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Rifle Scopes Tall Scope Turrets?

al22300

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 10, 2010
133
165
48
Oklahoma
Which crowd is asking for tall scope turrets? I think they get taller with each new scope release. Even Nightforce's new models look taller than before and I thought they were appreciated for nice clean lines on their designs.

I am 6'2" with XL hands and even with gloves on see no reason for anything taller than the original NXS turret. Look at the Vortex Razor and many others......pretty extreme in my book. I know several shooters that won't buy certain models for that reason alone.

Competition shooters maybe? What am I missing?

Just an honest question.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

I'm missing the point, too. I've always preferred low profile turrets. The turrets on the March 3-24x42 scopes are about perfect, in my opinion.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

i agree some of these "target" turrets are getting a little too big to be practical
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Temp9</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm missing the point, too. I've always preferred low profile turrets. The turrets on the March 3-24x42 scopes are about perfect, in my opinion. </div></div>

Those look nice.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

Love the turrets on my 2 March scopes and especially the novel zero stop and ease of use. I really wonder what these other companies are thinking.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

I've always wondered the same thing about turret height. I love the ones on Leupold's M2 & M3 models, but the knobs on their M1's are obtrusive enough to have kept me from seriously looking at said models of scopes.
The ones on the US Optics scopes I've seen are tall, but not excessively so, even when covered with their caps. And the EREK knobs are bitchin.
It's not as if it's rocket science to design lower profile ones, so I'm left scratching my head too. And I question the idea that they need to be real tall for visibility issues. Ever dial your dope in shitty lighting conditions or after dark?
With zero stops, & reasonable increments per click, Ray Charles wouldn't have any trouble dialing in the right solution.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: al22300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Which crowd is asking for tall scope turrets?</div></div>

Same here, not trying to be a douche, but whats the deal?

Seriously, Im curious about this as well. Who asked for the 55gallon turrets on the otherwise amazing Razor 5-20?

I can understand width, because they can fit more and make them more tactile. . .but why a full inch tall or more?
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

Personally I have never really cared. I have never found myself going: Damn I wish I didnt have that turret there it is exactly where I am trying to look.

My guess is the design might have more to do with the internal adjustment of the scopes. The Vortex Razor offers 30 mils of internal travel while the Erek turret offers around 23. This is purely speculation I am not a scope designer but just something to think about.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

I'd rather have wide than tall. I really like the turrets on the Premiers. I like being able to grab a handful and with the stiffness of those turrets and the positive clicks I don't worry about mis-dialing. The MTC helps a lot with my style of dialing, I understand it's not for everybody but it works for me. Tall turrets just feel awkward to me, they feel like they're screwing with my manual dexterity and I have to concentrate more on what I'm doing.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: al22300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Which crowd is asking for tall scope turrets?</div></div>
The crowd that asks for more and more features being crammed into the turrets, while at the same time maintaining mechanical quality and a competitive price point.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: David S.</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: al22300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Which crowd is asking for tall scope turrets?</div></div>
The crowd that asks for more and more features being crammed into the turrets, while at the same time maintaining mechanical quality and a competitive price point. </div></div>

David, I know you are very knowledgeable about scope design. So you are telling me that in some cases these turrets are packed full of internal parts for certain features.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: UNCIVILIZED</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I've always wondered the same thing about turret height. I love the ones on Leupold's M2 & M3 models, but the knobs on their M1's are obtrusive enough to have kept me from seriously looking at said models of scopes.
The ones on the US Optics scopes I've seen are tall, but not excessively so, even when covered with their caps. And the EREK knobs are bitchin.
</div></div>

I have a Mark 4 with M1 knobs....don't like them. I would love to have a Leupold with the TMR reticle and mill adjusted turrets with the same profile as the M2's and M3's. I agree on the EREK.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

From what I understand, how much range of elevation & windage there is is controlled by the internal gearing inside of the scope's maintube. So more or less, the knobs are simply something for the user to hang onto.

I mean, look at say a Leupold VX-III. The knobs are what, like 1/4" high, & they dial through a good range of elevation & windage. It's just that they're not the easiest to grab onto & use for adjustments in the field as are the knobs on a tactical scope. But they're even resettable for zero.
Some brands of hunting scopes have their adjustments set up similarly, & are even waterproof with the scope covers off. Odds are they're not quite as durable or weather resistant as a $2-3k tactical scope, but...
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nly205</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: al22300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Which crowd is asking for tall scope turrets?</div></div>

Seriously, Im curious about this as well. Who asked for the 55gallon turrets on the otherwise amazing Razor 5-20?

I can understand width, because they can fit more and make them more tactile. . .but why a full inch tall or more? </div></div>

I would like to know the same. I don't know anyone that has a problem with wide turrets. I am not an engineer but don't wide turrets solve the problem that 10 mil turrets have with tight spacing?
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: al22300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So you are telling me that in some cases these turrets are packed full of internal parts for certain features.</div></div>
I'd say in almost all cases where people are complaining about the size, yes.

The bigger part of the design time of the mechanics of a scope isn't spent on coming up with a mechanism that performs the desired functions, it's making the damn thing small and light enough so that the target audience will actually buy it.

