Page 4 - TRA Benchrest Booklet

TRA BENCHREST HINTS
Scopes can have different adjustment
values represented as minutes of
angle (MOA). However, check with
your coach, or another experienced
shooter for precise help on this.

Sight adjustment on most scopes is
clockwise adjustment will move the
point of impact up/down or left/right
as appropriate.

Elevation and Windage sight
adjustment. Typically in the form of
two dials (larger dials are more efficient for target shooting), one on top of the Scope for elevation
adjustment and one on the side for windage adjustment.

Parallax Adjustment. The most often incorrectly set rifle scope adjustment of all .... is the parallax
setting. This is NOT a focus adjustment or a range finder. This adjustment allows your scope to
adjust the optics, so that the crosshairs will be correctly positioned when shooting at different
distances. This is accomplished by adjusting the front lens (or in some scopes a side turret or
dial) to remove the parallax, making sure the image focuses on the same plane as the crosshairs.

The way to set this adjustment is seldom to just dial the correct distance printed on the scope.

This adjustment usually needs to be set more accurately (with the rifle securely positioned on a
bench) so that you can look through the scope.

The purpose of the parallax adjustment is to eliminate this unwanted optical error that makes your
crosshairs appear to "move". Do not touch or move the rifle/scope when checking for parallax.

A lot of scopes have a fixed parallax setting that is exactly correct for shooting at only "one"
specific distance. If your scope has a parallax adjustment it can be perfectly adjusted for
shooting at any distance, so that your crosshairs will appear to be rock solid, no matter where your
eye is positioned.

This is very important when the "exact" position of your eye is not always concentric with your
scope. The slightest variance can make a huge difference. (courtesy of Innovative
Technologies) Test this out to see the difference!

Installing a Rifle scope the first time. The correct way is to select some solid scope mounts which
are high enough to ensure the scope doesn’t come into contact with the barrel and are the right
diameter for your scope. These will usually be an option when purchasing the scope.

Install the bottom half of the mounts onto the receiver or dovetail. Lay the scope on the mounts
then position the top half of the mounts over the scope onto the bottom half. Lightly and evenly
tighten the nuts attaching the top/bottom halves of the mounts ensuring you do not over tighten.

BEST IDEA – ASK FOR HELP FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS!

TRA Benchrest Hints ©TRA Ltd Page 4