Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold scope.

Got an older Vari-X II 3-9 that hasn't given me any trouble per say as far as tracking and holding zero. But, I have it on a FN based M51 and it's out of adjustment vertically and almost out horizontal.

The scope that was on that rifle was just a cheap Tasco 3-9 and in the same bases and rings on that rifle I didn't have that issue. I seem to remember the rifle I took this Leupold off of that I noticed I was almost out of adjustment.

Any suggestions? Send it back to Leupold to have them check it out?

Sounds like you may need to send it back.

Are you saying you are at the limits of adjustment?

If so, it sounds more like mounts and/or rings are plumb out of whack.

Do you have a bore sighter?

This....

Yes, at the limits of adjustment. But what I'm also saying is the scope that was on that rifle before in the same bases and rings, I didn't have that issue. All I did was take the top caps off the rings, took the old scope off, and laid the Leupold in the ring bottoms and put the top caps back on.

I also seem to remember that the rifle the Leupold was on before, that I was close to out of adjustment, but don't take that as gospel. I could be mistaken on that.

"This", when he said it was out of whack on a previous rifle it was on? Send it back to Leupold..

Out of curiosity I went and checked the old Tasco that came off this rifle. It is on my one bench just as it came off a few days ago. I have LOTS of room to go down yet on that scope. The Leupold is bottomed out in the down position. Can't go any lower.

It's at the right height with 180 RN, but if I would shoot 165's or 150's it would be high and I couldn't go any lower.

Perhaps I should try taking the Leupold off, making sure it's close to back to center on the adjustments and re-mount it and see what it does.

If the Tasco adjustments are somewhere in the neighborhood of center, then it probably is the Leupy’s problem.

That's one of the basics of mounting scopes--which also affects the consistency of adjustments. I

The last scopes I bought used, both were Leupolds, were near the limits of both elevation and windage adjustments. The previous owners obviously had mount/ring issues. It’s not uncommon.

I don't usually have any sort of issue regardless of what scope is changed over to what rifle. I bore sight a bolt gun at the range with the bolt pulled then typically one shot @ 25 yds and adjust based off that and go to 100 yds. But from posting this I got to thinking that if I didn't have a lot of room with this scope on the other rifle and just changed it over, I might not of left myself enough adjustment to start, and that could be the sole issue. Not guaranteed but could be. I'll try starting over and see if I can remedy it. If not it needs to go back to Leupold because the Tasco had lots of adjustment yet.

Different scopes have different amounts of available adjustment range. If the mounting holes are out of line you could run out of range with one but not the other.

I have encountered many FN factory scope base holes that were significantly off, a couple that precluded zeroing because windage maxed out its adjustment. A boresighter would tell the story.

If out of adjustment in elevation, there’s another culprit - scope or mounts come to mind. Also keep in mind that one axis affects the other - as you near the limits in one, the other is also limited because of that.

Absolutely. Centering both w/e lets you start from square one. Also, what bases and rings are you using?

Pretty sure that rifle has the weaver quad locks on it. Bases are also weaver by the looks of it.

How does that change anything? Total waste of time

Other than helping identify possible mounting alignment issues?

Those are already identified by the fact that you ran out of adjustment

If this scope is an early Vari-x-II and not a Vari-x-IIc, it will not have much adjustment. The Vari-x-IIc scopes have about twice the adjustment of the Vari-x-II.

You could use Burris Signature rings with the inserts to take care of the problem.

This is good knowledge. Learn something new.