How often do you adjust scope

Check my zero on my hunting rifles regularly. Rarely have to actually make any adjustment, they are dialed in for their ammo and I am careful when transporting them. Still check them just to be sure.

I'm with Montana. I shoot my rifles regularly and I don't remember when I had to re-adjust my sight-in. I shoot the same loads that I have used for years in my hunting rifles and my old 300 WSM hasn't changed POI with my 165gr Accubond load in nearly 20 years. I played with my Bergara with several different loads and had to move things around a little, but even then it would not have changed the outcome on a 300 yards shot at whitetail. I do, however, transport my guns in padded hard cases. Even on my ATV.

On my hunting rifle, hardly ever. With a synthetic stock and decent mounts it has been rock solid. Multable airline trips from Arkansas to Canada. Road trip from Arkansas to Wyoming. Dozens of 80 mile trips to deer camp and 100's of miles on 4 wheelers. Its never moved.

My varmint rifle now, it gets dialed all of the time. But probably not what you're talking about.

Travel doesn't usually effect the scope, but it could have a huge effect on the rifle. Especially with wood stocks. Atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, and altitude will cause wood to contract and expand. Which will change point of impact. I've zeroed wood stocked rifles in August when temps are in triple digits and humidity over 90% and had them change POI by October when temps were in the 40's with 50% humidity.

I've seen wood stocked rifles change POI by several inches after a 1700 mile drive from GA to Colorado in October going from 500', elevation, 40 degree temps, and 50% humidity to 11,000', 10 degree temps, and 10% humidity.

My go-to rifles all have decent quality synthetic stocks on them. I almost never change the setting unless I try another load. But I do shoot regularly enough to know if I need to. I use either Leupold or Meopta scopes on my rifles. They tend to be pretty rugged. About 4-5 years ago I took a pretty hard fall after tripping over a rock. My rifle and scope were the 1st things to hit the ground, then I fell on them. I didn't hunt with that rifle again until I could get to the range and verify zero. It was still perfect.

I check my varmint rifles every time I change the handload I intend to use for hunting. Bigger game rifles are checked based on load changes and annual hunting season. Besides, I like to shoot for fun and may take a rifle out just to shoot.

On my primary hunting rifles very rarely, usually when I get a new scope or change a load.

On my play guns, I swap scopes all the time so they get adjusted a lot.

Berserker said:

My question is not how often you check, but how often you adjust.

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If you're shooting the same load, you should not have to adjust, unless you change altitudes by a great amount.

Every range I shoot BR at I find myself making small adjustments to maintain X ring accuracy, changes in conditions ,elevation effect the rounds POI
I’ assume hunting rifle are much the same. Probably a good idea to check zero at the camp

Very rarely to I have to adjust because the rifle is no longer zeroed. Only rifle I can ever remember being “off” was an AR in 6.8 SPC that I shot a really good buck with a few years back. Deer was at a hundred yards, standing broadside with his head on my left and his butt on my right. Knew I hit the deer. Found blood. Never found the deer. I was actually hunting from a shooting house just off our rifle range, so I checked the scope on my way out. Rifle was shooting four inches right and six inches high.

Buddy of mine killed that deer two days later with a bullet hole that cut a path high in the front of the back strap, almost exactly four inches right and six inches high from where I was aiming. Never did figure out how that scope managed to move so much.

marksman13 said:

Never did figure out how that scope managed to move so much.

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Has it moved unexpectedly since?

Change? Never.

I fire groups to zero at the beginning of the season. If the gun gets dropped lowering from the stand or something like that, I will use another until I have confirmed the dropped one. I also go to the range every 2 weeks for training purposes, so during season I may take my rifles and literally fire 1 confirmation shot to insure everything is still OK. Most of my shots around here are less than 100 yards, so I would really have to mess up a gun to make it out of whack to miss a classic broadside shot. But if I know 100% that all is well with the rifle, I will take a neck shot under certain circumstances.

Demi-human said:

Has it moved unexpectedly since?

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You’d have to ask the new owner, but it didn’t shift again in the year that I owned it after that incident. All I could ever figure is that it got bumped or banged pretty good on a pig hunt one night and I didn’t know about it. Loaned it out to a few clients on pig hunts, so one of them may have dropped it without me knowing about it.

Berserker said:

I had the 760 at 1".

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Now we’re talking!


The perfect Michigan woods rifle!

Demi-human said:

Now we’re talking!

The perfect Michigan woods rifle!

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My Father-in law had an old 760 in 300 Savage that I would love to have. One of his sons got it. I may have to check GB and get me one.

Simple answer. Never unless I change loads and I usually stick with the best shooting load that gets the job that I want to do done.

This scope was mounted and sighted in, in 1983,



I haven't had to touch the scope dials since! AND it's been on and off, dozens of times!

It stays sighted in no matter how many years go by or times it's taken off or put back on!

NOW I have a second scope for this gun,



Some years ago I got into a field position at 100 yards and put one scope on, fired two shots. Then I took that scope off, and put the second scope on, firing two more shots. You can see the results,



With the GREAT mount they have, they just plain hold their zero!

DM