{"id":1617,"date":"2023-07-19T04:28:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T04:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/?p=1617&#038;fishpig=1624019594&#038;preview=true"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:35:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:35:59","slug":"understanding-rifle-scope-turrets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/understanding-rifle-scope-turrets\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Rifle Scope Turrets"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\"><div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/understanding-rifle-scope-turrets\/#Understanding_rifle_scope_turrets_can_drastically_improve_your_long-range_capabilities\" >Understanding rifle scope turrets can drastically improve your long-range capabilities.\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/understanding-rifle-scope-turrets\/#Understanding_Rifle_Scope_Turrets\" >Understanding Rifle Scope Turrets<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/understanding-rifle-scope-turrets\/#Elevation\" >Elevation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/understanding-rifle-scope-turrets\/#Windage\" >Windage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/understanding-rifle-scope-turrets\/#Parallax_Rifle_Scope_Turrets\" >Parallax Rifle Scope Turrets<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Understanding_rifle_scope_turrets_can_drastically_improve_your_long-range_capabilities\"><\/span><strong>Understanding rifle scope turrets can drastically improve your long-range capabilities.\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Think about your rifle <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"scope\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"242\">scope<\/a> turrets as a translator. By themselves, the turrets do not change where the bullet impacts. However, on properly set up rifles they help the shooter process information to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">know <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">where the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/how-to-better-see-bullet-impacts\/\" title=\"How to Better See Bullet Impacts\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1566\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bullet will impact<\/a>. For the most part that information is contained by adjusting the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/toric-riflescope-takes-2nd-overall-in-outdoor-life-optics-test\/\">reticle<\/a> up, down, and side to side until the scope and the bullet\u2019s path become one. Keep reading below to find out <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/videos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"how to\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"389\">how to<\/a> best utilize the translation and begin understanding rifle scope turrets.<\/span><\/p><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Understanding_Rifle_Scope_Turrets\"><\/span><b>Understanding Rifle Scope Turrets<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\">The windage and elevation dials are the two most important turrets.\u00a0Once your <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/finding-the-perfect-6-5-creedmoor-rifle-scope\/\" title=\"Finding the Perfect 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle Scope\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"445\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">scope is properly mounted on your rifle<\/a>, you must adjust your windage and elevation knobs to set your rifle\u2019s zero. When looking through the scope, the windage knob is located on the right-hand side of the scope and adjusts the reticle left and right. Similarly, the elevation knob is located on top of the scope and adjusts your reticle up and down. Both turrets must be adjusted in harmony to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/scope-sighting-made-simple\/\" title=\"Scope Sighting Made Simple\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1385\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">zero a rifle<\/a>. Once the rifle is zeroed, each turret can be adjusted to account for each individual shot.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">Using the <a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/impact-ballistics#:2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Impact Ballistics<\/a> program, you can match your cartridge and reticle, and even the atmospheric conditions where you&#8217;ll be <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/various-rifle-rests-and-when-to-use-each\/\">shooting<\/a>. With the ability to print out a dope chart based on the information you enter, you can carry your <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/tag\/ballistic\/\">ballistic<\/a> data with you to help increase impacts at a long range.<\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HVxvJOMyZl8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">JL demonstrates the simple and accurate way of sighting in your <a title=\"Why the 2.5-15x Rifle Scope is Ideal for Hunting\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/why-the-2-5-15x-rifle-scope-is-ideal-for-hunting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rifle scope<\/a>.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Elevation\"><\/span><b>Elevation<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When a bullet is shot, its speed causes the round to resist Earth\u2019s gravitational pull, causing it to fly towards a target rather than falling straight to Earth. As wind resistance slows the bullet\u2019s flight, it begins to drop more substantially as Mother Earth tightens her grip.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is most commonly experienced when <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/shooting-22lr-rifle-in-a-whole-new-way\/\" title=\"Shooting a 22LR Rifle in a Whole New Way\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"555\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting<\/a> over long distances. As a result, the shooter must do one of two things. The easiest and fastest solution is to hold the reticle above the target to compensate for the dropping round. Even with a lot of experience, it\u2019s nothing more than an educated guess.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The more precise solution would be to use a rangefinder. This will allow you to measure the distance to your <a title=\"5 Long Range Shooting Tips\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/5-long-range-shooting-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting position and dial your turret to match that range<\/a>. In this case, the shooter would move the reticle lower inside the scope so he or she would then have to raise the barrel higher to put the reticle on target. Likewise, the shooter should know the calculations of his or her scope to know how many revolutions the dial should be turned to match certain distances.<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/the-engineer-his-set-up-his-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1768\" title=\"understanding-tract-rifle-scope-turrets\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/David_TT.jpg\" alt=\"TRACT Optics Understanding Rifle Scope Turrets Customer Testimonial and Review\" width=\"458\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/David_TT.jpg 984w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/David_TT-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/David_TT-768x478.