Rifle Scopes Tangent Theta AIF (locking turrets) explained

[Glassaholic]

TT just released this video explaining their AIF turrets (Auto Isolating Feature, their fancy terminology for locking turrets). I get the free spinning sleeve, but a couple comments, the 5-25 with AIF appears that you can still see the lower turret numbers (still wish TT would print BIG numbers on their BIG turrets!) when the sleeve is locked; however, on the 315 hunter the sleeve entirely covers the turret numbers which is a no go for me. The AIF turret option is still a toolless turret on the Professional series scope, only the 3-15 Hunter AIF turret is non-toolless.

The feature is available on new 5-25 and 3-15 Professional series scopes and is also a retrofit option if you own these scopes.

 

[Baron23]

TT just released this video explaining their AIF turrets (Auto Isolating Feature, their fancy terminology for locking turrets). I get the free spinning sleeve, but a couple comments, the 5-25 with AIF appears that you can still see the lower turret numbers (still wish TT would print BIG numbers on their BIG turrets!) when the sleeve is locked; however, on the 315 hunter the sleeve entirely covers the turret numbers which is a no go for me. The AIF turret option is still a toolless turret on the Professional series scope, only the 3-15 Hunter AIF turret is non-toolless.

The feature is available on new 5-25 and 3-15 Professional series scopes and is also a retrofit option if you own these scopes.

Sort of wondering why anyone would care that the outside cap would "spin freely" when in the locked (down) position??

 

[Glassaholic]

Sort of wondering why anyone would care that the outside cap would "spin freely" when in the locked (down) position??

Like they said in the video, if you bump against a barricade the free spinning cap will just spin and not move turret position. But I had another thought, I bet you can ask TT to only retrofit the windage cap with AIF and leave elevation alone, now that might be something I'd be more interested in if I even wanted to go this route. I find TT turrets to be among the best in the biz and don't see a huge need for locking with their design.

 

[Baron23]

if you bump against a barricade the free spinning cap will just spin and not move turret position.

Well yeah...but so will a any locking turret that doesn't free spin when locked.....like the ZCO, right?

Cheers and thanks for the reply

 

[Glassaholic]

Well yeah...but so will a any locking turret that doesn't free spin when locked.....like the ZCO, right?

Cheers and thanks for the reply

Correct. Maybe TT felt if there was contact with a solid object maybe there is less possibility for damage this way? I am not a fan of push/pull locking mechanisms and much prefer the Schmidt DT II+ or March Shuriken if I want/need lock.

 

[carbonbased]

Yeah, the spinning thing is a bit of a head scratcher.

Another head scratcher is the MC of the video. The dude’s accent seems all over the place lol. I’m not expert in UK accents, but the fellow does seem to have caught a bit of an American sound.

 

[TheOE800]

Another head scratcher is the MC of the video. The dude’s accent seems all over the place lol. I’m not expert in UK accents, but the fellow does seem to have caught a bit of an American sound.

David’s a Brit living in Newfoundland for who knows how long, he’s gonna sound funny.

 

[Glassaholic]

I thought he was Scottish, definitely didnt sound Canadian

 

[TheOE800]

I thought he was Scottish, definitely didnt sound Canadian

British Isles* fuck if I know which one.

 

[FourT6and2]

Seems to me the spinning design is as y'all said: if you knock the scope against something, the turret spins freely to avoid any damage. If it were fixed, maybe there's a possibility of transferring more force to the mechanism? That's my guess anyway. It's basically like a car's crumble zone.

That said, I have absolutely zero need for locking turrets. Do people actually have a problem with bumping the turrets around during a shooting competition or while hunting?

 

[Secant]

Seems to me the spinning design is as y'all said: if you knock the scope against something, the turret spins freely to avoid any damage. If it were fixed, maybe there's a possibility of transferring more force to the mechanism? That's my guess anyway. It's basically like a car's crumble zone.

That said, I have absolutely zero need for locking turrets. Do people actually have a problem with bumping the turrets around during a shooting competition or while hunting?

No. My tangent has ridden around on my backpack while hunting for a few seasons. Bounces on my truck’s floorboards for most of the year. I have zero concern about turret movement.

 

[carbonbased]

Do people actually have a problem with bumping the turrets around during a shooting competition or while hunting?

It’s happened to me once on a PST II in a stupid fashion. Taking it out of a tightly-packed rifle case is what I think spun the elevation turret.

I think those Roksliders tend to have it happen more as some of them seem to literally crawl their entire time hunting through rose bushes, prickly pear cacti, and briar patches lol. Obviously, it seems the windage turret is more affected.

It’s definitely a thing, along with actions popping open that don’t lock shut when on safe. That one hasn’t happened to me, but I don’t hunt at rokslide-level 11.

 

[koshkin]

Correct. Maybe TT felt if there was contact with a solid object maybe there is less possibility for damage this way? I am not a fan of push/pull locking mechanisms and much prefer the Schmidt DT II+ or March Shuriken if I want/need lock.

With push-pull turrets, you always have to leave a little clearance for the turret to engage/disengage. That's why several companies offer a non-locking turret as an option and they usually have better feel. I suspect TT chose the free-spinning collar in order to avoid compromising the feel of the clicks.

 

[FourT6and2]

THE CLICKS! THE CLIIIIIICKS!

 

[Tokay444]

Well yeah...but so will a any locking turret that doesn't free spin when locked.....like the ZCO, right?

Cheers and thanks for the reply

Something free to rotate should offer less resistance than something locked in place, in the event that it occupies the same space as something else that isn’t moving.