Scope Field Eval Explanation and Standards

[Formidilosus]

Does the 10x HD belong in the same category? I just couldn’t pass it up at this price…

John

SWFA 10x42 SS HD 30mm Riflescope

SWFA 10x42 SS HD 30mm Riflescope Details SKU: SSHD10X42MQ Finish: Matte Reticle: MIL-Quad Tube Diameter (mm): 30 Elevation Knob: Exposed Target (.1 MIL) Windage Knob: Exposed Target (.1 MIL) Parallax Setting: Rear Focus Focal Plane: Second

www.swfa.com

All that I’ve seen have been good.

 

[Hondo64d]

All that I’ve seen have been good.

UPS delivered the SWFA SS 10x HD today and I immediately mounted it in SWFA rings on my hunting rig. As much as I love my 3-12 LRTSi, the rifle lost 1/2 pound by me swapping it out for the 10x HD SS. Took it to my range and zeroed it. Zeroing was stupid easy, as it always is when you have a scope that tracks correctly. Didn’t bother with a tracking test, as I have used several of the non-hd models, and one HD, and Formidilosus has also had good results from them. After zeroing, I dialed my DOPE for 600 and easily put these two shots on my 600 yard plate. Missed the wind call a little bit but I can live with it.

I used to question the viability of a fixed 10x on a hunting rig, but a couple of years ago I had three Coyotes in my back yard one cold winter morning. I grabbed my wife’s Kimber Montana .223 which has a 10x SWFA SS on it, and smoked all three ‘yotes. The last one was about 200 yards by the time I got him.

John

 

[HighUintas]

I'm thinking about taking my rifle through this eval process.

Tikka with factory stock (40 in/lbs on action screws w nail polish on head)
Swfa 3-9
Sportsmatch rings (~25 in/lb on rings), not sure on base but whatever the package directions said

@Formidilosus, do you think I should increase action screw torque to 65 before doing this? I just found a post mentioning shifts from drops due to action/stock movement

 

[Formidilosus]

I'm thinking about taking my rifle through this eval process.

Tikka with factory stock (40 in/lbs on action screws w nail polish on head)
Swfa 3-9
Sportsmatch rings (~25 in/lb on rings), not sure on base but whatever the package directions said

@Formidilosus, do you think I should increase action screw torque to 65 before doing this? I just found a post mentioning shifts from drops due to action/stock movement

My experience is that 40in-lbs in the action screws will allow movement. How much varies. I would say experiment. Try it as it is, see what happens then adjust.

 

[Fishermen0105]

I'm thinking about taking my rifle through this eval process.

Tikka with factory stock (40 in/lbs on action screws w nail polish on head)
Swfa 3-9
Sportsmatch rings (~25 in/lb on rings), not sure on base but whatever the package directions said

@Formidilosus, do you think I should increase action screw torque to 65 before doing this? I just found a post mentioning shifts from drops due to action/stock movement

I may be wrong and correct me if I am but I think tikkas in plastic stock are supposed to be 44 inch pounds. I think things may break if you got to 65 on a tikka plastic trigger guard. Other stocks have different recommended torque values.

 

[Formidilosus]

I may be wrong and correct me if I am but I think tikkas in plastic stock are supposed to be 44 inch pounds. I think things may break if you got to 65 on a tikka plastic trigger guard. Other stocks have different recommended torque values.

I’ve done probably a hundred T3’s at 65 in-lbs and haven’t broke a trigger guard. If one breaks tomorrow, I would shrug, get another and torque that one to 65in-lbs again.

 

[Fishermen0105]

Good to know, that’s just what I got from my manual. I only have two though @Formidilosus

 

[Formidilosus]

Good to know, that’s just what I got from my manual. I only have two though @Formidilosus

The reason I do so is because at 44in-lbs, there are sometimes POI shifts that happen. Tightening to 65in-lbs all but eliminates that. I’m sure there is some middle number that works before 65, however the first one I did I tightened by hand almost as tight as I could without it clearly breaking the trigger guard and that stopped POI shifting when dropped. When checked that one was way over 65in-lbs. So I tried 65 and it worked. Have just stayed with it.

 

[HighUintas]

I may be wrong and correct me if I am but I think tikkas in plastic stock are supposed to be 44 inch pounds. I think things may break if you got to 65 on a tikka plastic trigger guard. Other stocks have different recommended torque values.

I think the manual specs 35 in/lbs for plastic. Pretty low.

