Features on guns, scopes, and other equipment that you don't understand

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Aim1

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I've got some recent pet peeves about particular scope features that seem ridilciouls. I know people have the same about guns and other euipment.

2 things that bothered me recently:

1.) Non-locking uncovered turrets

This is a problem with Leupold scopes and it comes standard on a lot of their scopes. These scopes come with non-locking uncovered turrets. Who thought of these!!!???

These are so sensitive that just pulling the rifle out of your rifle case can change the scopes zero.

Who would want to risk that? No one that I know of. Plus, the only people who really need to use their turrets for shooting like that is probably benchrest shooters and even they don't want their guns scopes being changed in transit.

99% of shooters only need standard turrets that can be changed with a quarter and a nice hard screw on cap. 99% of hunters will sight in their rifles and never need to change them again unless they change rounds or something like that.


2.) Rubberized scope eyepieces that make scope covers impossible to put on

These make no sense at all. If you are putting your eye against the scope when you shooting you're gonna get scope-eye and cut your eyebrow when you fire. There is no need for rubberized scope eyepieces.

It also makes it impossible to put on hard scope covers.


3.) Safeties that are too far away for your finger to reach

This is mostly a problem with the Benelli VInci and Super Vinci. Rather than have the safety at the back of the trigger like many shotguns such as the Remington 870 and Benelli Super Black Eagle models the safety is way up in front of the trigger. You have to have Brock Lesnar size hands to reach it. Why???


So, these are three of my pet peeves on guns, scopes, and equipment. What are some of yours?
 
I like the exposed turrets!

VyphJAb.jpg

I just reach up and grab the thing! I also adjust them so the zero is 100 yards and I am paranoid enough that I look to see my sights are on. Let me tell you, you get that way if you shoot enough Leg Matches. One bud of mine, he was known by the CMP guys, and at Perry he gave his rifle for trigger weighing to some of the characters in the CMP van. He claims the trigger tester knew him. His first shot standing in the Presidents was off the paper. His windage knob was off by one turn. He thinks the guys in the van played a trick on him, giving his windage knob a turn, just for fun, while they had his rifle in their possession. And you know, I met some of those jokers, and some of them are the type that once they get to know you, they play pranks on you. Har, har.

I probably would have noticed if some clown had monkeyed around with my M1a sights, because I made sure I could look down and see if everything was within zero.

fsxFOW8.jpg

Anyway, I mark my elevation and windage zero's so I can see that the scope is zero'd, just in case something happens to the setting. See the white paint on the scope, that indicates a 100 yard scope zero. I have also marked 200, 300 zero's with fingernail polish (amazingly durable stuff) so I can look down and see that my elevation is correct.

jl5ItAK.jpg

I do also like the big turrets under a cap. The older scope, like the Burris on that M70, the thing is coin adjustable under the caps. It is a nuisance to adjust. Back in the day, you set your scope to some estimated yardage and were never expected to touch the thing again. And of course, the manufacturer's made it difficult to move the sights, I guess the philosophy was that nasty medicine is better than sweet medicine. I will say, that old Burris, it is better to hold off than adjust. Reticle movement is irregular, you just don't know if the reticle has moved till you shoot, and basically and you can't fully trust any scope to track true 100% of the time. I often take a couple of shots to verify any changes, on paper, and I have seen, groups jump once the reticle finally moves.
 
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Slamfire said:
I like the exposed turrets!

View attachment 812611

I just reach up and grab the thing! I also adjust them so the zero is 100 yards and I am paranoid enough that I look to see my sights are on. Let me tell you, you get that way if you shoot enough Leg Matches. One bud of mine, he was known by the CMP guys, and at Perry he gave his rifle for trigger weighing to some of the characters in the CMP van. He claims the trigger tester knew him. His first shot standing in the Presidents was off the paper. His windage knob was off by one turn. He thinks the guys in the van played a trick on him, giving his windage knob a turn, just for fun, while they had his rifle in their possession. And you know, I met some of those jokers, and some of them are the type that once they get to know you, they play pranks on you. Har, har.

I probably would have noticed if some clown had monkeyed around with my M1a sights, because I made sure I could look down and see if everything was within zero.

View attachment 812612

Anyway, I mark my elevation and windage zero's so I can see that the scope is zero'd, just in case something happens to the setting. See the white paint on the scope, that indicates a 100 yard scope zero. I have also marked 200, 300 zero's with fingernail polish (amazingly durable stuff) so I can look down and see that my elevation is correct.

