Quote Originally Posted by Texas10 View Post
I see the logical progression of your steps in setting up the scope, Lonewolf. And i've used many of the same steps however, I still get groups moving off axis as I crank in elevation. So my question is this: After going through all your set up steps and tall target confirmation, what do you do if, for example you find that cranking in 25 moa of elevation also produces 3.5 minutes of left windage? Do you cant the scope clockwise to compensate? Send it back for reticle alignment? Which variable in the mounting and confirmation process do you focus on to find and fix the problem?

If I mount the scope to a solid object with the reticle aligned with a plumb line at say 50 yds, then crank the elevation turret through its range and watch the cross hairs consistently drift off the plumb line to the left or right, is it time to send it back for realignment? How much mis-alignment is considered allowable?

I guess this is why some are willing to pay up to $3500 for a scope so they don't have to worry about these issues! Buy once, cry once.
I think your last statement hits the nail on the head. If you are trying to be successful in long range. Especially when it matters more (i.e. Competition, Hunting, etc.) then you should look for the highest level of quality you can afford. Pick the line of scopes the company stands behind with the most authority. I've ran Vortex, NF, and now shoot for Bushnell. As far as bang for your buck Bushnell is pretty hard to beat. I've been very happy with both my HDMR2 and XRS2. I never had an issue with my Ge2 Razor, or the ATACR F1 I borrowed for a bit.

So to answer your question I would definitely send that scope back whether for return or repair. Now if it's a $200 scope... Can you really be that upset if it's not perfect? You pay for quality & reliability in this industry. Especially in the optics department.