Most well informed Vortex Viper Gen II PST RZR zero stop video and instructions even six years later for those of us who are excited to zero and then read instructions later. Saved a ton of time and ammo. Great work!
So, the first time I watched this (before zeroing the scope) I didn’t understand what was going on with the second method. Having just returned from the range (from zeroing) I could not figure out why my stop was off by about “12 clicks” (3 MOA) until I watched this again. If your reading this, 4 years later, a big freakin thanks to you for this informative video.
Thank you for showing us this!. I was not sure how the zero stop actually works so I didn't know how to address the problem you addressed in the "second method." Thank you for making a video showing us exactly how it works!
Exactly what I was looking for. Took my late father in laws 7mm Rem Mag to the range, got it dialed in, then realized the whole zero stop thing after. Thought I might have to start from scratch, but was thinking through the process and this video just confirmed what I thought should be an easy adjustment. Will get on the range soon to try it out, but I don't see why it won't be right where I left it.
Thank you for this! I am one of the idiots that sighted in my rifle without following the first method, so I'll not be going and doing the second method. I was thinking I could do it that way but I'm glad to see that it will work before I start turning dials.
Good video. I am ordering the 5-25x50 tomorrow. I thought I had an idea how to set it up after reading how. (I did) but a video is always easier to follow. Thanks for posting
Ah, Well here I am, apparently 6 years later from when this video was 1st posted. I ended up in scenario #2. Apparently I did not read, (hey I'm a guy, who thinks he doesn't need to fully read instructions), to make sure I started at the zero stop when I sighted in. I just assumed because the scope was set at the zero mark on the outer caps I was at zero and zero stop and I just went to normal sight in procedures. Not so with the zero stop, thus I had scenario #2 and my zero stop was not set correctly. Thanks for your explanation, it was very helpful. I gotta get better at fully reading the instructions first, before assuming I know what I am doing. Oh well live and learn.
Thanks for showing both methods I'm that knuckle head that didn look at the book and went out and sighted in thinking I'd set my zero stop later at home 😂
Yes, or zero at a hundred yards, the thing to remember is that the further our means a difference in higher groupings, because of bullet drop. Let's remember that the bullet doesn't start dropping significantly until about 120 yards out on a 168 grain bullet... 7mm and 6.5 CM have lighter bullets than the 308.
I understand the process for it, but hate the fact that you can't line it up on the bottom rotation to know where you are at in the position side of it.
That second method is money. I was way to impatient trying this scope out on a rifle and way to short on time and trust to zero down the elevation turret initially lol
I have the pst gen2 in moa but can't seem to get the zero stop perfectly on my zero. Still goes 9 clicks or almost 2moa past zero. I did remove cap, checked where my zero was. Turned back to zero, loosened screws and took it to my zero and tightened
I think your second step is to turn the tour it all the way down before you zeroed in then you tighten the zero stop zero stop screws then you put your turn on zero but you don’t just zero then you have to start with your zero turn it all the way down
What is the procedure for adjusting the windage crosshair? I don't understand why there are all these videos on RU-vid that illustrate how to sight in a PST Gen II as to elevation, but none that I can find that go on and also illustrate how to site it in as to windage. Do you just externally use the windage knob on the right-hand side of the scope to dial the windage to where it needs to be, then take that cap off and put it back on in the position to show it as zero?? Here is all the Vortex manual says about it for a Viper PST Gen II: "6. Using the inner turret scale for elevation reference, make windage and elevation adjustments until the reticle crosshair is aligned with the adjustment pattern, target or laser dot." That appears in a paragraph that is referring to the elevation turret on top of the scope, and it implies that windage adjustments are made in the elevation turret on top of the scope.
Elevation doesn’t change. Windage does. Technically it is always zeroed. You adjust until it is centered then loosen and set the adjustment knob to 0. But remember you still leave the gap for left wind adjustments. It’s a lot simpler then elevation
Thanks a lot for this insightful video! Am I understanding the mechanics correctly: this system allows you to set your zero WITHOUT click value/step restrictions? By disengaging the zero stop that also contains the ratchet system you are able to finetune your zero indefinitely precise? (or as precise as you physically/practically can make adjustments to the turret with disengaged ratchet)
ya took me a min all the screws do on the zero stop do is disengage the zero stop. makes perfect sense now esp bottoming it b4 you zero all your doing is taking the zero dtop out of the equation once zeroed then you tighten the set screws and zero stop is engaged at your zero. its way to easy to over think
In the video he used 19 as his zero stop and 7 as his zero. Already knowing that 7 is his zero, he went to the zero stop, loosened and adjusted to 7. Then retightened. That makes his zero on 0. Reason being is when he retightened it, he did not re zero it. It is still on the zero stop. Therefore going to 0 makes it zeroed.
