HW 80K with an eb*y special - zeroing trouble

[Robert_Lavin]

Evening all,

Rather unintentionally I've picked up a well used HW 80K, early '90s from the serial.

Mounted on top is a scope which I believe is colloquially known, as an "eb*y special". I've tried to zero it but the turrets don't appear to be making much difference, shots are all high and left. Is there a way of seeing whether the turrets are working properly without having to shoot at something? Or could something else be causing a problem? The mounts don't look particularly good to my eye.

The scope is listed at around £30 for 6-24x50 AO and IR so I'm not expecting miracles but it would be shame to ditch what might be a functioning scope even though it seems a bit large for a non-FAC rifle.

Thanks,

Rob.

[Shed tuner]

Try another scope

[Rightguard147]

draw dot on paper. pin paper to something twenty or so yards away. Remove scope. rest scope on platform. line up scope crosshairs with dot by moving scope body then secure so it doesnt move. adjust horizontal and vertical turret a fair few turns, one after the other, then check to see if the crosshair has moved from the dot. If not, return scope and put towards something non chinese and branded

[Shedder]

If you can "clamp" the gun and then adjust the turrets you should see the reticule/reticle (or cross hairs) move if you look at a fixed point through scope. If they don't move it will be faulty.
Before you ditch it (if the turrets don't cause any movement) I would turn the turrets both fully back and forth (clockwise and anti- clockwise a couple of times and then centre both by counting rotations. Then just check once more to see if the cross hairs move.
It is possible for the erector tube to get stuck internally(wedged beside one of the turret "screws") and this might free it up if this has happened.

[BAD DAZ]

Try another scope on it, if you don't have one, there are probably loads of guys on this forum that live in Bristol that would lend you one, if the same happens with a different scope, then you have a bent barrel, tbh, a better scope will really make a difference

[bighit]

there is trick using a mirror to re centre a cross hair. you could try it in reverse

Centering of a scope's adjustment dials
The elevation and windage adjustments of a scope are easily centered. Place a small mirror against the objective end of the scope. That would be the end farthest from your eye as you look through the scope. Make certain that the mirror is large enough to cover the entire objective. It must also be flat against the objective. With the scope's power selector ring set at the lowest magnification, look through the eyepiece as you would while aiming at a target. If the scope's windage and elevation adjustments are off center, you will see two images of the reticle (cross-hair). To reach the center of the adjustment range, simply turn the elevation and windage dials until you see only one image of the reticle

[Rickenbacker]

As some of the above posts, plus hit it with a shoe.

[TonyL]

As some of the above posts, plus hit it with a shoe.

A shoe?

Hammer, more like!

[Shed tuner]

As some of the above posts, plus hit it with a shoe.

This can actaully help, if the erector tube had become stuck. But I know exactly where (who) you are coming form with this advice

[Robert_Lavin]

There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to use a rifle because you don't really know where it's going to put the pellet.

To that end I'm genuinely appreciating the advice, serious and less so!

I have a shoe and a hammer at the ready...

[Rapidnick]

Sorry if this post is unduly negative but the idea of expecting a 6-24 cheapo scope to be anything other than junk is fanciful to say the least. My advice would be to change it and certainly not to spend much time with it. It is never going to be good .
Basic optical science tells us that to get a performing high magnification scope requires a large amount of correction to the lenses and that costs money. I know quite a few members of my club who have 6-24 scopes mounted on their legal limit air rifles. To a man they either hate them or-even if they work OK-ish- use them on 12x. I keep asking them 'what is the point' and they haven't got an answer.
To get high mag scopes to work properly costs a LOT of money whereas you can buy something perfectly reasonable in the 3-9 or even 4-12 zooming range for not much money at all.

[angrybear]

Evening all,

Rather unintentionally I've picked up a well used HW 80K, early '90s from the serial.

Mounted on top is a scope which I believe is colloquially known, as an "eb*y special". I've tried to zero it but the turrets don't appear to be making much difference, shots are all high and left. Is there a way of seeing whether the turrets are working properly without having to shoot at something? Or could something else be causing a problem? The mounts don't look particularly good to my eye.

The scope is listed at around £30 for 6-24x50 AO and IR so I'm not expecting miracles but it would be shame to ditch what might be a functioning scope even though it seems a bit large for a non-FAC rifle.

Thanks,

Rob.

Not knowing your experience,
people sometimes forget just how many clicks might be needed to move the point of impact at short range, if 1 click is 1/4" at 100yds then it takes 4 clicks at 25yds, so an inch is 16 clicks.

When you couple that with a pellet choice that might give large groups then trying to zero can be frustrating to say the least.

So before you bin the scope, first fit decent mounts & make sure they sit nicely in the dovetail grove (probably worth removing the scope from the existing mounts & making sure they are exactly flush when pushed together, if you can feel a "lip" then the scope body will be at an angle) then do a pellet test to find one that gives tight groups.
Once you get nice tight groups then you can accurately zero those groups on to the point of aim.

[Robert_Lavin]

I wasn't expecting much, although turrets that actually adjust the crosshair isn't "much" in my book.

The scope came with a well used rifle and we suspected it was done for anyway. I personally wouldn't have bought anything with those numbers for £30 and expected it to work for any length of time.

Anyway, despite application of the shoe and spinning the turrets ad nauseum, the poi hasn't changed therefore I can confirm that the scope is dead. I'll be robbing a (working) 3-9 off another rifle to make sure.

Thanks all.

[Rickenbacker]

I wasn't expecting much[...]

You have my sympathies. I recently binned a brand new BSA SWF 8-32x44, bought direct from Hong Kong for £55. via Fleabay.

It lasted about 3 shots before the mag' ring seized solid, then it fixed it's self, but that only lasted for another 3 shots before the side focus went completely Tonto. Then it went nose first into a bin.

[scott hw77]

Is the scope on the right way turret caps facing right and top not left and top atb