View attachment 812613

I do also like the big turrets under a cap. The older scope, like the Burris on that M70, the thing is coin adjustable under the caps. It is a nuisance to adjust. Back in the day, you set your scope to some estimated yardage and were never expected to touch the thing again. And of course, the manufacturer's made it difficult to move the sights, I guess the philosophy was that nasty medicine is better than sweet medicine.
Click to expand...

Well, manufacturers at least should add locking turrets.
 
I suspect the big increase in interest in long-range shooting has really changed the whole holdover-vs-dial-for-distance dynamic in the marketplace. Hunters often have to eyeball distances and either count on being within point-blank* range or do some sort of guessed-at holdover. But hunting is a decreasing overall percentage of shooting, and hunt-first shooters a smaller segment of the market. A lot of people want to dial distance these days, and having to fool with quarters to do so is less than appealing.

*In the classic sense of being sufficiently close that the bullet will not be above or below the aim point by an appreciable amount.
 
Slamfire said:
Would not mind it. Might be on the more expensive models and I am a bottom feeder.
Click to expand...

Ha, "bottom feeder" is harsh, I prefer something more like "value driven" or economical.

I have a UTG/Leapers 3-12X44 on my AR, less than $100. It has locking W/E turrets as one of it's features. For the money it is a very functional scope and easily meets my needs for plinking, 3 gun matches, and biathlons; generally for target ranges not exceed 600 yards. If I shot long range precision I'm sure I'd need to go another route.
 
I had a utg leapers scope that had covered locking turrets and I despised it because it used tiny L hex wrenches....and the drated thing broke. A replacement had screwdown lock rings and I liked that better.
My better ones have caps that protect the dial, even a raised edge on the top of the cap to use as a tool in the field.

It does not really bother me too much what the scope has in the way of turret protection but cheap ones that are difficult to manipulate or ..... break .... bother me. Buy cheap buy twice.
 
Tommygunn said:
I had a utg leapers scope that had covered locking turrets and I despised it because it used tiny L hex wrenches....and the drated thing broke. A replacement had screwdown lock rings and I liked that better.
My better ones have caps that protect the dial, even a raised edge on the top of the cap to use as a tool in the field.

It does not really bother me too much what the scope has in the way of turret protection but cheap ones that are difficult to manipulate or ..... break .... bother me. Buy cheap buy twice.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that model was a PITA. The scopes with the Sniper or TF2+ lockable turrets is a much better/functional implementation.
 
-Why can't manufacturers use quality pistol sights?

Nearly everone in IDPA, USPCA, 3gun, etc. etc. is pretty much using similar sight setups. 1 or 2 dot Warren Tacticals, for example.
FO front, plain black rear.
Tritium and white ring front, plain black rear.
Or tritium front, small single tritium lamp in a plain black rear. 3 dot's are so terribly obsolete it isn't funny.

-Why don't AR's come with ambi safeties?

-Why don't all scopes not come with flip up covers? It should be a stock item. Yeah, I like snow building up on my lens.
 
Zerodefect said:
-Why can't manufacturers use quality pistol sights?

Nearly everone in IDPA, USPCA, 3gun, etc. etc. is pretty much using similar sight setups. 1 or 2 dot Warren Tacticals, for example.
FO front, plain black rear.
Tritium and white ring front, plain black rear.
Or tritium front, small single tritium lamp in a plain black rear. 3 dot's are so terribly obsolete it isn't funny.

-Why don't AR's come with ambi safeties?

-Why don't all scopes not come with flip up covers? It should be a stock item. Yeah, I like snow building up on my lens.
Click to expand...


Funny you say that. Guy at work was complaining about snow getting in his scope and he couldn’t shoot. Asked if he has scope covers and he said no.

Flip up scope covers should come standard. Only cost a few dollars per scope.
 
Yeah, it's a pain shopping scopes online. Find the right scope, right reticle, then it has the rubber rear focus or something messing it all up. Or the Butler Creek cover that should work, end up too loose and fall off.

Like the OP said, it's too silly not to include some sort of solution. Or they come with bikini covers that nobody uses, ever.
 
Vertical lines on the front strap of a semiauto pistol rather than checkering or stippling. I'm thinking of a Stoegar Cougar I owned in 40 S&W. The vertical grip cuts did nothing at all to help control the gun. They were smooth, and useless.

Huge magazine release buttons that extend toward the trigger well. FNP/X pistols have these, and the tip of my trigger finger would hit it all the time on my FNP45.
 
jmr40 said:
Bikini covers are all that I use. Can't stand the flip up covers.
Click to expand...


