Mass Confusion

Ok folks help a fella out. I bought a new scope for my Creedmoor. I got a 4-12x40 Leupold VX 2 with a LR duplex and an adjustable objective. The more I study it the more confused I get and think I bit off more than I can chew. I want to get something to learn how to shoot aome serious distance with. I have always just boresigted and dialed in a new scope but all the talk about adjusting the AO and messing with the zoom is screwing with my confidence. Now I am thinking about just selling it and getting a VX 1 like my others. Am I just over thinking it?

I believe the adjustable objective is nothing more than a parralax adjustment or focus. Gunwerks has a video on YouTube that explains parralax in simple terms and how to adjust for it.

Read this for a little clarification

http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3371190/1/Riflescope_School

The scope you have is very simple in the realm of scopes. Adjustable Objective is simply for getting rid of the parallax for a clearer and fuller picture.

I don't know what you mean by "shoot some serious distance," but there are better suited scopes out there for distance shooting for just a little bit more money

Learn MOA, and how to adjust in MOA, and it should help. Looking at your reticle on page 26 (Link HERE), the spacing is 2.19 MOA to the first dot and 4.8 MOA to the second dot down, only on high power. Once you know your come up of the round you are shooting, you can figure out what 2.19 and 4.8 MOA holds will work at that distance. Honestly, I would just learn MOA and dial your come up in the the scope.

Capped turrets and a BDC reticle might be fine for hunting at 300/400 or less, but not really optimal for long range precision shooting.

Are you going to hunt with the rig at all? If so, then your scope options all become more expensive. All you really need to get into long range distance shooting is a scope with decent top-end magnification and turrets that track well. A useful reticle and clear glass help a lot, but aren't necessities. VX-2 isn't really a long range precision shooting scope.

I'm trying to recommend hunting/LR precision scopes to my brother and here is the list I came up with in the $300-$600 price range:

Athlon Talos BTR 4-16x44
Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50
Vortex PST 4-16x50
SWFA SS 3-15x42

All should work fine for your needs. If you're not going to hunt, the best starter scope for long range shooting is an SWFA SS fixed-power 12x or 16x. Affordable, tough, and reliable.

Here's the best, most straightforward explanation of parallax error / adjustment you can find.

parallax illustrated

Now: if you grasp that, then it becomes easier to understand why you adjust your eyepiece to just focus on the reticle and nothing else.

If, however, you have a non-AO scope, you still focus your eyepiece to bring the reticle into perfect focus. You simply live with parallax error at distances less than or greater than the fixed parallax setting.

The scope you have won't get that done.

Adjustable objective is the exact same function as a side focus. It is to bring the target into focus. The yardage labeled on either one, is merely an approximate. Turn an A.O. or a side focus, until sight picture looks good to you, disregard the yardage numbers. In fact there are plenty of scopes made with no numbers, Night Force being one of them.

The proper way to use an objective focus is to observe the reticle superimposed upon the target and bob your head around a little. Adjust the objective focus until the crosshairs remain fixed on the target regardless of the movement of your head.

What he said although you will have to define what series distance means to you. Fireman's definition of series distance and yours may differ. You have a fine hunting scope.

Thanks for the info folks. I think I was over thinking some of it. My idea of serious and Firemans is VASTLY different. I am wanting to consistently put one in a pigs ear at 500 yds. When I can do that I will move on to better optics and greater distance. I would like at some point to visit Fireman and spend the day getting some real training.I have heard good things. Even if he is from WC! What Chadtrg42 posted pointed me to what was bugging me most. Thanks. Everyones information and time was appreciated.

That is a lofty goal, consistently holding .5 moa at 500, assuming a variety of hunting conditions. It's doable for some with the proper skill and equipment.
I am with JG on this, that your choice of scope will not allow that degree of consistent accuracy.
Good luck on your endeavor.

All you need is a 20 MOA picatinny rail in your action. If you want to schedule a day, I have three different Mil/ Mil scopes, we can mount, and swap out all three to your rifle. If you don't like Mil/ Mil after the day, you'd be the first one.

500 yards is pretty serious business, especially when you're wanting to put a round in a pigs ear. I've shot lots of rounds from 7 yards to 1760 yards, and I still take 400+ pretty serious. It's fairly easy to miss that far out, if the shooter and the equipment is not up to it.

I missed my cold bore shot at 500 a few days ago. The wind was howling on Wednesday, and I wanted to test myself. Yup, held too much wind correction, even though it was blowing 20+. But I did hit center on the follow up shot. My miss would have missed a pig's ear, but would have hit body if the hog was facing left. If the hog was facing right, I would have missed the hog all together. I would have never taken that shot, in that wind, on a game animal. I knew the wind was going to be very tricky.

It's main purpose is to keep reticle in same place on the target (as much as possible) even if your eye's angle to the eyepiece shifts or changes. This improves accuracy. It does so by adjusting the focal plane to the proper target distance.

While that is correct, what I wrote is also correct.

With customers, I take the target image out of focus, intentionally, over 100 times throughout the day. Doing that makes mirage show more prevalent, to get a wind reading down range. Once we make a decision on what the wind is doing, based on the mirage we saw, we return the image into focus to shoot. On all of my scopes, the side focus knob gets the most use, and for that reason.

I would also normally recommend a 20 MOA canted base, but it's not the best for your situation and scope. Your Leupold scope model has 67 MOA of total internal adjustment. If you have a standard base (zero cant), it should put your scope in the middle of that, which is 33.5 MOA up and down, which is right in the middle of your scope adjustments. Technically, at this point, you would have 33.5 moa of up elevation, which should get you out to 1K yards with most calibers.

If you went with a 20 MOA base, you take off 20 MOA from the 33.5 MOA, and you now have 13.5 MOA or down available, and 53.5 MOA of up travel. My error factor or cushion for error between the base, rings and scope is 10 MOA. I won't install a canted base with 10 MOA or less error factor. With a 20 MOA, it's at 13.5, which is cutting it close. What this means is you have only 13.5 MOA of "calculated" adjustment down left internally in the scope. I have seen on multiple occasions where we calculate this to within about 10 MOA, and we still not be able to get a 100 yard zero, because there is no more down adjustment left inside the scope.

If you went with a 10 MOA base, this would put you with 23.5 MOA left of down travel, and 43.5 moa of up travel. This will also keep the reticle closer to the center of the scope tube. Scopes do not like to be maxed out or cranked so far that the reticle hits the inside of the scope tube, which causes damage inside.

If you went with a zero canted base, you are fine. If you went with a 10 moa base, you would be better off if you plan to dial and shoot longer ranges. A 20 MOA base would be a little too much, IMO.

https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-2-riflescopes/vx-2-4-12x40mm-adj-obj-cds/