How much turret backlash would you expect in an eighty-quid scope?

[Antoni]

The clicks on the turrets just seem hugely optimistic to me - by that I mean one click moves the point of impact such a tiny amount. If you go two clicks one way and then 3 clicks back have you really gone one click back - or gone nowhere because you haven't even taken up the backlash yet?

It would be possible to check my scope by mounting it in a vice somewhere out in the open and rigging up a marked-up piece of card in the distance, but I'm working away long term and so no opportunity to make the necessary effort. Also bored shitless.

Is there much variation on this point with different scope makers? Always wondered if I was wasting time making small adjustments.

[DAVALI]

I would imaging that all scope turrets have backlash as the thread that alters the reticule must have some clearance/tolerance, reticules are spring loaded in one direction i.e. Pushing up on the turret screw, what is more important is repetition when set to a specific dial setting, to achieve this then you should only adjust sights in the downward/left direction, if you need to come up then come past the setting you require and then screw down/left to it, this is the method I use in FT and it seems to work, cheaper scopes would most likely have more backlash so working out how much more to come beyond your required setting would be a matter of trial and effort.
Boxing a scopes turret from a zero'd setting by turning the elevation X number of clicks down then X number of clicks left then up and right to come back to your original setting without allowing for backlash then shooting at a target would show how good/bad any backlash was!.
Have fun!.
Dave.

[rhyslightnin]

The clicks on the turrets just seem hugely optimistic to me - by that I mean one click moves the point of impact such a tiny amount. If you go two clicks one way and then 3 clicks back have you really gone one click back - or gone nowhere because you haven't even taken up the backlash yet?

It would be possible to check my scope by mounting it in a vice somewhere out in the open and rigging up a marked-up piece of card in the distance, but I'm working away long term and so no opportunity to make the necessary effort. Also bored shitless.

Is there much variation on this point with different scope makers? Always wondered if I was wasting time making small adjustments.

if your talking about tracking capabilities then id say it depends what your shooting..., a sub 12 air rifle out to 30yrds isn't going to "see" mich issue as you usualy need two clicks at least at that distance to get any real movement. longer the range bigger the movement I would have said though it shouldn't be too bad on any modern 80quid scope so long as its not a 20-70x65 ao ir px lrf Chinese e*** thing... as apposed to a 3-9x40

Rhys

[RobF]

is it 1/4 of 1/8 moa clicks?

[lensman57]

Plenty. If you want tracking precision I am afarid even the mid priced scopes( £250.00~£400.00) fall short in that dept.

A.G

[Antoni]

1/4" at 100 yds per click comes to mind (not seen the scope for about a year), and it's a well known 3-9 x 40 ish thing IIRC. Sub 12 springer.

I'd always assumed that there would be poor repeatability when dialling in small adjustments, and now I know there will be. Good news that the threads work against a spring, so that should take out the thread backlash, but then there will be the inevitable imperfections in the mechanics that move the reticle - up down moves it a smidgeon sideways, left right moves it a tad up etc. Maybe it will work better on the springer as it will get wallops to average everything out!

Still an excellent tool for the cost.

I wouldn't trust my shooting skill to test the scope, better to rig up a card, mount in a vice and tap it with a wooden ruler. No real need to bother now, just do as I've been doing; go to the wanted setting then turn right-left-right-left-right-left in decreasing amounts until just one click each way.

Thanks all.

[RobF]

1 MOA = 1" at 100yds.

So if you've got indoors at 25yds and a bench and level you can click track it. At 25 yds 4 1/4 clicks = an inch. So adjust 4 or 8 clicks up down left and right until you've made a box... then measure.

[Rich]

One of our club members came to me last month almost pulling his hair out; his scope would apparently not zero reliably. We set it up with the elevation turret at the top of its travel and the windage turret set extreme left, and fired a few shots to form a group. Then we moved the windage to full right and the POI shifted right and down as well, down by the equivalent of about half a turn of the turret.

Then we moved the elevation turret to the bottom of its travel and kept the windage full right. The POI dropped as expected but moved right by about half a turn.

Next we moved the windage full left. The POI went left, but only about half as much as was expected.

Then we moved the elevation to full up, restoring the turret positions to where we started. The POI did not coincide with the start point, it was about half a turn to the right.

The scope went back to the dealer for replacement.

