Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Internal Scope Construction Toric, Zeiss, SWFA, NF, Leupold etc.

The problems with zero retention and tracking originate from the fundamental flaws that are inherent in the mechanical method used to adjust for elevation and windage. Modern riflescopes, put the reticle and the erector lenses in an inner tube. This tube is hinged at its rear end and is supported by the knobs near its front end. The knobs tilt the front of the tube up and down or left and right. A spring pushes the inner tube against the knobs and holds it in place.

The reason for using this method is that the reticle, even after adjustments, will appear at the center of field of view. If you only shift the reticle and keep the erector lenses centered, the reticle appears to move in the field of view like in vintage riflescopes. This is not very appealing to the shooter.

So, what is wrong with this mechanism? A lot actually. See the drawing below.

-Omid