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/David_TT-482x300.jpg 482w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/06\/David_TT-150x93.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" \/><\/a><\/p><h2 style=\"text-align: left\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Windage\"><\/span><b>Windage<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Windage works in a similar way but left and right instead of up and down. While gravity pulls a round downward and is countered by aiming higher, wind can cause a round to move left or right in varying amounts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For precision shooters, windage can interfere with a round impact as much or more than gravity. The first thing the shooter needs to determine is the wind direction. On longer-range shots, the wind can gust in many different directions across varying parts of the shot path. Looking at visual cues, like flags, trees, grass, etc., or using wind indicators can be very helpful to determine wind direction. A wind speed indicator is also necessary for those who desire ultra-precise adjustments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once shooters know wind direction and wind speed, they can either utilize \u201cKentucky Windage\u201d and guess their hold to counteract the wind or refer to a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/why-you-might-consider-a-ballistic-calculator\/\">ballistics<\/a> chart to know exactly how many clicks to move their reticle based on the wind direction and wind speed for their specific round. In either case, the conditions should be reassessed as wind speed changes.<\/span><\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1625\" title=\"tract-optics-understanding-rifle-scope-turrets\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/DSC_0140-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Using and Understanding Rifle Scope Turrets\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" \/><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\">Making precise elevation adjustments in the field is quick and easy once you know the distance.<\/p><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Parallax_Rifle_Scope_Turrets\"><\/span><b>Parallax Rifle Scope Turrets<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The third turret is the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/videosview\/the-toric-34mm-4-25x50-ffp-mrad-elr-rifle-scope\/\">parallax adjustment<\/a> dial. It is mounted on the opposite side of the scope from the windage dial. Parallax occurs when the reticle and the target are not on the same focal plane. It causes the reticle or the target to appear blurry. While it may seem like the parallax adjustment is somewhat of a focusing knob, accuracy can be greatly affected if the reticle and the target aren\u2019t focusing on the same plane. In other words, a clear sight picture is just the byproduct of lining up your reticle and your target in the same focal plane.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before adjusting the parallax, make sure your reticle is focused. <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/types-of-rifle-scope-mounts\/\" title=\"Types of Rifle Scope Mounts\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mount your rifle<\/a> and look at a plain background like a white wall or the sky. Don\u2019t look continuously through the reticle. Only look through the reticle in 1-2 second bursts. Your eye muscles will try to adjust to the sight picture and provide a biased result otherwise. If the reticle is not perfectly clear, pull the scope down and slightly adjust the focus dial on the scope\u2019s eyepiece. Then offer another quick glance and repeat until the reticle is tack sharp.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With the reticle in focus, peer down the sight at your target. Adjust the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/improving-rifle-marksmanship-part-1\/\" title=\"Rifle Marksmanship: Scope Fundamentals\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1408\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parallax<\/a> adjustment dial until the target is also in focus. Dismount the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/moa-vs-mrad-rifle-scopes\/\" title=\"MOA vs MRAD Rifle Scopes\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1863\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rifle and check the reticle<\/a> once more against a plain background to make sure it\u2019s still in focus. If both reticle and target are in focus, they are focusing on the same focal plane.<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learning the math and the ballistics of a round can be a lot of fun and a lot of work. For a shortcut, consider a set of our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/all-products\/custom-turrets-bun\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Custom Turrets<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. We will gather data relevant to your specific <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/videosview\/setting-up-your-tract-optics-bino-chest-pak\/\" title=\"Setting up your TRACT Optics Bino Chest Pak\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"1650\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rifle<\/a> and load and will construct a set of turrets specific to your rifle. Then all you need to do as the shooter is dial, point, and shoot.<\/span><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/riflescopes\/toric-1inch-hunting-rifle-scopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1338 size-full\" title=\"tract-optics-understanding-rilfe-scope-turrets-shop-now\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/TRACT_Hunting_Scope_728x90.jpg\" alt=\"Shop TRACT Understanding Hunting Rifle Scope Turrets\" width=\"728\" height=\"90\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_Hunting_Scope_728x90.jpg 728w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_Hunting_Scope_728x90-300x37.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_Hunting_Scope_728x90-600x74.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/TRACT_Hunting_Scope_728x90-150x19.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding Rifle Scope Turrets<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2275,2257,2265],"tags":[2325,2600,2681,2789,2790,2906,2958,3004,3053,3054,3058,3161,3162,3163,3164,3165,3166,3167,3169,3186,3189,3190,3191,3192,3202,3203,3277,3318,3319],"class_list":["post-1617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accessories","category-how-to-fix-adjust","category-rifle-scope","tag-accessories","tag-difference-between-scope-turrets","tag-how-do-scope-turrets-work","tag-how-to-use-scope-turrets","tag-how-to-use-the-turrets-on-a-scope","tag-long-range-shooting","tag-optics","tag-rifle","tag-rifle-scope-turret-knobs","tag-rifle-scope-turrets","tag-rifle-scopes","tag-scope-turret","tag-scope-turret-adjustment","tag-scope-turrets","tag-scope-turrets-explained","tag-scope-windage","tag-scope-windage-adjustment","tag-scope-windage-and-elevation","tag-scope-with-ballistic-calculator","tag-shipping-game-meat","tag-shooting","tag-shooting-a-moving-target","tag-shooting-at-a-moving-target","tag-shooting-at-moving-targets","tag-shooting-moving-target","tag-shooting-moving-targets","tag-tactical-scope-turret-settings","tag-turrets","tag-turrets-scope"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11340,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1617\/revisions\/11340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}