Locking scope turrets are a thing, but locking bolt handles aren't?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I’d just put a giant neon glow in the dark witness mark with nail polish or something so you could easily see if it was moved and get in the habit of checking windage before every shot just like elevation.
I used to have sort of a pre shot checklist or firing sequence where I think about safety and wind and dope and bubble level and half a dozen minor things before reminding myself to relax, pull the trigger straight back and keep my eyes open. This is the point of dry firing.

if you cover it with something sketchy like electrical tape it could move and then you wouldn’t be able to see that it had moved
 
Walkalong said:
Why are we hunting with scopes with uncovered turrets?
Click to expand...

MCMXI, I've never seen or heard somebody say "I'm getting that scope, because it has locking turrets!" AFAIK, it's just another
"feature" foisted upon us by design engineers. My one and only scope with exposed turrets got traded for some gear, a few
years ago, after the turret moved, and I missed a game animal. I agree with Walkalong, if you're hunting, covered turrets are the way to go.
 
Walkalong said:
Why are we hunting with scopes with uncovered turrets?
Click to expand...

I'm not opposed to hunting with tactical style turrets if the optic has most or all of the other features I'm looking for. I've shot three elk and three deer using scopes with tactical style non-capped, non-locking turrets and they worked well every time. That said, I chose the rifle to hunt with and they happened to have those Nightforce and Premier Reticles optics on them.

I'm possibly in your camp though when it comes to hunting in that I like hunting optics to be as simple as possible i.e. low profile capped adjustments, no parallax to mess with, and a reticle that allows me to hold over for range and wind. I have four Zeiss Conquest MC scopes and a Zeiss HD5 scope (with parallax knob) but they're all SFP optics which is ok but it adds another way to make an error i.e. the magnification is on the wrong setting for the reticle to be accurate i.e. for 300 yards and further. I would say that the Zeiss optics I have are the best I've found for my type of hunting since they all have the excellent RZ600 or RZ800 reticles before Zeiss moved away from numbering the stadia. If they were illuminated reticles I wouldn't complain, but as that sit they're very good for what they're designed for, as long as you have the magnification on the right setting for longer shots.
 
taliv said:
if you cover it with something sketchy like electrical tape it could move and then you wouldn’t be able to see that it had moved
Click to expand...

There's someone on another forum that uses tape on their turrets ... I'll have to find a photo or two.

I've never looked into clear electrical tape but now I'm curious.
 
Walkalong said:
Why are we hunting with scopes with uncovered turrets?
Click to expand...

Dibbs said:
MCMXI, I've never seen or heard somebody say "I'm getting that scope, because it has locking turrets!" AFAIK, it's just another
"feature" foisted upon us by design engineers. My one and only scope with exposed turrets got traded for some gear, a few
years ago, after the turret moved, and I missed a game animal. I agree with Walkalong, if you're hunting, covered turrets are the way to go.
Click to expand...

these comments demonstrate the regional differences in base assumptions about what is "hunting". if you're in the East and hunting deer in thick woods, sure. it may make sense to have a deer rifle with a duplex reticle and covered turrets and the most important feature may be gathering light as you try to peer through the shadows in the woods. but if you hunt where you can see 10 miles in every direction...

shooting pigs and coyotes in texas, i laid down on a hill and made a range card out to 1200 yards. covered elevation turret would have been pretty limiting.
 
taliv said:
these comments demonstrate the regional differences in base assumptions about what is "hunting". if you're in the East and hunting deer in thick woods, sure. it may make sense to have a deer rifle with a duplex reticle and covered turrets and the most important feature may be gathering light as you try to peer through the shadows in the woods. but if you hunt where you can see 10 miles in every direction...
Click to expand...

A few years ago I was down near Great Falls hunting with some friends on 40,000 acres of farm land that they lease and manage. We waited for hours for a herd of 80 elk or so to move off private farm land onto land where we could shoot them. We figured out that we'd have a window in the 650 to 850 yard range to shoot a nice bull or two. I had my Accuracy International AW with a Nightforce NXS 3.5-15x50mm scope, a range card out to 1,000 yards and an AI mag loaded with 10 rounds of Federal Vital-Shok Trophy Copper 150gr. I had practiced a lot with that setup and those elk were going to be in big trouble. After 2 hours of laying down in the snow and hoping that they'd move where we needed, the lead cow decided to take them all deeper into the Twilight Zone and away from us. My point is that it wouldn't have even been an option if I'd had my usual hunting rifle and optic.
 
