Rifle Scopes Vertical adjustment after zeroing

[Caba]

Hi Folks,

I have a Vortex LHT 4.5-22x50 scope that I mounted on a 30-06 rifle built on a Defiance action. I used Two piece Picatinny Bases and 1.2" high rings (there is no inclination in the rings or bases). I zeroed the rifle at 100 yards with Sako 150 grain Super Hammerhead ammo.

My elevation is set at 9 MRAD (3 MRAD on the second revolution of the turret) and I only have 2 MRAD of upwards elevation adjustment left. The scope has a totol of 22 Mils of elevation adjustment. The zero stop came installed on my scope, hence why I have only 11 Mils of total elevation adjustment available.

I'd like to confirm with the more knowledagble people on the forum that the above seems kosher?

I might look for two peice 20 moa bases just to have more elevation availble.

Thanks!

 

[Kiba]

LHT has ~22 mils total elevation adjustment, but you can only dial up 11 mils max from zero if the zero stop is installed or up to the maximum limit of the erector travel, whichever is reached first. With zero cant in the mount, the scope will probably have somewhere around 9 mils of elevation left after zeroing, depending on how the manufacturing tolerances of everything in the entire rifle stacked up.

Since you say the turret is at 9 now and stops 2 mils higher, it sounds like you are hitting the 11 mil rotation limit of the zero stop rather than the turret stopping at the maximum available elevation travel of the scope. After you zero the scope you need to remove the elevation knob, reset the zero stop, and reinstall the elevation knob at zero. My hunch is you’ll probably have about 9 mils of elevation travel available from your zero before the erector runs out of travel.

If it’s substantially less than that, the way all the tolerances in your rifle stacked up are “eating” elevation in the scope at your zero, and if you want more available elevation travel up from your zero you’ll need to add some cant in the base, rings, or mount.

With the zero stop removed from the LHT there is no artificial 11 mil limit imposed by the zero stop design and you will be able to dial the full 22 mils of erector travel, up to whatever the maximum elevation travel is remaining in the erector from your zero… but you can also dial below zero and possibly lose track of your zero.

 

[BobinNC]

Don't buy new bases, just buy a pair of these: 25 MOA cant is about right for your scope. That will take back about 7 mils. And you'll need to adjust your zero stop to compensate.

XTR Signature Rings

 

[Caba]

Thanks gents. The rifle is with the gunsmith now to fix a feeding issue with the Wyatt box/follower. Once it's back with me I'll remove the zero stop and hopefully I'll gain additional elevation adjustment. Cheers!

 

[6brshooter]

My money is on zero stop needing to be reset. Pretty sure instructions for my lht said something to the effect of " zero rifle, then install zero stop...." on a new lht, the zero stop ring is not installed and in a separate ziploc baggy. Usually when I got to rezero a scope on a different rifle, I hit zero stop before I'm zeroed and need to remove/back it off to get zeroed, then set zero stop.

 

[Caba]

My money is on zero stop needing to be reset. Pretty sure instructions for my lht said something to the effect of " zero rifle, then install zero stop...." on a new lht, the zero stop ring is not installed and in a separate ziploc baggy. Usually when I got to rezero a scope on a different rifle, I hit zero stop before I'm zeroed and need to remove/back it off to get zeroed, then set zero stop.

That was the problem, the rev stop ring was already installed.