A "hunting" style turret for sighting in the scope has no features at all except for maybe a scale that can be set to zero. That is the most simple design, and it is also the smallest by far. Depending on the basic design of the turret, a zero stop can be added almost without size/weight penalty, or you need a fairly complicated contraption. Now the catch is that the design that makes it easy to add a zero stop will require a sophisticated mechanism to allow the turret to go beyond one revolution, and indicate that to the shooter. So you can choose wheter you want an easy zero stop, or easy multiturn capability, but you can't have both at the same time.

Now add more tactile clicks every full mrad, locking turrets, tool-less re-zero or even something like the NF +0.1 mrad lever, and shit gets taller, fatter and generally a much bigger pain to design and manufacture. Maybe downsizing the mechanism would be possible, but this would require more expensive parts, or would cause too many problems with durability and/or ease of use. It's all a multi-dimensional tradeoff, and in the end there's always someone who just looks at the thing and says <span style="font-style: italic">"Why didn't you make that smaller/lighter/cheaper/with integrated automatic blowjobs?"</span>

This doesn't mean that all compromises that different manufacturers have arrived at are equally well thought out, but chances are they aren't completely random.

Elevation range of the scope doesn't have much of an impact on the necessary size of the turret, but most modern scopes with huge elevation range tend to have more features especially in the elevation turret (zero stop and/or multiturn function), which is therefore oftentimes taller than the windage turret.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: David S.</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: al22300</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So you are telling me that in some cases these turrets are packed full of internal parts for certain features.</div></div>
I'd say in almost all cases where people are complaining about the size, yes.

The bigger part of the design time of the mechanics of a scope isn't spent on coming up with a mechanism that performs the desired functions, it's making the damn thing small and light enough so that the target audience will actually buy it.

A "hunting" style turret for sighting in the scope has no features at all except for maybe a scale that can be set to zero. That is the most simple design, and it is also the smallest by far. Depending on the basic design of the turret, a zero stop can be added almost without size/weight penalty, or you need a fairly complicated contraption. Now the catch is that the design that makes it easy to add a zero stop will require a sophisticated mechanism to allow the turret to go beyond one revolution, and indicate that to the shooter. So you can choose wheter you want an easy zero stop, or easy multiturn capability, but you can't have both at the same time.

Now add more tactile clicks every full mrad, locking turrets, tool-less re-zero or even something like the NF +0.1 mrad lever, and shit gets taller, fatter and generally a much bigger pain to design and manufacture. Maybe downsizing the mechanism would be possible, but this would require more expensive parts, or would cause too many problems with durability and/or ease of use. It's all a multi-dimensional tradeoff, and in the end there's always someone who just looks at the thing and says <span style="font-style: italic">"Why didn't you make that smaller/lighter/cheaper/with integrated automatic blowjobs?"</span>

This doesn't mean that all compromises that different manufacturers have arrived at are equally well thought out, but chances are they aren't completely random.

Elevation range of the scope doesn't have much of an impact on the necessary size of the turret, but most modern scopes with huge elevation range tend to have more features especially in the elevation turret (zero stop and/or multiturn function), which is therefore oftentimes taller than the windage turret. </div></div>

Well it is good to know that there is a purpose for all that height other than some dude thinking hey that looks super cool man let's throw that on there
smile.gif
As for me, when I can, I will support those that manage to keep the profile of their scopes reasonable. I sure would like to try the razor though......
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

I'm genuinely curious, what features & mechanisims are supposedly packed inside of these tall, large turrets? Again I come back to the EREK & a few other companies which produce semi-similar elevation turret designs.

Not that I've had it happen, but when I see super tall turrets on a rig, I can't help but see how far they protrude above the rifle. And what goes through my mind is how easy it would be to accidentally, really smack a large knob against something. Ouch!
I don't purposefully beat on gear & things which I own, but I do make'em earn their keep. So durability, & ease of maintnance are always issues which run through my mind when I'm thinking on buying something.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

I agree the turret sizes are getting out of hand, pun intended!
grin.gif
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

Uncivilized, you keep referring to USO's like they are small. Sure, the EREK knob is short, but the turret housing is enormous. Spuhr had to come out with a new model just to be able to fit it. Not to mention the 5-25 TPAL is as big as a major league Louisville Slugger. Honestly, and this is just my personal preference, but I would rather have a smaller scope with tall turrets than a baseball bat with shorter turrets. I know, there are smaller models, but the turret housing is still huge with any EREK.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jeeprider</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I agree the turret sizes are getting out of hand, pun intended!
grin.gif
</div></div>

If these turrets get much taller they can always integrate the periscope feature. You could maintain the proper cheek weld and not lose any sense of your surroundings.
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

Its good to know that my two rifles, 338LM , 260 get the shit beat out of them. Mud dirt rain and snow below zero to 100+ both with Vortex Razors. Used and abused versus some of the closet shooting club guns that you swear they are as fragile as glass the way the operator handles their guns. Anyhow no problems with the turrets or Razors period, built solid to take the abuse and perform when depended on.


oneshot.onehit
 
Re: Tall Scope Turrets?

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

The standard NXS and the ones on the compact NXS scopes seem like the perfect sizes for anything I'd ever want from a scope.
 
For me I want the tallest turret I can find. For me I put a Custom label on them and the taller the better because I can ad more rows of moa numbers. The older I get the harder it is to remember we’re i am at on the moa number. I wish I could buy a scope that had moa numbers printed 1 through max range. No more counting and remembering we’re Your at. My 2nd wish would be more scopes that had 50 to 75 moa of up travel. Just me. Marty