Why?


I love clear flip up covers. If I have to make a quick, close shot, just look through the covers, if I have time, just pop them up.
 
Zerodefect said:
Why can't manufacturers use quality pistol sights?
Click to expand...
I like pistols that come with crappy sights. Since there’s a 99% chance I’m going to change out the sights on any given pistol I buy, I like knowing that I didn’t pay extra for higher-end sights that I’m getting rid of anyway.

Zerodefect said:
3 dot's are so terribly obsolete it isn't funny.
Click to expand...
I agree that thee-dot sights suck and are becoming obsolete among more experienced handgun shooters, but they’re still what the vast majority of my customers want. And customers like guns that come with night sites, even if they’re the crappy, ubiquitous three-white-dot sights with three corresponding tritium vials. In my experience working at gun shops and ranges, most customers are simply looking to upgrade to tritium night sights and aren’t thinking about what matters most: the daytime sight picture. They just want night sights for the sake of having night sights.
 
Slamfire said:
Reticle movement is irregular, you just don't know if the reticle has moved till you shoot, and basically and you can't fully trust any scope to track true 100% of the time. I often take a couple of shots to verify any changes, on paper, and I have seen, groups jump once the reticle finally moves.
Click to expand...
At one LGS, I watched the owner installing and bore sighting a new low end scope. He would adjust the reticule, then tap on the body of the scope with the screwdriver handle. This was to make the cross hair settle into position

At one time scope manufacturers recommended running both the horizontal and vertical adjustments thru their entire range once a year to keep them freed up
 
Don't like the rubber eye pieces either.

All guns should have safeties like a Mossberg. :)

No need for a BDC recital on every single freaking scope made! (Nikon, cough, cough)

Why does wood stock or camo stock guns raise the price $300!!! I understand wood but to ad camo tack on $150? common!

Ok, rant over!
 
At one LGS, I watched the owner installing and bore sighting a new low end scope. He would adjust the reticule, then tap on the body of the scope with the screwdriver handle. This was to make the cross hair settle into position
Click to expand...

To settle the crosshairs, I would rather bang my scope with the head of a scope manufacturer. With sufficient Corporate head banging, maybe scope adjustments would become repeatable. We can only dream..............
 
Zerodefect said:
Why don't all scopes not come with flip up covers? It should be a stock item.
Click to expand...

Because there isn’t a good design out there that would last the lifetime of the scope. The warranty work fixing the lens covers would double the price of most scopes. Granted there are a few better options than the old butler creek now but they still suck.

Aim1 said:
Why?


I love clear flip up covers. If I have to make a quick, close shot, just look through the covers, if I have time, just pop them up.
Click to expand...

One of the biggest ergonomic problems I have are with flip covers. Finding a spot to put them is a pain. They either interfere with my view of the turret or the bolt handle.
Despite being the best scope on the market today the NF ATACR 7- 35x exacerbates the problem with a design that involves the entire ocular housing rotating with change in magnification.


Generally speaking when I’m shooting a match I may leave them off even if it’s raining and opt for something simple like a rubber band and ziplock bag. If I’m practicing I’ll just flip my shooting mat over the scope and action. More than rain, you want to protect the lens from dust and debris that wind kicks up. This will ruin your coatings
 
Then they should integrate an aluminum cover that can be threaded onto the front or back of the scope. Then it's flip-able and removable.

Just don't include it in the warranty. Some sort of practical solution is needed. I never go shooting in good weather. That's what motorcycles and parks are for. What do the pros do in the rain?
 
The double action trigger mechanism. All of them. I can't stand them. Any of them. I assume the double action trigger mechanism's popularity comes from bureaucracy, that only a bunch of lawyers and politicians could create such an abomination.

A crappy trigger is not a safe trigger. We need to abandon the notion that making something more complex or difficult to control or to use makes it safer. A double action trigger is safer in the same way that your pickup truck is safer if you remove its power steering. Can you train to proficiency with a twelve pound trigger pull on a two pound gun? Probably. Can you learn to deal with two distinctly different trigger pulls on the same gun? Probably, yes you can. But why would you? You can also practice to proficiency with a safety and should be practicing the Four Rules, regardless. If simplicity is what you desire, the striker fired pistol is king. If you're not afraid to train into a system, why would you not train on a safety and enjoy a decent trigger on a handgun that works with you rather than train on a long heavy, crappy trigger and two different trigger pulls on one gun?

I don't get it. The double action always seemed like an answer in search of a question at best and self-defeating at worst.
 
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