I'm still confused, what is the point of the lower dial with the scale? What does that even tell you? Is that the position of the reticle in it's up/down travel? Does it screw up or down on the turret when you loosen the set screws? I don't have one of these scopes, I have the gen 1 with shims. I just watched out of curiosity.
My scope is already zeroed but I didn’t do this method. Hypothetically, can I just take cap off, write down my zero number on the dial, rotate until I hit the stop, unscrew, then dial back to the number written down and lock down?
With the second method, it seems alot "higher" than the first method. Is that nornal? Does that mean you lose range since its already drawn out so far and putti g you closer to the max that you can turn it? Or am i not understanding it right?
Great Video !!! So I Just laser sighted my rifle at about 50 Yards (Neighbor house, LOL) I had to come up like 40 moa and now have the 3rd line up from zero on the Inner turret. Now when I put on my outer turret on it shows the 3rd line up since I went up 40 moa. It drives me crazy seeing the 3 line or 75 moa line instead of the true zero. Is there any way to make that inner Turret back to zero?
In the video he used 19 as his zero stop and 7 as his zero. Already knowing that 7 is his zero, he went to the zero stop, loosened and adjusted to 7. Then retightened. That makes his zero on 0. Reason being is when he retightened it, he did not re zero it. It is still on the zero stop. Therefore going to 0 makes it zeroed.
Confused on the second method. Scope is already sighted in (5.1) is my 100yd zero on the inner turret mark, so when I turn that turret to the zero stop say (21) I am loosing my zero, even if I then loosen the inner turret screws and set it to 5.1. I actually moved the zero when I set back the zero stop the amount from 5.1 to 21 wouldn't I?
@@HuntinTheWest So you are saying that when you turn the turret that is engaged back to the zero stop, (5:50 in the video) I won't change my point of impact from my 100yd zero and I won't have to re-sightin my rifle.
5joefive5 5joefive5 for the second method what you’re referring to. Take the top cap off. Remember what the inner turret number is line up at on the center line. Then dial the inner turret down to the zero stop. Now loosen the inner set screws and move the turret back to that number you memorized then tighten the screws and put the top turret cap back on. Zero stays the same and now the stop is set.
So if you zeroed at 200 yards and set your zero stop and wanted to shoot targets at 100 yards, you could not dial that adjustment in, right? You can only move it up in this approach. Am I thinking about that right ?
That’s right. But if you want to be able to dial down just give yourself a couple MOA on the zero stop. So maybe the zero is at 24 or 23 instead of right at 0.
I am a pic rail guy. I have had too many problems with other setups. I would do a Murphy Precision rail with Seekins or Nightforce rings or Hawkins direct mounts.
70 MOA is total elevation adjustment. Most scopes, if not all, come centered in the travel. If you run a 20 moa(or more) you will get farther away from the center travel and get more travel to actually dial. A good average in this scope with a 20 moa rail would allow around 55 moa is actual up dialing.
Ryan Furman Thank you. That’s what I thought but wasn’t sure so I thought I’d ask. I see in the nightforce they have that clutch system that adjusts when you zero it. Is that so you can get full 120 mins out of the scope or are you still only going to get half plus your rail?
PLEASE HELP IF POSSIBLE I PURCHASED A VIPER PST USED NO BOX NO MANUAL AFTER THINKING I HAD ZEROED IT AND BEFORE WATCHING ANY VIDEOS I KNEW I HAD TO REMOVE THE TURRET CAPS AND ROTATE THEM AND ON THE UP/DOWN TURRET I REMOVED THE 2 ALLEN HEAD SCREWS IN THE TOP FROM THE 2ND TURRET THE ONE YOU CALL THE ZERO STOP THINKING I NEED TO ROTATE IT UPON DOING SO I THOUGHT I HEARD SOMETHING FALL OUT NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING ON THE FLOOR ANYWHERE I PUT IT BACK TOGETHER NOW IT DOES NOT STAY IN PLACE IT ROTATES FREELY NOT CLICKING AND NOT MOVING IN 1/4 CLICKS IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MAY HAVE LOST OR WHAT I AM DOING WRONG OR KNOW WHERE I CAN GET A PARTS BREAKDOWN YES I COULD SEND IT TO VORTEX TO BE REPAIRED BUT I TRULY BELIEVE I LOST SOME THAT I CAN PUT BACK TO MAKE IT WORK AGAIN IF ANY ONE READS OR KNOWS HOW TO FIX THIS YOUR HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED
HuntinTheWest ...So I zeroed my rifle today and set my zero stop but now my max elevation is only 9.6 Mils. The optic has a 20 MRAD max elevation. I have a 20 MOA base. Am I doing something wrong?
