Rifle Scopes Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

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nozzle13

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Minuteman
May 15, 2010
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Memphis, TN
#1
Please somebody help me figure this out.

I got in on a SWFA 5-20x50mm Non-illuminate deal with the Black Friday Special. This is my first high dollar scope, and I jumped all in. Never had more than a 200$ scope.

Got my scope Wednesday worked Friday, came home and set it up this morning with the instructional video from the NSSF.

Glass is better than anything I've seen, but I'm having a major problem.

I focused the reticule according to the video, look away adjust the bell housing look back for a few seconds until the reticule is crystal clear. I'm almost at the stop, but I get a clear picture. That done I'm off to the range.

Bought a couple of the black shoot n see targets from the office. The yellow bordered stick on type that has 4 quadrants. Get in the prone, find my NPA, and here's where the problem comes in. While looking at the brown background I can see the reticule perfectly. Move to put it on the red dot in the black, and the reticule goes away, can not focus on it a bit. I've got the side focus set on 100 and it is perfectly clear, but no reticule. Zoom out to 5, and I've can see the reticule everywhere, but on the black. It's sunny no wind and 60 degrees lots of light, and no reticule. I switch over to my other rifle with a vortex crossfire 6-25, and no problems whatsoever.

I love the view of the surroundings behind the glass, but if I can't see the reticule, what gives? Am I do something wrong or is it the scope.

Somebody please help me out, I don't want to think I just spent a house note, and I'm SOL
 
#2
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

Are you saying that the reticle is blending into the target? If so, that isn't something that can really be fixed without changing the target.
 
#3
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

It's blending in, but more than that, you can't get a definite point of aim. It's like you see the reticule on the brown cardboard background, and then when it get's to the shoot'n'see, all you see is the target. It's like it's bracketing the target. You could not see the crosshairs on the little red dot in the center or anywhere within the stickered target. If I had the illuminated scope it would be like looking through a magnified red dot.
 
#6
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

Most targets I know of are black. I bought it to try F/tr, and I know those are black, so that would make this a not very good scope for competition. If that's the case.
 
#7
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: looty24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It's blending in, but more than that, you can't get a definite point of aim. It's like you see the reticule on the brown cardboard background, and then when it get's to the shoot'n'see, all you see is the target. It's like it's bracketing the target. You could not see the crosshairs on the little red dot in the center or anywhere within the stickered target. If I had the illuminated scope it would be like looking through a magnified red dot. </div></div>

It has to be simply blending in. It isn't like reticles have an on/off switch. The reticle is engraved into the glass itself. So it can't disappear.

It has to be that you're losing sight of it because it is blending into the black target. All I can think of is changing you target to a different color.

BTW: A red/black combo is very hard for the eyes to see. I don't yet have my SWFA but I imagine seeing a thin black crosshair on a small red target center on a black target is going to be very difficult.
 
#8
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: looty24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Most targets I know of are black. I bought it to try F/tr, and I know those are black, so that would make this a not very good scope for competition. If that's the case. </div></div>

You also have to realize that shootnsee targets are kind of a glossy black which would make the situation even worse than a flat black.
 
#9
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

When looking through the scope when I pulled it out of the box, I held it up and looked out the sky light in my bedroom. You could not see the reticule, it was so out of focus that it disappeared. Etched or not you could not discern any dots, lines nothing. Just some fuzzy shaded areas. Only when I finally got it mounted to my rifle, and adjusted the bell housing all of the way in did the reticule come into focus. I feel it may no be able to rectify with the parallax now.
 
#10
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

I realize the black is glossy and all, but I feel that I should at least be able to engage a 100yrd target at 20x, at least as good with at 1300$ scope as my 99$ crossfire scope.
 
#11
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

I'm not trying to be a dick when i say this, but the problem is you, not the scope. It's your lack of experience and not knowing what your doing, or even what your supposed to be trying to do.

Take that rifle to the range and let an expericaned shooter look through it. There wont be any problems. The target being black has nothing to do with it.

On a side note, you know that the parallax knob is not just to "focus" the target. Do a search on how to properly adjust out parallax. You'd be suprised at how many people have no clue how to properly adjust parallax.

Get on that rifle prone, close your eyes, get a cheek weld, and RELAX. Just lay there opening your eyes periodically aquiring the target. See what happens....
 
#12
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

No worries, you ain't a dick, that's why I asked. I am a rookie when it comes to high dollar scopes. That's why my post count is so low, I've been reading on here for quite a while, but don't figure I'm up to the level of giving advise on really anything.

That's also what I wanted to hear, it's not the target. A scope that is selective at what kind of targets you can shoot at is of no use to me.

Your advise on looking at the target is what I was doing, sometimes when opening both eyes I could see the reticule for a second. It was just very odd to me that I have the bell housing fully in to get the focus of the reticule. I figured I should have more adjustment available in both directions. It still is not what I would call crisp.

I've got the same thread on opticstalk, and was given some other methods of setting it up, that I will try. I'm gonna do some more reading and learning, just freaking out a bit, cause it was quite an investment for me.
 
#14
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

You will get it figured out. Don't paninc in regards to the scope or it's usefulness.

What are you calling the "Bell housing"? That is a part of an automatic transmission on a vehicle. I'm not familiar with the term on scopes. You have the front objective, which on your scope is not adjustable (non AO). You have the occular adjustment (eye piece as some call it) that is in the rear of the scope. Then you have the parallax adjustment on the side ofcourse.
 
#16
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

^^ +1 but I would not only say it sounds. It is your occular lens that is out of focus and needs to be readjusted.
 
#17
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: looty24</div><div class="ubbcode-body">No worries, you ain't a dick, that's why I asked. I am a rookie when it comes to high dollar scopes. That's why my post count is so low, I've been reading on here for quite a while, but don't figure I'm up to the level of giving advise on really anything.

That's also what I wanted to hear, it's not the target. A scope that is selective at what kind of targets you can shoot at is of no use to me.

Your advise on looking at the target is what I was doing, sometimes when opening both eyes I could see the reticule for a second. It was just very odd to me that I have the bell housing fully in to get the focus of the reticule. I figured I should have more adjustment available in both directions. It still is not what I would call crisp.

I've got the same thread on opticstalk, and was given some other methods of setting it up, that I will try. I'm gonna do some more reading and learning, just freaking out a bit, cause it was quite an investment for me. </div></div>

It sounds like the target and the reticle are in different focused in different spots inside the scope. When your eye focuses on the target, the reticle is no longer visible.

It is a combination of the incorrectly set eyepiece focus and incorrectly set side focus.

ILya
 
#20
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: trevor300wsm</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

What are you calling the "Bell housing"? That is a part of an automatic transmission on a vehicle.
</div></div>

Manual transmissions have bell housings as well.
grin.gif
 
#22
Re: Help can't see the reticle on SWFA 5-20x50

I kinda had a similar experience hunting last year, it was almost out of shooting light and in the shadows I couldn't see the crosshair either, I just reached up and turned on the lighted reticule and problem solved he he he
 
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