How to Adjust a Rifle Scope (2026)
Your group is landing low and to the left, the rifle is steady, and now you need to make the scope agree with where the bullets are actually going. The turrets do that — but only if you know which one moves what, and which way to turn it. You adjust a rifle scope with two turrets: elevation on top moves your point of impact up and down, and windage on the side moves it left and right, each by a set amount per click. Turn them toward the direction you want the bullet to go, then fire again to confirm.
Key takeaways
- Two turrets do the work: elevation (top) controls vertical impact, windage (side) controls horizontal impact.
- Each click moves your impact a set amount — commonly a quarter MOA (about 0.26 inch at 100 yards) or a tenth of a mil (about 0.36 inch). Accufire's scopes use 0.1-mil clicks.
- Turn the turret toward where you want the bullet to move: the convention is dial UP to raise impact and R to move it right.
- Two more adjustments are not turrets: the eyepiece focuses the reticle, and the parallax/side-focus dial focuses the target.
The two turrets and their click values
Every variable scope has an elevation turret on top and a windage turret on the side. Elevation moves your point of impact vertically; windage moves it horizontally. Each click of the turret moves the impact a fixed angular amount, and the two common standards are a quarter MOA — roughly a quarter inch at 100 yards — and a tenth of a mil, roughly 0.36 inch at 100 yards. Match your turret's units to your reticle's units so a hold you read in the reticle dials cleanly; our breakdown of MOA vs MRAD covers that pairing.
Which way to turn it
Turn the turret toward the direction you want the point of impact to move. Most turrets are marked with arrows or letters: the standard convention is to dial in the UP direction to raise your impact and the R direction to move it right, and to reverse each to drop the impact or move it left. If your group is low and left, you would add elevation (UP) to raise it and windage (R) to bring it right. Count your clicks, and remember that the markings refer to where the bullet goes, not where the reticle appears to move.
Adjusting to your zero
Putting it together is a short loop. Fire a group from a stable rest at a known distance, then measure how far the group's center sits from your aiming point. Convert that distance to your turret's units — at 100 yards, one inch is about 1 MOA or roughly 0.28 mil — and dial that many clicks in the correct direction. Fire another group to confirm, and fine-tune. For the full zeroing process step by step, see our guide on how to zero a rifle scope.
The two adjustments that are not turrets
Before you chase the turrets, make sure two other adjustments are set. The eyepiece, or diopter ring, focuses the reticle to your eye — set it once against a plain background until the crosshair is crisp. The parallax adjustment, often a side-focus turret, focuses the target onto the same plane as the reticle so the reticle does not appear to drift when your head moves; our guide to scope parallax walks through it. If either is off, you can mistake a focus problem for a zero problem.
| Turret | Controls | Typical click value | To move impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation (top) | Vertical (up / down) | 1/4 MOA or 0.1 mil | Dial UP to raise impact |
| Windage (side) | Horizontal (left / right) | 1/4 MOA or 0.1 mil | Dial R to move impact right |
Locking turrets and return to zero
Higher-end scopes add two conveniences. Locking turrets prevent the dials from being bumped off your setting in the field, and a return-to-zero or zero-stop feature lets you re-index the dial to your zero so you can dial up for a longer shot and return to baseline reliably. Accufire's EVRO-12 and ATRO-20 use 0.1-mil locking turrets for exactly that — predictable, repeatable adjustments that stay where you put them.
Want turrets that track and lock? Accufire's variable scopes use 0.1-mil locking turrets and side-focus parallax for repeatable adjustments — explore Accufire rifle scopes.
Accufire EVRO-12 Essential Variable Rifle Scope — $479.00. A first focal plane 2.5-20x50 optic with 0.1-mil locking turrets, side-focus parallax from 50 yards to infinity, and a mil ranging reticle. View the EVRO-12.
Frequently asked questions
How do you adjust a rifle scope?
With two turrets: elevation on top moves your impact up and down, and windage on the side moves it left and right, each by a set amount per click. Turn them toward the direction you want the bullet to go, then fire again to confirm.
Which way do I turn the turret?
Toward where you want the point of impact to move. Most turrets are marked, and the convention is to dial UP to raise impact and R to move it right; reverse each to lower the impact or move it left.
How much does one click move the bullet?
It depends on the turret. A quarter-MOA click moves about a quarter inch at 100 yards, and a tenth-mil click about 0.36 inch at 100 yards. Accufire's scopes use 0.1-mil clicks.
How do I calculate scope adjustments?
Measure how far your group landed from your aim point, convert that to the turret's units of MOA or mil, and dial that many clicks in the correct direction. Then fire again to confirm the change.
What is a return-to-zero turret?
After you zero, a return-to-zero or zero-stop turret lets you re-index the dial to your zero or dial back to it reliably, so you can adjust for a shot and return to your baseline. Accufire's scopes use locking turrets.
Adjusting the turrets is one step in getting a scope shooting true. Our guides to reading rifle scope numbers and MOA vs MRAD cover the units and specs behind those clicks.