Rifle Scopes Left side windage knob. Why not standard?

[McCrazy]

I had a USO SN-3 made with a left side windage knob, which also has an ERGO parallax adjustment. I very much like this set-up as being a right hand shooter I can maintain my cheekweld as I adjust windage, whereas on normal right-side windage knobs I have to move my head to see the dial in order to see beyond the ocular lens. I have to shoot a multitude of different scopes so I don't really get super proficient to just make adjustments by feel right of the bat with any given scope and trust I am dialing the right way since there are so many variations in knob measurements and direction. Of course there are holds and I use them also at times but that isn't the point.

My question is: why don't all manufacturers put the windage knob on the left side of scopes as standard so the majority of right handed shooters have it within their view?

I commend USO for making this an option but as far as I know they are the only ones, and it proves it isn't simply a lay-out problem. Unless this is an unavailable option with a T-pal adjustment for parallax. I see no reason they can't be reversed but I am definitely not an optical engineer or whatever the title is.

Scope manufacturers as of late are making a drastic shift towards offering scopes that are FFP which we have been seeking for years. Seems if they knew left side windage was desired that they could make that change as well and make our scopes that much more intuitive to use.

 

[skog]

For me I sight in wind and then leave it alone. I will hold for wind when shooting. But I am always fiddling with the parallax when switching distances. So the traditional setup works great for me.

 

[OFIS]

I'm with skog. Sometimes I wish my windage were capped its used so little.

 

[M40_A1]

My question is: why don't all manufacturers put the windage knob on the left side of scopes as standard so the majority of right handed shooters have it within their view?

I agree that it would be nice if the windage setting were easier to see on some scopes. That is one thing I think Unertl could have done better on their USMC 10X- not to move the windage knob to the left side (reason why next), but put the index mark up in the corner where it could be seen from the top without having to shift your head all the way over to the right.

That said, I would think the reason why all manufacturers don't have the knob on the left is that it would make it practically impossible to manipulate the knob in an unsupported or sling supported position. The right hand knob is accessible for all types of positions. They can't assume every shot will be from a bag, branch or bipod.

 

[T J]

'Cause it's the ONE place where we Lefties actually get an advantage over you run-o-the-mill Right Handers


t

 

[cummins cowboy]

my question is why even have a windage turret, I think they should be capped, don't most people hold for wind?? there certainly is enough reticles out there to accommodate this.

 

[M40_A1]

my question is why even have a windage turret, I think they should be capped, don't most people hold for wind?? there certainly is enough reticles out there to accommodate this.

If a scope's knob is just marked in quarter minutes or whatever, then I can see why one would always hold for wind. Those with scopes that have knobs marked for zero might sometimes want to dial it in for more precision, otherwise it's MUCH faster to hold for wind.

When I do use the knob, though, I run the risk of forgetting to readjust for each shot as needed.

 

[One-Eyed Jack]

It's "standard" to use the windage knob to zero a rifle and then hold for the wind. Putting the turret on the right side keeps it out of sight for right handed shooters, so your view is not obstructed. However, that's also a great spot for us lefties!

 

[Shoalwater]

For me I sight in wind and then leave it alone. I will hold for wind when shooting. But I am always fiddling with the parallax when switching distances. So the traditional setup works great for me.

^^^^^
This is what I do as well

 

[McCrazy]

As I said earlier I hold for winds at times too; especially when it is gusting. It is much faster than trying to dial and have the wind change as you are wasting time dialing. That is not the point though. The point is if you are dialing for whatever reason why not have the dial on the left so it is within sight of right-handed shooters?

I adjust parallax based off what I see in the scope so I have no need to actually see the parallax dial. Windage would be far more useful to actually see and monitor.

M40_A1 has brought up the only reason so far to have the windage on the right side and that is so your support hand can dial it regardless of the position used.

 

[Lowlight]

I spoke to Kahles when I was in Austria.

Because they have the parallax under the elevation adjustment as opposed to on the side, I felt moving the illumination to the right and the windage to the left would be more intuitive. (I was not the only person to have this idea)

Parallax should be the priority and it's not a point of "seeing" the dial, as much as using the support hand to adjust with. Most rifles are set up for right handed shooters, the support hand should be doing the majority of the work, which is why you want the most important adjustments made with it. So moving the windage when you the parallax under the elevation makes sense.

Windage can be dialed, most scopes are locking or capping the windage now because it is not used that often. (Tactical shooting, not target_) The dynamic shooter is not dialing windage as much as a target shooter might. Time and opportunity are a premium so holding is a much better option for this type of shooting.

But, the caveat is, distance should give you time and opportunity allowing you to move the strike closer to the center of the crosshair. So with tactical shooters reaching out further the need to dial in some windage increases.

I don't think it should be on every scope, I think parallax is more important, but on a scope like the Kahles K624i I think it is smart. USO also has scopes were the parallax is not on the left so they can also move in that direction as they have done.

 

[excaliber]

When shooting xtreme long distance, beyond a mile, you will for sure use windage knob, not just reticle.

 

[wilecoyote]

LEFTY's REVENGE !

 

[Tahoe333]

I love having the windage on the left and illum on the right. I would prefer to have parallax on the rear.

 

[unreconstructed]

For me I sight in wind and then leave it alone. I will hold for wind when shooting. But I am always fiddling with the parallax when switching distances. So the traditional setup works great for me.

YEP. I hold wind and would prefer windage to be capped.

 

[McCrazy]

The Kahles set-up for parallax definitely favors being able to put the windage knob in a more user-friendly location.

It is good that you brought this up to them LL but what was their response if any on the matter?

 

[M40_A1]

"User-friendly" is debatable. IMO, ideal would be to have the knob on the right (have to manipulate the bolt anyway), but some type of index or indicator coming through the scope out the left side for viewing. Maybe even better yet, some simple indicator in the field of view itself.

 

[FLIGHT762]

It's "standard" to use the windage knob to zero a rifle and then hold for the wind. Putting the turret on the right side keeps it out of sight for right handed shooters, so your view is not obstructed. However, that's also a great spot for us lefties!

LEFTY's REVENGE !

Finally, us lefties have a product that suits us left handed, right brained shooters.