HuntinTheWest So funny story about that....I started looking all around and troubleshooting and I thought my base looked strange. The rifle is supposed to come from the factory with a 20 MOA base. Nope, I measured both ends, put a level on it and sure enough it’s a zero MOA base. I called Savage and they’re sending me out the correct 20 MOA base next week. No markings on it anywhere, kinda hard to tell.
I’ve done it both ways. They both accomplish the same thing. The amount of elevation travel you have is strictly determined by were your particular load shoots in your setup. You don’t get to pick where that is.
In the second scenario, if I rotate the turret to the zero stop, then loosen the screws to rotate the turret to my zero, won't my zero be off since I rotated the turret to find the zero stop?
In the video he used 19 as his zero stop and 7 as his zero. Already knowing that 7 is his zero, he went to the zero stop, loosened and adjusted to 7. Then retightened. That makes his zero on 0. Reason being is when he retightened it, he did not re zero it. It is still on the zero stop. Therefore going to 0 makes it zeroed.
So you basically zero your rifle (ex:200yrd) the zero is at some random number, loosen it, pull off the outer turret and put it to 0?, so now everytime you at 0 it's for 200yrd range (sorry bad english)
Muhammad Naufal zero the rifle. Pull the outer cap off. Note the indication on the secondary turret. Turn the secondary turret to the stop. Loosen the secondary turret. Turn the secondary turret to the number noted earlier. Tighten the secondary turret. Install outer turret at the zero mark. Tighten outer turret.
Had a hard time following your instructions. Screw turret cap all the way down. Take off turret cap, loosen 3 screws on zero stop adjustment and site in rifle? Then tighten 3 screws on zero stop, then put turret cap back on and tighten screws??
They are very good. I would say on par with the turrets on the Nightforce NXS. I do not believe the detents between clicks are as solid as the Gen I and am sure it is not solid as my Sightron SIIIs. Overall they are awesome. I love the 25MOA per rev. The zero stop is awesome. It is still too early to tell but this may take over my Sightron due to the extra features. I am not sure if you saw it but I have an initial impressions video. Thanks for watching.
foxracing16 so you can’t go any lover then the zero stop? If I were to zero for a new type of ammo that hits higher I would have to repeat the process?
Nick Rewal correct. But once you find the correct load. No reason to switch it up. When testing a new ammo. It should still hit paper close enough. Obviously you will rule out the load by consistency and grouping before you adjust for every trial load. Once you find your load. Set it and forget it. If you’re shooting box ammo or changing something up for whatever reason. Just use your mil dots
I guess I'm a little confused. so I mount my scope loosen the zero stop screws. put the regular turret back on. sight it in. take the regular turret off. tighten the zero stop screws and then install regular cap back on and I'm good to go?
Ok so I screwed up, I didn’t make sure the turret was stopped at zero before I zeroed my scope in, the outer turret is zeroed in at 15, I should be able to take the top turret off and set it to 15, tighten down the set screws and then put my top turret back on reading zero correct?
With the scope on actual zero take the outer turret off. Write down the number on the “zero” mark on the secondary turret. Turn the turret to the zero stop. Loosen the three screws. Turn the turret to the number you wrote down. Tighten the three screws. Place the outer turret back on zero. Tighten the outer turret screws. The video shows this exact scenario.
It is overly complicated but easy to set if you’d just pay attention. If the zero stop was at zero then you could put it on a rifle and do nothing. Does that even seem possible? The numbers on the zero turret are strictly for measuring how much you need to adjust to get it to were the stop is set.
Tester38 Zero stop is exactly what it says. You set the zero stop at your rifles zero so you can always return to zero without wondering if you’ve gone too far. When set properly you can not rotate below zero.
The top cap will show zero when installed after doing this. The bottom ring may or may not. The three set screw disengage the clicks, but turning the dial still adjust the scope.
I don’t disagree with that. Which is why it was my first explanation. It’s been awhile so I watched my video again to make sure. In any case the procedure you typed is probably easiest for most especially if the rifle is already shooting the way the owner wants and they are just mounting a new Vortex on it.
My Vortex did the same thing (5 clicks past zero) after locking it. However, I repeated your procedure again and it solved the 5 clicks past zero. My opinion (my case anyway), you don't have to send your optic back.
I tell ya what....I really don’t think you can beat that scope for the money. There’s no way. Matter of fact i like the pst gen II scopes better than my nightforce nxs I owned
Too each their own but this scope is not in the same league as the NXS. Just wait until the scope breaks on the hunt of a lifetime. I’ll stick with a better scope.
