Scope / Turret running out of adjustment

nhn2a

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Feb 2, 2016
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Ok so this will probably be long winded but just trying to paint a full picture to see if anyone has any thoughts or advice for me. I have a Swarovski Z5 5-25x52 on a Tikka T3 lite in 30-06. I've used this scope on it for a few years. I have a custom turret which maxes out at 600yrds as the Z5 scopes only allow one rotation.

I've spent a lot of time at a local long distance range and can consistently hit targets out to 400yrds but cant seem to hit the targets at 500 and 600 consistently. My Tikka typically groups well under and MOA at 100yrds but thats as far as Im able to shoot at paper targets and the steel targets are all shot up so not sure how its grouping past that. In an effort to make everything as precise as possible and eliminate variables I decided to do some improvements to my setup. I glass and pillar bedded the rifle and free floated the barrel. I had a gunsmith look at my work and he said everything looked great. While doing this I had to remove the scope and in doing so I realized that the gunsmith at Gander who mounted my scope years ago used Warne rings but some unknown bases that had deep gouges in them from the recoil. It appeared to be steel rings but aluminium bases. I replaced the rings and bases with a pair of Warne Maxima that mount directly to the Tikkas dovetail rail. The scope sits at the same height it previously did as measured with calipers.

I've gotten everything put back together and used a Wheeler Fat Torque wrench to make sure everything is torqued to specs and used the Wheeler Pro leveling kit to make sure the scope is level. All in all everything is working great and I'm now shooting an almost perfect clover pattern at 100yrds with Hornady SSTs.

However, my turret is now hitting the end of adjustments and cant go past the 500yrd mark. Previously I still had quite a bit of adjustment even past the 600yrd mark so not sure why changing these things would have caused that much of a difference POI shift. Either way Im topping out in my turret and cant go any higher. Just curious if anyone has any thoughts. I know I could get a 20 MOA rail and use different rings to get the adjustment back but just curious if there is something else more obvious that I may be missing first.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Do you know where it bottomed out before, and how many MIL/MOA the difference is? Is the scope in the same position front to back? Is is possible they unknowingly had a 20MOA base on there before?
 
It’s probably due to minor differences in mounting system especially since going straight to the action. Also did you lap the rings in?
If you want to gain more elevation travel you can get a 20moa rail or Hawkins precision now makes their 1pc 25MOA ultra light combo for tikkas.
 
Get a different scope with more adjustment maybe? Don't know how much adjustment the current scope has but with only one rotation I can't imagine it's a whole lot.
 
Have you tried centering the elevation clicks to see where you are at 100?

I havent tried that. That is actually one of my next steps, to take it back to mechanical zero and see where its at. I wanted to finish deer season before changing too much again.
 
Do you know where it bottomed out before, and how many MIL/MOA the difference is? Is the scope in the same position front to back? Is is possible they unknowingly had a 20MOA base on there before?

I dont unfortunately know where it bottomed out before. I was never concerned with it until it bottomed out. I believe it is in the same spot as it was before; however, there is the the possibility that it is slightly different. You make a great point about it possibly having a 20 MOA base on it before. It was a two part base but since I dont know what type or even brand the gunsmith put on there, I can not say for certain if it was or wasnt.
 
It’s probably due to minor differences in mounting system especially since going straight to the action. Also did you lap the rings in?
If you want to gain more elevation travel you can get a 20moa rail or Hawkins precision now makes their 1pc 25MOA ultra light combo for tikkas.

I did not lap the rings in. I didnt have a kit to do so and was hoping it would align well without it. Probably is a good next step to get one of the alignment tools to see if they align currently. I'll take a look at those two rail systems you mentioned.
 
Get a different scope with more adjustment maybe? Don't know how much adjustment the current scope has but with only one rotation I can't imagine it's a whole lot.

I should have clarified, the scope only has one rotation after you install the zero lock. The scope itself has 43 MOA of adjustment which is why I'm surprised I'm topping out. At 600yrds, I only need 13 MOA adjustment so I should have plenty from a mechanical zero.
 
I should have clarified, the scope only has one rotation after you install the zero lock. The scope itself has 43 MOA of adjustment which is why I'm surprised I'm topping out. At 600yrds, I only need 13 MOA adjustment so I should have plenty from a mechanical zero.

Many times your scope won’t zero at the mechanical zero and therefore you only get a limited amount of useful travel. Thus the reason for a 20MOA base. It’s also good to try and dial move in the middle of your travel and not bottoming out. Many scopes tend to not track as well when near mechanical zero.
If you want to dial further and shoot further I’d suggest a 20MOA rail.
 
I did not lap the rings in. I didnt have a kit to do so and was hoping it would align well without it. Probably is a good next step to get one of the alignment tools to see if they align currently. I'll take a look at those two rail systems you mentioned.

Is the tube on the scope 30mm?
 
Most Euro scopes are a little low on adjustment range. There some advantages to that, but it’s a long story. Putting some MOA in the base will correct your elevation problems. See how far from mechanical center you are when zeroed at 100 or 200 yds and choose a base with enough MOA to put you close to your mechanical zero at your desired range. You’ll find that often times bases aren’t exactly centered on a Sako style dovetail. Original Sako rings, Redfield/Leupold turn in rings or Burris Signature rings can be used to center the scope. Leupold Sako Rings as well as many aftermarket rings literally insure that your windage will be WAY off. Even Sako Optilock Rings or original Sako Rings can cause problems when improperly installed. I prefer original Sakos, but a Redfield/Leupold turn-in base and ring set set is cheaper, easier to get right, and works just as well. Scopes are clearer, brighter, and adjust better when near mechanical zero.
 
Your scope is advertised as having 43 MOA of elevation adjustment.
That is total travel.
So if your 100 yard zero were to be exactly in the middle, you would have 21.5 MOA adjustment.
Of course very seldom is zero in the exact middle of the scopes adjustability.
So you could very easily run out of adjustment.

The answer is as previously mentioned. A 20MOA base.
 
Check out a set of Burris posi align offset insert kits from Midway USA. They could very easy help with your problem. Used in conjunction with Burris rings.
 
^^^ Just make sure they’re Burris Signature Rings. Regular Burris rings do not accept the inserts. Many of the signature ring sets come with a full set of off-set inserts. Some only come with a few extra off-set inserts, and some only come with a set of centered inserts, requiring the purchase of off-sets to make an adjustment.
 
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