Adjusting a Rifle Scope: What Most People Get Wrong at the Range

You’re staring through the glass, heart rate steady, and you squeeze. The shot breaks clean. But when you look through the spotting scope, the hole is three inches low and two inches right of where you were aiming. It’s frustrating. Honestly, even experienced shooters get a little flustered when their point of aim and point of impact aren't talking to each other. Adjusting a rifle scope isn't just about twisting knobs until things look "good enough." It is a mechanical process that requires you to understand exactly how your specific optic translates clicks into physical movement on the target.

Most people think they can just "eyeball it" or turn the turrets in the direction they want the bullet to go without doing the math. That’s how you waste an entire box of expensive .308 Win ammo.

The MOA vs. MRAD Confusion

Before you even touch a turret, you have to know what language your scope speaks. Most optics use either Minutes of Angle (MOA) or Milliradians (MRAD/Mils).

Basically, MOA is based on degrees. One MOA is roughly one inch at 100 yards (technically 1.047 inches, but everyone calls it an inch). If your scope has "1/4 MOA" clicks, each click moves the impact 1/4 of an inch at 100 yards. Simple, right? But remember, that distance doubles at 200 yards. At 200 yards, that same 1/4 MOA click moves the bullet half an inch. If you’re shooting at 400 yards, one click is a full inch.

Mils are different. They’re based on radians. One Mil is 3.6 inches at 100 yards. Most Mil scopes adjust in 0.1 Mil increments. That means one click is roughly 0.36 inches at 100 yards. It’s a decimal system, which many long-range shooters prefer because the math is faster once you get the hang of it.

Don't mix them up. I've seen guys with MOA reticles and Mil turrets trying to zero a rifle, and it’s a nightmare. It’s like trying to measure a gallon of milk using a thermometer. Check your manual. If the turret says "1/4 MOA," stick to inches. If it says "0.1 MRAD," think in centimeters or tenth-of-a-mil increments.

Getting Your Natural Point of Aim

You can't adjust a scope if your body is fighting the rifle. This is where most beginners fail. They manhandle the gun into position.

Lay down or sit at the bench. Get behind the rifle. Close your eyes. Breathe. When you open your eyes, the crosshairs should be exactly where you want them. If they aren't, move your body, not the rifle. If you use your muscles to pull the rifle onto the target, the moment the sear drops, your muscles will relax and the gun will jump. This creates "fliers" that make it impossible to tell if your scope adjustments are actually working.

The Bore Sighting Shortcut

If you just mounted a new optic, do not just start shooting. You might not even hit the paper at 100 yards.

1. Remove the bolt (if it's a bolt-action).
2. Look through the barrel at a target 25 yards away.
3. Without moving the rifle, look through the scope.
4. Adjust the turrets until the reticle matches what you see through the bore.

This gets you "on paper." It saves time. It saves money.

The Zeroing Process: Step by Step

Start at 25 or 50 yards. Seriously. Even if you want a 100-yard zero, starting closer makes life easier because you can see exactly where the rounds are hitting.

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Fire a three-shot group. Do not adjust after one shot. One shot could be a fluke. Three shots show a pattern. Find the center of that group. That is your "Point of Impact" (POI). Your "Point of Aim" (POA) is the bullseye.

Calculating the Click

Let's say you're at 100 yards with a 1/4 MOA scope. You’re 4 inches low.
Since 1 click = 1/4 inch, you need 4 clicks to move 1 inch.
4 inches x 4 clicks = 16 clicks.
Turn the elevation turret in the "Up" direction 16 times.

What if you're at 50 yards? Everything is halved. To move the bullet 1 inch at 50 yards, you need 8 clicks (on a 1/4 MOA scope). If you're 4 inches low at 50 yards, you need 32 clicks.

Wait. Does your turret move the reticle or the impact?
Almost every modern scope turret is labeled for the direction you want the bullet to go. If you want the hole in the paper to move up, turn it toward "Up."

Parallax: The Ghost in the Glass

Have you ever noticed the crosshairs seem to "float" or shift if you move your head slightly? That’s parallax. It happens when the image of the target isn't on the same focal plane as the reticle.

If your scope has a side knob (parallax adjustment) or an adjustable objective (AO) on the front, use it. Look at your target and wiggle your head slightly. If the crosshairs move against the target, keep turning that dial until they stay frozen in place.

A lot of shooters mistake parallax error for a bad zero. It isn't. It's an optical misalignment. High-magnification scopes are way more sensitive to this. If you’re shooting at 500 yards and your parallax is off, you could miss the entire target just by shifting your cheek weld.

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Common Pitfalls and Mechanical Realities

Not all scopes are created equal. In a perfect world, if you click "Up" 10 times and then "Down" 10 times, you should be right back where you started. This is called "tracking."

Cheaper scopes sometimes "drift." You might click right, and the impact goes right... and a little bit up. Or you click four times, and nothing happens, then on the fifth click, it jumps two inches. This is often due to the internal leaf spring not exerting enough pressure on the erector tube.

If you suspect your scope isn't tracking, try the "Box Test."

1. Fire a group at the center.
2. Dial 10 MOA Up, fire.
3. Dial 10 MOA Right, fire.
4. Dial 10 MOA Down, fire.
5. Dial 10 MOA Left, fire.
   The last group should be exactly on top of the first one. If it isn't, your scope’s internals are suspect, or your mounts are loose.

Check Your Rings

Blue Loctite is your friend. Before you spend three hours adjusting a rifle scope, make sure the base and rings are torqued to spec. Usually, that's around 15-25 inch-pounds for the rings and 30-45 for the base, but check your manufacturer’s guide. If the scope is sliding even a millimeter under recoil, you will never get a consistent zero.

Real World Nuance: Temperature and Light

So you zeroed your rifle in the humid heat of a July afternoon. Now it’s November, it’s 20 degrees out, and you’re hunting. Guess what? Your point of impact has probably shifted.

Air density changes with temperature. Cold air is thicker, which creates more drag on the bullet. Generally, your shots will hit lower in the cold than they did in the heat. Furthermore, lighting can play tricks on you. In bright, overhead sunlight, some shooters tend to aim slightly differently than they do in the flat light of dusk.

Professional marksmen like Bryan Litz (of Applied Ballistics) emphasize that your "zero" is a living thing. You should always "verify" your zero when conditions change significantly.

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Putting It All Together

Adjusting a rifle scope is a blend of mechanical understanding and disciplined shooting. You cannot rush it. If the barrel gets too hot, your groups will start to string out, and you’ll find yourself chasing the zero around the paper. Take your time. Let the barrel cool between groups.

Actionable Next Steps for Your Next Range Trip

• Verify your turret values: Don't assume it's 1/4 MOA just because it's a common standard. Read the cap.
• Use a solid rest: Use sandbags or a lead sled. Eliminating human error is the only way to see what the scope is actually doing.
• Bring a leveled surface: If your reticle is canted (tilted) even slightly, an "Up" adjustment will also move the bullet slightly left or right. Use a small bubble level to ensure the rifle is level when you fire.
• Document your "Zero Offset": Once you're dialed in, loosen the set screws on your turrets and reset them to "0." This way, if you adjust for wind or distance later, you can always find your way back to your base setting.
• Shoot a confirmation group: After you make your final adjustment, fire one more three-shot group. If that group isn't centered, you aren't done yet.

The goal isn't just to be close. The goal is to have absolute confidence that when the reticle settles on the target, the bullet follows. Once you master the math of your turrets and the mechanics of your rifle, the "mystery" of the missed shot disappears. You stop guessing and start shooting.