. If you see impacts in your scope it's easier to make adjustments if the turrets match the reticle. One thing you need to consider is .10 MIL adjustment aren't made for shooting benchrest groups at 100 yards, they shine at longer ranges. I'd not sweat the small stuff at 100, if you have a tight group it's time to stretch the range.
 
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Your POI will likely shift from one brand of ammo to the next. Try a different brand. If you can, adjust your scope at 200 and see if that makes any difference when you drop back to 100.
 
If your rifle is accurate enough for .36" MOA resolution & your scope's internal adjustments won't track half that fine, your only alternative would be to adjust the scope mounting.
 
Thanks for the answer Taylorce1, that's what I was really curious about.
Bumblebug: it's 1/4" moa at 100 if I do my part. The scope is mounted as low as possible with maybe a 1/16" gap inbetween the bottom of the objective and the rifle barrel, and it fits me well where it's at.
Dranrab: the factory ammo I'm using now is well below Moa at 100.
 
1 mil is 3.4moa. Your scope has 1/10 mil adjustment, which is 0.34moa. It is coarser than 1/4moa, by 0.34 - 0.25 = 0.09moa. At 100 yd, it is not even 1/8" difference. Probably not worth losing hair over that.

I don't know but I was told. Some inexpensive scopes (certainly not yours) actually have 1/4moa adjustment even they are supposed to have 1/10mil. They only replace the reticle to mil dot.

-TL
 
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If I was going to shoot at something so far I'd have to hold over, I'd re-adjust the scope. On one of my 243's I have a chart taped on telling me how many click's to adjust at different spot's beyond MPBR for the cartridge I using. I have a Nikon 4 1/2-114 with that BDV reticule. I never will use that thing. Much prefer changing the setting in the scope. I've got the BDC only because it was the last on in the store at a really good sale price, figured Nikon could change the reticule for me, they wouldn't do it!

If the target is far enoght away to raise the sight picture, it's far enough to re-adjust the scope!
 
I'm not sure of the actual value of using a mil-dot scope reticle for target work at set distances. Why not just use a traditional "fine" crosshair scope with smaller adjustment values?

"If I was going to shoot at something so far I'd have to hold over, I'd re-adjust the scope."
Apparently, you don't hunt under the circumstances that I do.
 
I wasn't talking about using my scope for holding over I was talking about an initial 100 yard zero that's inbetween tenth mils from being dead on. Any smaller than tenth mils desnt make any sense to me, there's really no need, and at longer distance it's just taking that much longer to dial your elevation. One- One tenth mils= 0.36" not 0.34. At 100 yards one mil=3.6" and at 1000 it equals 36.0"

http://www.millettsights.com/resources/shooting-tips/target-knob-settings/
 
Sorry I misunderstood you. I thought you were comparing 0.1mil adjustment with 1/4moa adjustment. With 0.1mil adjustment, poi could be off as much as 0.18". I'm afraid there isn't much you can do about it. Usually people don't worry about it much as it is indeed a very small amount.

You are correct that 1mil = 3.6" at 100yd. I was using the rule of thumb 1moa = 1" at 100yd, which is not 100% precise. But all in all, the difference is minute.

I wish I have the need to worry about the same thing. That means my groups are in the order of magnitude of 0.1". I can't. [emoji1]

-TL
 
napkinholder202 said:
If you had a mil/mil scope and you zeroed it at 100 yards but were inbtween your 1/10 mil adjustments from being dead center what are you options? Keeping in mind, At 100 yards 1/10 mil is .36" or roughly 3/8" and your goal is to drive tacks with your rig. I remember reading a post on snipers hide about it but I can't seem to locate it.
Click to expand...

If you bought a 1/10 mils scope for ultra precision you bought the wrong scope. 1/8 MOA is for the ultimate precision.
 
No I bough it to go long range. I'm not into bench rest shooting. I was just curious if there was anything that could be done. Really not a big deal. Thanks for all the replies!
 
I think Bumblebug had a good idea. Depending on your mounting system, you might shim the scope base at the front or rear enough to move impact by 1/2 of a tenth. It would be an extremely thin shim. You might have to settle for 1.5 or 2.5 tenths.

That must be one fine shooting rifle.
 
If you, your scope, and your rifle are capable of differentiating 0.18", just hold on the lower edge of the tack head(6 o'clock).
 
Know this wasn't asked for but I recall the days of thin cross wire'. Then came the duplex, definite improvement not the least bit hard to understand. Today they have so much garbage inside the scope it is rediculas. I remember the world famous Herter range finding scope, so much inside it I'm surprised you could see though it. I have a Nikon with the BDC ret, trash! But when I got it it was all they had left! Nikon wouldn't change the reticule but said take it back where I got it and trade for the right one. If they ahad had the right one I never would have got this one! I'd have paid them to change it, no dice!
 
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