​Elevation and Windage adjustments on a scope refer to the two turrets that you "click".  The first thing any shooter wants to accomplish is to zero their rifle at 100 yards (typically).  The simplified explanation of zeroing is that once you have adjusted the scope and set the turrets to zero, (Zero Elevation, Zero Windage values selected), and you put the crosshairs on the middle of the bullseye and fire, your bullet will hit the middle of the bullseye (shooters accuracy notwithstanding).

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To accomplish this, you need to shoot, then adjust the turrets, shoot again, adjust, and continue until you can hit where you are aiming.  THEN, you need to zero out the turrets.  Please refer to your scope's manual for specific instructions on this procedure.  NOW your rifle is properly zeroed.  You can see an example of this process in the Zero & Practice section of this guide.

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Point your gun at a 500-yard target, adjust your elevation turret according to your DOPE to compensate for the drop, and fire.

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As mentioned previously, how much you need to adjust your scope for shooting at distance will depend on your DOPE.  To develop your DOPE, you will most likely need to use a ballistic calculator. These calculators are available for your phone or computer from many sources including Hornady, Athlon, Federal Ammunition, and Winchester with more sophisticated calculators available from Applied Ballistics and ATN.

 

Most Ballistic Calculators also come with a windage value where you can estimate the amount of wind, and from what direction it is blowing, enter that in, and it will adjust the values of each turret adjustment accordingly.  Seasoned shooters often will dial their elevation using their scope turret, but HOLD for wind, which means they may hold their crosshairs slightly to the right or left to compensate for the wind values they actually SEE through their scopes (windage flags, mirage effects, etc.).

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