I understand why there is a zero stop but I’m so confused by how to do it. Even after reading and seeing how it’s done it still confuses me. Maybe I’m just overthinking it or maybe I’m just an idiot.
+john webb I’m not sure how to clarify. The turret under the main turret is the zero stop. It is impossible for a scope company to set it for your rifle from the factory.
HuntinTheWest No I get that, but didn't you say that you can loosen up the screws and move the bottom turret? If you loosen the bottom turret it disconnects the turret. So if you could do that than why not just put the turret at 0. So you'd zero the rifle take the top turret off, unscrew the bottom turret set the zero stop and set it to 0 and then put your top turret back on and set that to 0.
I really think if you would watch the video you would understand. Loosening the secondary turret only disconnects the reticle from the zero stop. The secondary turret is always attached to the reticle. The numbers on the secondary turret really only help you move the reticle the correct amount. Do you have the scope?
Marine here as well. The 36 yard BZO is to make things simple. Center of the crosshair works from 0 - 300 yards, within 4-8 inches up/down (also known as MPBR). It's not precise, but works because if we aim for the chest within those ranges we can expect a hit. For precision you need an exact zero. I sight in at 100 yards, i'm good at 100 yards. With adjustments MOA/MIL to compensate for elevation. A 200 yard zero allows distance shooters more elevation on a given scope, assuming you don't really care about absolute accuracy under 200. It's also quicker to adjust the knobs for say a 500 yard shot, but that's not a terribly big deal I suppose. Otherwise, for precision once again, you would have to create your DOPE tables off of the 36 yard zero which wouldn't be very effective! Hope this makes sense.
By far the worst zero stop I’ve ever seen. Spend the extra coin on a Mk5HD. PSTs are nowhere near the competition and have scarred me from even trying a Razor. I bought a Zero Comp and a MK5HD for gas guns and never looked back.
80% of scopes wont return to zero even if it says it will, only very high end scopes track correctly and although the price of a lot of scopes reflect quality but only the glass your looking through is decent, the interior components must preform as good as the glass but most will not, vortex is in the same class as Nikon and some of the other low to mid range scopes if you want a scope that will take punishment and be a true battle component it's not going to happen with a vortex or most of the civilian scopes on the market they are to delicate for real world conditions , If you want one of those you will have to pay and not 7 or 8 hundred dollars but above the 2 thousand dollar amount will get you something that is worth it's salt and not something that gets taken out of a hard case and sits on a bag all of it's life, I call all this type of glass don't drop me glass because if you do it's going back to the factory not on to the range or out to the field, they make scopes that can take about anything you dish out it's just not cheap enough for the average person to buy, If your just going to the range you can get by with most any decent piece of glass but if you want to take it into the field or off to battle save your penny's it's going to cost ya, I think everyone knows what that glass is they just can't bring themselves to spend 3 times more than what the gun cost to mount it on top of it,
I'm not sure where you're going with your comment but my Sightrons track and, unfortunately, have been through some rough situations but they still held zero. The Gen II PST tracks great but still has some proving to do in the durability department. Nothing Nikon makes in a rifle scope is something I would consider for a long range hunting scope.
my comment is not going anywhere, I'm clearly not here to sell a scope, I'm simply letting people know if they are going to be cranking on a scope and want consistent tracking and want a durable piece of equipment they need not waist their money on hype, talk or advertisement, it's simply a matter of fact, nothing more, If you like Sightron equipment and it works for your application , That's great, I wouldn't know because I haven't owned one and I probably never will, Because the glass I do have will last 2 lifetimes if it doesn't fall out of an aircraft at 25000 feet.
MAD DOG Well, my Gen 1 Vortex PST and Bushnell ERS both return to zero spot on. The Gen 1 PST zero stop sucks, but the turret tracks back to zero with infallible reliability thus far. And the Bushnell ERS is a beast and I don't think it will ever become inaccurate.
Well Jason my post is not intended to make you feel like you have a inferior piece of glass , I'm simply stating as my post says if you want a scope that tracks precisely even if you have dragged it through the field under the trees and through the mud the blood and the beer, your going to need a tough piece of equipment, not saying your Vortex will not do that, but as far as that type of glass doing it over and over repeatedly with out failure is in my opinion slim. It might but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it, any glass can fail Jason don't get me wrong it's just that some glass is made to take abuse and keep on preforming and others are not, I don't mean to offend anyone just trying to say, hey if that's what you are planning on doing don't waist you money going through a bunch of scopes to find out you only needed one,
