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Thread: Elevation adjustment in SWFA fixed power scopes

  1. #1
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    Elevation adjustment in SWFA fixed power scopes


    Can anyone verify for me that the SWFA fixed power (20x42, 16x42, 10x42) scopes do in fact have over 100 minutes of elevation adjustment? Wanting to shoot a mile with my 260 & 284 but don't want to break the bank on a ATACR to do so...

    Thanks

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    Look at the specifications. You will see the 20x I am currently looking at states 110 total elevation. So 55 from center. Put a 30 MOA rail on your rifle to bottom out the reticle and you should have enough to go up. A ballistic app should give you the information on what is needed provided you have the data for it (ie fps out of the barrel, scope height, etc). Check each SS scope as they are different.
    Savage 10 FCP-SR 308, 300BO PCS

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    Thanks... The reason I ask is because on SWFA website it list the 20x42 as having 110 moa total elevation but then list the 16x42 as having only 60 moa total elevation. I can't see any reason why a 16x would be limited in elevation adjustment with the scope being the same in all other aspects. Hence the reason I asked if anybody has one and can verify the amount of elevation adjustment. I don't want to buy the 20x42 and then the 110 moa be a misprint and it only have 60 moa as the specs on the 16x42 states. I've called SWFA and the guy I talked to didn't make me a believer he knew what he was talking about.

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    Basic Member Robinhood's Avatar
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    Remember to use the reticle. You do not have to use the Xhair at long ranges.
    The Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cowtownup View Post
    Thanks... The reason I ask is because on SWFA website it list the 20x42 as having 110 moa total elevation but then list the 16x42 as having only 60 moa total elevation.
    Sounds like a difference of total, Vs. from center, just as bearcatrp spoke about.

    If you wanted to be specific, from center a scope could have 50 mils, but if you want to sell on "WOW" then it has 100. While total travel could indeed be 100, that isn't usable travel, unless you started from being bottomed out.
    I'm a firm believer in the theory that if it bleeds, I can kill it.

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    10-4... I plan on using a 20 moa base and get another 40 moa out of the Burris XTR signature rings to maximize the adjustment..

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    Well, I bought one of the 20x42 SWFA scopes. By using a 20 moa base and also getting another 40 moa with the Burris inserts I was able to get a 100 yard zero with about 7-8 moa down left in the scopes internal adjustment. The scope does have the advertised 115 MOA of elevation adjustment or close to it because I was able to dial up 105 minutes from a 100 yard zero. I'm going to use this scope to shoot a mile with both my F-Open rifles as soon as the corn is picked in the fall. (I'm gonna try at least...) Pretty solid feeling scope for the money...

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    With 60 moa of cant you were able to zero at 100 I've always thought anything over 20 wouldn't work at 100

    Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

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    Quote Originally Posted by cowtownup View Post
    Well, I bought one of the 20x42 SWFA scopes. By using a 20 moa base and also getting another 40 moa with the Burris inserts I was able to get a 100 yard zero with about 7-8 moa down left in the scopes internal adjustment. The scope does have the advertised 115 MOA of elevation adjustment or close to it because I was able to dial up 105 minutes from a 100 yard zero. I'm going to use this scope to shoot a mile with both my F-Open rifles as soon as the corn is picked in the fall. (I'm gonna try at least...) Pretty solid feeling scope for the money...
    Curious as to wether you were looking into the scope when dialing the 105 moa, or simply counting the clicks.

  10. #10
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    Danatkins, i checked the specs on the scope and it has 110 moa of elevation travel... Therefore, from the mechanical zero of the optic, it has 55 moa down and 55 moa up... I took a chance on using a total of 60 moa of cant just to see if I could get a 100 yard zero with it.. I knew it would be close, but I thought I would have to drop back down to 40 or 50 moa of cant... With most scopes that are on the market like the Vortex PST's and others they typically have in that 50-60 moa of elevation travel which would leave you 25-30 moa down from mechanical zero, hence the reason most people say you can't get a 100 yard zero with more than a 20 moa base or cant...

    Yobuck, I mounted the optic, bore sighted and got the 100 yard zero... Then I just counted the revolutions of elevation adjustment up... Its 15 moa per revolution and I had 7 full turns up...

    I put this scope on my subsonic 308 since it requires a bunch of elevation to shoot a couple hundred yards, so I'm going to run it thru its paces here the next week or so and see how it tracks..

  11. #11
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    Well not to be critical of any particular scope, but things aren't always happening when the dial is being turned.
    Back in the early 80s when Leupold made target knobs available on scopes like their 6.5x20, we found we weren't hitting things we were shooting at even though we had dialed the proper amount of clicks.
    With my 7x300 Wby, I couldn't even make 1100 yds, and 7 Rem mags were lucky to reach 1000.
    We found by looking into the scope while turning the dial that we were turning but nothing was moving.
    So we started at the zero setting and counted what we had with the reticle moving.
    Of coarse things like tapered bases weren't available then unless you had one made up.
    We solved it by adding shims under the rear base to get the amount of elevation we needed.
    More recently my youngest son had a 338x378 made up with a 20 minit tapered base.
    He put a Vortex viper 6 x something scope on it and zeroed it at 100 yds.
    As I recall about 1000 yds was about all we could get out of the thing.
    We installed a 40 minit taper and it still zeroed at 100, but we needed the reticle to make 1500.
    The gun now wears a Nightforce 5.5x22, but unfortunately due to a serious accident he hasent been able to shoot it since.

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    10-4... none of the information I have given has been field tested.. I will be sure to let you know if it holds true...

  13. #13
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    Good gracious, that 20x42 SWFA has one tough eyebox... Tracks good, just hard to get just right behind it to see a full sight picture...

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