[Steyr]

Seriously....80 quid for a scope......so what degree of accuracy are you expecting.

Pay peanuts get monkeys.

There is a point below which you really cant have any 'expectation' and probably 80 for a scope I would consider a waste of money or perhaps a bic biro purchase at the very best. Personally....I would go for the biro.

Then to expect MOA tracking form extreme to extremes.......ok.......thats more than I would anticipate from an 80 scope.

As had been mentioned....scopes costing a lot more than this have issues and its still at best a 50/50 as to whether you got a goodun or a wrongun.......

If you need to buy cheap...at least buy 2nd hand and make your money stretch as far as possible.

But 80 quid......unless you in china where the labour and infrastructure is somcheap then you really dont stand a bloody chance of any sort of engineering but a bucket load of exploitation.

[Muskett]

£80 scope with 20% VAT and import duty, 20% Retail and agent mark up; 10% marketing, plus a few more things then there isn't much for the scope itself.

Design and components and all the tolerances add up. All the toys scopes with so many parts then something has to give. As said even mid priced scopes can get it wrong. They all promise the earth but its not true. Fixed scopes are easier to build right, and only zero turrets aren't expected to be repeatable so just work for zero. Scopes made on new machinery often are better, until that machinery wears.

Finding a good scope isn't easy. Once found keep it.

I still tap my scopes on any adjustment to ensure its moved. Perfect tracking of target turrets usually costs proper money, and even then check and monitor. Be wary of your own shooting, and light/wind conditions as its not always the scope. You can always test a rifle combination with another scope.

Anyway, yup, cheap scopes go wrong all the time.

[angrybear]

1 MOA = 1" at 100yds.

So if you've got indoors at 25yds and a bench and level you can click track it. At 25 yds 4 1/4 clicks = an inch. So adjust 4 or 8 clicks up down left and right until you've made a box... then measure.

surly at 25yds 16 clicks = 1"

also I'm guessing that in Nebraska £80 buys a better scope than it does here

I had a bottom of the range Hawke sport that could do the 1" box shoot spot on.

[RobF]

surly at 25yds 16 clicks = 1"

also I'm guessing that in Nebraska £80 buys a better scope than it does here

I had a bottom of the range Hawke sport that could do the 1" box shoot spot on.

Sorry yes...

4 x 1/4 clicks = 1/4" inch at 25yds

I'd expect a decent brand scope to box at 25yds.

[Geezer]

£80 scope with 20% VAT and import duty, 20% Retail and agent mark up; 10% marketing, plus a few more things then there isn't much for the scope itself.

Design and components and all the tolerances add up. All the toys scopes with so many parts then something has to give. As said even mid priced scopes can get it wrong. They all promise the earth but its not true. Fixed scopes are easier to build right, and only zero turrets aren't expected to be repeatable so just work for zero. Scopes made on new machinery often are better, until that machinery wears.

Finding a good scope isn't easy. Once found keep it.

I still tap my scopes on any adjustment to ensure its moved. Perfect tracking of target turrets usually costs proper money, and even then check and monitor. Be wary of your own shooting, and light/wind conditions as its not always the scope. You can always test a rifle combination with another scope.

Anyway, yup, cheap scopes go wrong all the time.

Seriously....80 quid for a scope......so what degree of accuracy are you expecting.

Pay peanuts get monkeys.

There is a point below which you really cant have any 'expectation' and probably 80 for a scope I would consider a waste of money or perhaps a bic biro purchase at the very best. Personally....I would go for the biro.

Then to expect MOA tracking form extreme to extremes.......ok.......thats more than I would anticipate from an 80 scope.

As had been mentioned....scopes costing a lot more than this have issues and its still at best a 50/50 as to whether you got a goodun or a wrongun.......

If you need to buy cheap...at least buy 2nd hand and make your money stretch as far as possible.

But 80 quid......unless you in china where the labour and infrastructure is somcheap then you really dont stand a bloody chance of any sort of engineering but a bucket load of exploitation.

My different take on this is, given the above, it is surpriśng how good some cheap scopes are. Of course they are nothing like a Leupold, March, Schmidt, etc. But even things like the £30 Nikkos are decent, functional items that can deal with a range of plinking and short to medium range hunting tasks, even if they left the Chinese factory at a price of £10.