Just bought used 8x32 swat not sure how to use it. are the win and elev numbers for shooting or just for siteing in rifle

you might be able to buy a weaver rail adapter that can change your elevation aswell as lift up your scope a bit just to make it a bit easier to see out of. try something like this maybe http://ant-supplies.co.uk/DovetailtoWeaverAdapters.aspx

That can get expensive, I had the same problem, bought a Bushnell scope and it went everywhere but on the target, couldn't hold it steady, with my win mod 70 in 308 with heavy barrel, I said that's it, I went and bought a Leupold, no problems since. I don't know what was wrong with the Bushnell, just couldn't handle the blast I guess. I put he Bushnell on my bolt action 223 and haven't had a problem with it, but always expect one because of what happened before. I don't remember the model number, but it was a 3x9. Hope this helps.

this is an excellent article on zeroing a scope.

http://www.outdoorpros.com/How-To-Guides/How-To-Zero-A-Rifle-Scope/5

Is that the "Prairie Master"? I think Simmons is pretty uniform in that range of scopes--elevation adjustment should be the top dial and windage is on the side. The zoom locking ring should be in front of the eyepiece, with the zoom ring just forward of that.

You can download a generic Simmons scope manual from the Simmons site at this link: http://www.simmonsoptics.com/downloads/manuals/archive/HSI_Simmons%20Generic%20Scope%20Adjusting%20Instructions.pdf

this is not that uncommon when mounting a scope on a rifle, the way to get around it is easy
find yourself a strip of old camera film (35mm) cut a strip off and slip it under the eye end of your scope then nip up the top mount this will drop the point of aim in the scope, i use this every time i have this happen to the guys at my club but dont try to put more that say 3 strips of film under the scope or you wont get it to shoot down low,,,

I suggest that you, consult the manufactures model to rectify the issue

Take the bolt out of the rifle so you can sight down the barrel to the target. Get the target bullseye in the center of the barrel. Now look through the scope to see where it is. Adjust the windage and elevation screws to get the cross hairs on the bullseye. Look through the barrel several times to make sure the gun did not move off the target during the adjustments. A concrete bench with sandbags is best to use for this.

the adjustment on the front eye PC is your zoom.
for your wind edge you have a series of numbers.
some scopes differ some read 5,10,15,etc
some read 1,2,3,4 etc, the # are estimated wind speed,left or right.if the wind isn't blowing set it on 0.
for your elevation you will have a series of #'s
50,75,100,etc.this is your yard edge sight it in at 75 yrd's and if what your shooting at is 100 yards just turn the knob to the correct setting.good luck

Sounds like you want to "re-sight" in your rifle. Make sure mounts are okay and tight. Look down barrel and then thru scope and eyeball windage and elevation adjustments so the scope seems to be fairly in line.

Clean barrel if it needs it.

For basic sight in, start at 25 yards with a large(3 to 4 feet) cardboard or wood backdrop around target (bullseye). Fire at target. Once done, look through scope and position rifle such that the shot mark you created is dead zero. Hold rifle very steady and you or buddy move windage and elevation adjustments until scope moves dead zero back toward original target (bullseye). Fine tune from there. Air cool rifle between rounds. Once dead eye, fire another round or two to check grouping. Check your ballistics (sometimes on ammo box) to see how height at 25 yards affects your desired dead on target (100 yards, 150 yards, 250 yards etc.). Adjust accordingly. Example: you may need to sight in at an inch high at 25 yards, depending on your dead on target distance..

Always remove sling from barrel when sighting in.

Try to sight in at similar temperature as you intended shooting temperatures, if possible.

If not black powder, avoid cleaning barrel between sight in and hunt/competition unless you note bad buildup inside.

If you change ammo, understand that that may affect performance. Once a preferred ammo is found, some even try to buy a decent quantity with the same lot number on the boxes if storage allows for such.

It's not a high end scope. Most times you're better off buying a lower power scope of better quality and you'll still be able to see more clearly than with a higher power yet lower quality scope.

Consider that 6x, and lower power, scopes were pretty much standard for WWII snipers, and that fixed 10x is still an accepted power level for snipers these days.