The standard Weavers don't have the Micro-Trac turrets. The target scopes and the Grand Slams do, and that's what makes them so good at tracking properly.
I have not box tested my GS, but it has been pretty amazing with how well it tracks vertically, then back to zero. I rarely dial in windage, opting rather to keep an "inches per 1 mph of wind" chart, and I just hold off for windage when shooting at live targets. It is a simple matter to calculate inches per 1 mph wind hold-off, so this is why I make my charts this way.
One thing about doing a reliable box test, is you need to be sure that you're giving the scope a fair shake by beginning with the
erector centered.
You can center the erector by holding the scope's objective against a mirror (with the scope off the rifle this is easier, or use your wife's compact mirror if the scope is mounted already), and seeing the two sets of crosshairs when you look into the eyepiece. Note: you have to let a little light in, so hold the mirror about 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the objective)... One set of crosshairs is the reflected image, the other set is the actual crosshairs. You then dial the elevation and windage turrets until the images of the crosshairs converge together. The erector will then be at center, both horizontal and vertical. Experiment with this with an old scope, held against the bathroom mirror and you'll see what I mean...
Anyway, if the erector is dialed off too far to one side in order to establish your zero (this often happens with bases which are not windage adjustable, and have been drilled a bit off), then during your 10 MOA or greater box test, you may actually be forcing the erector into contact with the inside of the scope tube, and it will stop moving linearly and perhaps even veer a bit (up or down for windage adjustments, or left or right for elevation adjustments) as it follows the curve of the scope tube.
For my part, I am most interested in the elevation tracking, and not so much the windage. Realize that when you dial a lot of windage into a scope, you are pressing the erector well off to one side. This will limit the distance that the erector can travel up and down. 30mm scopes have an advantage here, by the way, as they have more room for the erector to move. 30mm tubes do not transfer any more light than a 1 inch tube.
Anyway, the above can often explain why a box test seems to show that a scope is lacking, when in fact it may not be lacking for all practical uses.
Look that this article I did on the PR forum... it may help explain things a bit better with some pictures. :]
http://practicalrifler.6.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=38
One last thing... knockemdown's test in that other thread was done well, and those inconsistencies do appear to be a problem in the scope itself (as he suggests), not the mounting.
Dan
