I know this post is a few months old...was doing some research on the VX5HD's (I own a few of these and rely on them for hunting). You mentioned using a total station to check the tracking, did you post the data anywhere to show what you found? I can imagine how to set up a target at a distance and dial up and down to check a scope in a rudimentary way, but if you've already done something like this I'd like to see what you found. Thanks.
Yep I have the data on my external hard drive which is in my office at work (where my tracking setup is). I don’t remember what the numbers were for that specific scope off the top of my head. Once I’m back from mandatory work from home and allowed back in the office I can PM you the results.
That scope tracked pretty well when I first bought it a couple years ago. Not sure what happened but I started noticing the dialing and tracking started not correlating to what I had field verified previously. I thought maybe it was the handloads I was shooting or possibly the rifle. I did some chrono work and a nice cleaning of the rifle since I tend to let my rigs get pretty dirty compared to most guys. I re-zeroed it on my home range and then tried some dialing and taking shots and noticed it was off. This isn’t a great way to verify tracking so I threw up my home made tracking board for a quick test. I again noticed it was not tracking correctly but it’s really tough to accurately verify real numbers (lots and lots of turns and rtzs) doing it in this method.
You need a controlled environment, a perfectly level and stable scope, and a tracking board that has been accurately measured in. You also need to verify that parallax isn’t introducing any errors.
Here’s a very quick description of how the test goes...
I verify all of my scopes at my office where we calibrate our total stations. They go through this procedure before they ever go onto a rifle. I’m able to verify accuracy at (0.5 +1ppm xD) mm. That’s using the latest ISO spec for accuracy. So any scope that goes onto the calibration station will be tracking against a “perfectly” measured verification tool.
I have created and measured in a tracking verification sheet using the total station. The scopes are then leveled, measured, and zeroed onto the center of the sheet at exactly 300 feet. The scope and tracking sheet are both measured in to be perfectly aligned horizontally and vertically. After the center of the sheet and the center of the reticle are aligned, and it has been verified that parallax isn’t effecting the outcome, zero is then set on the scope.
Finally we get to spin some turrets. I’ll start with small movements both horizontal and vertical with returns to zero. I then start stretching the turrets out to some larger distances. I keep track of clicks very carefully in each direction and writing down results.
People forget to realize that 1 MOA at 300 feet is 1.047" meaning the scope adjusts 0.261" with every click of the turret on a .25 MOA per click turret. Most homemade “tracking boards” aren’t measured in correctly and scarily, a lot of guys use shooting the rifle for verification. This is okay for a quick verification but not to accurately test if your scope is tracking correctly. Guys who don’t shoot and just use the scopes (better method) often do it in an environment where they haven’t been properly leveled, properly measured in, and checked for parallax issues. So you see a lot of guys claiming a certain scope “doesn’t track” but have zero verifiable data to back up their claim.
I’m a huge proponent of doing my own research for my own gear. Reading on the internet can help, but you gotta test your own gear for how you plan to use it.