Bill M. said:
I am pretty ignorant. What is a locking bolt handle?
Click to expand...

I don't have experience with as many rifle platforms as some here do but on my old Winchester model 70 there are three positions for the safety. On one position you can not fire the rifle or lift the bolt handle to open the bolt, the next position you can open the bolt but not fire the rifle, the third position you can work the bolt & fire the rifle. While made completely different & in a different location the safety on the old Spanish Mauser I have works similarly. If the bolt doesn't lock it could be possible for the handle to get pushed up & open the action a little without one realizing it. This could possibly cause one to miss an opportunity.

Edited to add; I know nothing about hunting at the ranges these fellows are discussing or using a scope with uncovered turrets. All my hunting has been done in Georgia woods where one usually can't see more than a couple of hundred yards. I'd like to play with just trying to shoot at the distances these fellows are discussing but I do not have anywhere to do that.
 
Last edited:
Mike J said:
I don't have experience with as many rifle platforms as some here do but on my old Winchester model 70 there are three positions for the safety. On one position you can not fire the rifle or lift the bolt handle to open the bolt, the next position you can open the bolt but not fire the rifle, the third position you can work the bolt & fire the rifle. While made completely different & in a different location the safety on the old Spanish Mauser I have works similarly. If the bolt doesn't lock it could be possible for the handle to get pushed up & open the action a little without one realizing it. This could possibly cause one to miss an opportunity.

Edited to add; I know nothing about hunting at the ranges these fellows are discussing or using a scope with uncovered turrets. All my hunting has been done in Georgia woods where one usually can't see more than a couple of hundred yards. I'd like to play with just trying to shoot at the distances these fellows are discussing but I do not have anywhere to do that.
Click to expand...
Thats a good explanation of a locking bolt, with three position safety.

There are also two position safety that lock the bolt handle. In fact the original 700 design locked the bolt handle down, it wasn't until the late 70s (I think) they went to a non-locking system.
The browning A-bolt and Xbolt also have two position l locking handled. The X-bolt adds a button to the root of the bolt to allow you to disengage the lock without taking the rifle off safe.
All other two-position locking handle guns require you to set the rifle to fire, to open the bolt.
 
LoonWulf said:
Thats a good explanation of a locking bolt, with three position safety.

There are also two position safety that lock the bolt handle. In fact the original 700 design locked the bolt handle down, it wasn't until the late 70s (I think) they went to a non-locking system.
The browning A-bolt and Xbolt also have two position l locking handled. The X-bolt adds a button to the root of the bolt to allow you to disengage the lock without taking the rifle off safe.
All other two-position locking handle guns require you to set the rifle to fire, to open the bolt.
Click to expand...

Thank you LoonWulf. My experience is somewhat limited. I was given the Mauser & bought the Winchester in the late 80's. While I have looked around at other rifles from time to time I've never been able to justify buying another deer rifle to myself.
 
Walkalong said:
Why are we hunting with scopes with uncovered turrets?
Click to expand...

The very first scope that I bought many years ago that had exposed locking turrets was a 3-15x50 Weaver Super Slam. It's in no way a "Tactical" scope, and has a Duplex reticle. It has always been a great scope, and I've always like the locking feature of the turrets.
I also have a few newer long range scopes that have locking turrets. Revic PMR428, and a Delta Stryker HD.

While not absolutely necessary, locking turrets do come in handy as well as giving you peace of mind that the turrets won't get accidently turned.
 
Thanks for the explanation. I thought maybe a locking bolt handle was something new I had missed. I do have and like my Model 70 with the 3 position safety. But I have been calling it a 3 position safety.
 
I would prefer a hunting scope to have a cover on the turret. The locking bolt thing, meh, either way. I usually carry afield without a round in the chamber. Dangerous game might make a difference in my preferences regarding a locking bolt and unloaded chamber.
 