 

[rileybassman]

Hey @Formidilosus, are you running NF lows or mediums on your tenmile setup? I'm looking at picking up a tenmile to shave a little weight on my hunting rig (SHV 4-14 F1 now) and move the NF back to my range rifle.

I think lows look like they have enough clearance?

 

[Formidilosus]

Hey @Formidilosus, are you running NF lows or mediums on your tenmile setup? I'm looking at picking up a tenmile to shave a little weight on my hunting rig (SHV 4-14 F1 now) and move the NF back to my range rifle.

I think lows look like they have enough clearance?

Lows.

 

[rileybassman]

Lows.

Thank you kindly!

 

[Formidilosus]

Thank you kindly!

Yes sir.

 

[JakeM51]

Is it common to have a scope lose zero by not being way off and staying way off, but by moving around like within an inch of zero with occasional shots being way off and no way near the zero, but most shots are near it with some being on it exactly?
I had this happen with my 5-25 PMII.
I sent it in yesterday when I saw that the reticle canted to the right about 1 degree ( this happened over time it didn't start out like that ) when that happened everything started making sense as to what I was seeing.
I went from shooting out the dots in the paper with 3 and 5 shot groups in the .2s and .1s to shooting .5 and that .5 could be about an inch anywhere around my actual zero.

Went from this




To this......

 

[Formidilosus]

Is it common to have a scope lose zero by not being way off and staying way off, but by moving around like within an inch of zero with occasional shots being way off and no way near the zero, but most shots are near it with some being on it exactly?

“Common” is relative. But, yes it does happen.


Tac-Ops?

 

[nobody]

Is it common to have a scope lose zero by not being way off and staying way off, but by moving around like within an inch of zero with occasional shots being way off and no way near the zero, but most shots are near it with some being on it exactly?
I had this happen with my 5-25 PMII.
I sent it in yesterday when I saw that the reticle canted to the right about 1 degree ( this happened over time it didn't start out like that ) when that happened everything started making sense as to what I was seeing.
I went from shooting out the dots in the paper with 3 and 5 shot groups in the .2s and .1s to shooting .5 and that .5 could be about an inch anywhere around my actual zero.

Went from this

View attachment 544852View attachment 544853


To this......


View attachment 544862View attachment 544863

This right here is EXACTLY why so many of us preach 10, 20, and 30 round groups. 3 or 4 rounds is not enough to get a statistically significant result. These rounds appear to be all within about 1.1 MOA of your "original zero" point shown in the first photo.

What you are describing does happen with some scopes. It's not uncommon for many scopes to wander within a few clicks of a center point at all. But really, you could also just be experiencing the fact that all rifles have a cone of accuracy, and a 3 round "group" just ends up being a randomly selected 3 points within a rifle's cone, or a cherry picked selection of 3 rounds (photos 1 and 2).

My advice is to go shoot a 10 round group and then visually overlay that group with these "groups" here, there's a good chance your 10 round group's extreme spread encompasses all of these "groups" you've shown here.

 

[JakeM51]

“Common” is relative. But, yes it does happen.


Tac-Ops?

Yep.

 

[Formidilosus]

This right here is EXACTLY why so many of us preach 10, 20, and 30 round groups. 3 or 4 rounds is not enough to get a statistically significant result. These rounds appear to be all within about 1.1 MOA of your "original zero" point shown in the first photo.

What you are describing does happen with some scopes. It's not uncommon for many scopes to wander within a few clicks of a center point at all. But really, you could also just be experiencing the fact that all rifles have a cone of accuracy, and a 3 round "group" just ends up being a randomly selected 3 points within a rifle's cone, or a cherry picked selection of 3 rounds (photos 1 and 2).

My advice is to go shoot a 10 round group and then visually overlay that group with these "groups" here, there's a good chance your 10 round group's extreme spread encompasses all of these "groups" you've shown here.

While you are correct on all of that, if that is a Tac-Ops rifle, it’s 3-5 shot groups are consistent. They’re what amounts to field bench test rifles. Their ten to twenty round groups with the standard ammo will hover around .5-.7 MOA without much issue.

 

[Formidilosus]

Yep.

 

[nobody]

While you are correct on all of that, if that is a Tac-Ops rifle, it’s 3-5 shot groups are consistent. They’re what amounts to field bench test rifles. Their ten to twenty round groups with the standard ammo will hover around .5-.7 MOA without much issue.

Fair enough, thanks for the education sir, I've never messed with one before.

@JakeM51, disregard my post then! Carry on!