Last edited:
3Crows said:
I usually carry afield without a round in the chamber. Dangerous game might make a difference in my preferences regarding a locking bolt and unloaded chamber.
Click to expand...
Since most of my hunting to date has been on foot with a round chambered, I consider a locking bolt to be a necessity regardless of what I'm hunting - when that rifle comes up to the shoulder, I wanna know that all that I need to do is go off safe and shoot when ready. If, on the other hand, my hunts were conducted by carrying an unloaded rifle to a shooting position and then chambering a round for the day, then I would probably feel differently.
 
rbernie said:
Since most of my hunting to date has been on foot with a round chambered, I consider a locking bolt to be a necessity regardless of what I'm hunting - when that rifle comes up to the shoulder, I wanna know that all that I need to do is go off safe and shoot when ready. If, on the other hand, my hunts were conducted by carrying an unloaded rifle to a shooting position and then chambering a round for the day, then I would probably feel differently.
Click to expand...

Yes sir, I am not disagreeing with you, just telling you what I do and I rarely would carry a round in the chamber (especially in a bolt gun) unless hunting dangerous game. The exception for me are my lever guns with half cock and cross bolt safety. This whether hunting from a fixed position or "still" hunting in the classic sense. If I miss an opportunity as a result, so be it. I have found that usually by the time I range the game, clear the field and ascertain for certain the game is actually game, I am loaded and locked. Others differ, I appreciate that, and I will not fault you or them.
 
rbernie said:
Since most of my hunting to date has been on foot with a round chambered, I consider a locking bolt to be a necessity regardless of what I'm hunting - when that rifle comes up to the shoulder, I wanna know that all that I need to do is go off safe and shoot when ready. If, on the other hand, my hunts were conducted by carrying an unloaded rifle to a shooting position and then chambering a round for the day, then I would probably feel differently.
Click to expand...

That's how I hunt too, with a round in the chamber, safety on position 3 if it's a Kimber or position 2 for a Tikka and similar. Either way, the bolt is locked and I keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times, usually up in the air since the rifle is over my shoulder most of the time.
 
3Crows said:
Yes sir, I am not disagreeing with you, just telling you what I do and I rarely would carry a round in the chamber (especially in a bolt gun) unless hunting dangerous game. The exception for me are my lever guns with half cock and cross bolt safety. This whether hunting from a fixed position or "still" hunting in the classic sense. If I miss an opportunity as a result, so be it. I have found that usually by the time I range the game, clear the field and ascertain for certain the game is actually game, I am loaded and locked. Others differ, I appreciate that, and I will not fault you or them.
Click to expand...
No offense either transmitted or received. :)

My hunts have been solo endeavors in the NoTexas scrub, where I tried to jump hog and deer when they scampered out of their day beds. No ranging has been required yet - all shots have been inside of 200yds (most inside of 100yds) - and the emphasis is generally on target acquisition, target identification, and snap shoot/no-shoot decisions. I will admit to losing at least one shot on a coyote trotting between the rises in a clearcut because I neglected to clear the safety in time (ha!), so I try to keep things as mechanically simple as possible.
 
MCMXI said:
That's how I hunt too, with a round in the chamber, safety on position 3 if it's a Kimber or position 2 for a Tikka and similar. Either way, the bolt is locked and I keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times, usually up in the air since the rifle is over my shoulder most of the time.
Click to expand...
Same here.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Gtscotty
  • Locked
Mid-price Precision Rifle scopes
Replies
21
Views
3K
Gtscotty
Gtscotty
A
  • Locked
Scope for Service Rifle Competitions
Replies
6
Views
1K
Pete D.
Pete D.
Stevenvalleyky
  • Locked
Scope choice to learn with
Replies
17
Views
1K
Walkalong
Walkalong
C
  • Locked
Semi-auto with locking bolt?
Replies
15
Views
4K
MachIVshooter
MachIVshooter
N
  • Locked
Leupold VX-II 3-9x33 AO vs. Sightron SII Big Sky 3-9x36 AO
Replies
5
Views
2K
Norrick
N
Back
Top